How to use French post office’s new online identity system

An increasing number of official and postal procedures have moved online and, in tandem, a new secure version of the French postal service’s digital ID system, Identité Numérique La Poste, has launched to allow access to many of them.

It is not vital to have this but it is likely to be used more and more in the future.

Tasks covered include, for example, confirming reception of online registered post deliveries or signing into your space at impots.gouv.fr.

To create an account, download the identité numérique app or see lidentitenumerique.laposte.fr.

You will need some French-initiated ID such as a carte de séjour.

Once signed up, each time this is used you will be asked to enter your mobile number and ‘identify’ yourself.

You will receive a text message on which you should enter a four-digit number that you set up when you created your account.

This is intended as a more secure version of the existing FranceConnect system whereby you can sign into a number of websites using log-in details from one of several partner sites.

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