France public service site looks to improve user experience

The Service-Public.fr website, which has evolved into one of the main guides through government administration in France, now lets users create their own accounts.

Available in English as well in French for most of the site, the accounts “allow you to follow your online procedures carried out from Service-Public.fr website, manage your administrative documents and exchange with administrations.”

Examples it gives include registering to vote, taking part in compulsory censuses, applications for birth and death certificates, signing up for the police or gendarmes to visit your house during holidays, and planning applications. 

The website warns that some of the forms it handles for the nation’s ministries require an account in order to be processed.

Read more: 9 ways France plans to simplify bureaucracy for residents

Two-step process

Creating an account can be done in two ways.

You can register on the website directly by clicking on ‘Se connecter’ at the top right of the screen and selecting the ‘Pas encore de compte’ option, which will lead to a form.

You will need an email account, to which a code will be sent to complete the process.

The second method is through an existing FranceConnect registration. Only identity information from FranceConnect (name, civil status, place and date of birth) is sent to Service-Public.

Once you have an account, one useful feature is a ‘briefcase’ where any forms you fill in can be held. 

Accounts can be set up for associations as well as individuals, and it is possible to have multi-person access to association accounts so that, for example, all members of a managing committee can use the account.

Businesses can also have a Service-Public account, for example to get environmental certificates, some health and safety certificates, and to research tax credit applications.