Can residency cards be uploaded to French ID smartphone app?
France Identité app allows the digitisation of certain documents
Only one app holding ID information is recognised by the French authorities
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Reader Question: I have read an article about an ‘official’ app which can carry digital versions of certain French ID documents. Can I add my carte de séjour to it?
The app is called France Identité which allows users to upload digital versions of certain official ID documents.
Currently, two main ID documents can be uploaded and then held on your phone:
A French national identity card (carte d’identité nationale) if your current card is in the modern ‘credit card’ format
If you have a French ID card you can also add a French driving licence if it is in the ‘credit card’ format
If needed you can use such ID stored in your phone to show police if stopped when driving, as proof of age or ID - for example to collect a parcel or enter an age-restricted area - or to make administrative requests via FranceConnect.
Read more: What is the ‘FranceConnect’ button used for on websites?
There are plans for multiple other forms of ID to work on the app in the future, including cartes de séjour for non-EU residents and vehicles’ cartes grise (registration documents).
New additions such as these were said to be on the way by the end of 2024 but as of August 2024, no updates have been given about when the app may include these features.
This means that you cannot upload your carte de séjour (French residency card) for the time being, whichever type it is.
Read more: What is the difference between a French carte de séjour and a titre de séjour?
Are alternative apps available?
There are no other authorised smartphone apps which you can use to digitise physical copies of ID in France.
Even if an app claims to create a digital version of an ID, they are not legitimate, as only the France Identité app is recognised by the French authorities.
Digital versions or photocopies of documents are not always accepted, for example those you need in your vehicle, or when travelling on a train.
Official advice in these cases is to carry the original, physical piece of ID.
A trial for digital versions of the carte Vitale healthcare card was widened to include more departments earlier in 2024, however this relates to the scanning of or paying with the card at a medical appointment; it cannot be used as official ID.
Read more: Digital carte Vitale begins in many areas: where and how will it work?
