Explained: what is the official France Identité app and can foreigners use it?
Health cards are to soon be included, the French prime minister recently announced
The app can be used to host driving licences and ID cards, which can be accepted as official digital documents
Tirachard Kumtanom/Shutterstock
France’s new prime minister Michel Barnier has outlined plans for people’s healthcare cards (cartes Vitale) to be available digitally across the country.
The scheme is set to launch in the first quarter of 2025 and would see people able to access a digital version of their cards through the 'France Identité' smartphone app.
Read more: Carte Vitale: Plans for digital version to be integrated with French ID app
A current Ameli (online healthcare space) app undergoing trial allows people in 23 departments to have a digital version of the card on their smartphones.
However, people outside of these departments cannot currently access a digital carte Vitale.
France Identité is a free government application available for smartphones that is used to provide official digital versions of key French documents.
Physical versions of these documents are, and will continue to be, accepted.
It is the only application that provides official digital versions of certain documents that are accepted by French authorities.
App hosts digital ID cards and driving licences
Initially, the app was used to provide a digital version of the post-2021 ‘credit-card’ style national French identity cards (carte d’identité nationale) that conform to EU standards.
This digital version can be used in lieu of the physical card to confirm a holder’s age and identity both in an official capacity for administrative purposes and for personal errands such as proof of ID when collecting parcels, etc.
Since February 2024, French driving licences can also be uploaded onto the app and are accepted alongside physical licences by police officers during checks.
Read more: French driving licence: mobile app lets you keep original at home
In addition, the app can be linked to a FranceConnect account, providing a log-in to over 1,400 mainly government services, including the French tax website.
Read more: What is the ‘FranceConnect’ button used for on websites?
Who can use the app?
Currently the France Identité app is only available to people who have a post-2021 French national identity card - so it is limited to French citizens.
This remains the case – as explained on the app's FAQ page – despite French driving licences also being available to non-French citizens.
It is not known whether the app will expand its ID options (needed to set up an account) to include residency cards for non-citizens when it expands to include cartes Vitale.
There have been plans for the app to include digital versions of residency cards for some time – which would allow non-French citizens to use it – however no confirmation of when these changes will happen has been given.
Read more: Can residency cards be uploaded to French ID smartphone app?
The current Ameli app that allows digitised cartes Vitale on smartphones can be used by foreign residents, as it requires an ID document such as a national identity card or passport or a residency permit or the user's social security number, the latter of which are available to non-citizens.
However, this app has low reviews from users and many say it does not work well.
The government states, in answer to one frustrated user, that Android phone users must have a recent (version 11 or more) version of the user system installed (the most recent is 15) so an update may be required.
Read more: Digital carte Vitale begins in many areas: where and how will it work?
