Source date: 2026-05-21
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Digital Identity: A New Procedure for French Citizens in Overseas Territories and Abroad Published on May 22, 2026 - Service Public / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister's Office)
French citizens residing in overseas territories or abroad can now create their France Identité digital identity by visiting a town hall, embassy, or consulate. Until now, many French citizens living abroad, as well as residents of French Polynesia, New Caledonia, and Wallis and Futuna, were unable to create their digital identity due to lack of access to FranceConnect. Service Public presents the new procedure implemented.
Image 1 Credits: PhotoGranary - stock.adobe.com
The France Identité digital identity allows you, among other things:
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To access certain ID documents from your mobile phone (your national identity card and driver's license);
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To digitize your Vitale card;
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To log in to public services without needing to enter a username and password;
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To generate proof of identity, required for certain procedures (apartment rental, etc.);
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To have a digital version of your vehicle registration certificate (carte grise).
Previously, when creating your digital identity, you had two options for verifying your identity:
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Using FranceConnect;
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Requesting to receive a registered letter containing a QR code that you must scan (the postal worker then verifies your identity).
However, these two methods are not accessible to all French citizens. Many French citizens residing abroad, in French Polynesia, New Caledonia, and Wallis and Futuna do not have access to FranceConnect.
Since the beginning of May, when creating your digital identity, you also have the option to request that your identity be verified at an overseas town hall, an embassy, or a consulate.
To create your France Identité digital identity, you must:
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Possess a mobile phone with an operating system of at least version 11.0 for Android, and at least version 16.6 for iOS.
How to create your digital identity using the new procedure?
To create your digital identity under the new procedure for French citizens in overseas territories and abroad, you must, in order:
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Download the France Identité app;
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Scan the front of your identity card with your mobile phone's camera;
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Perform an NFC read of your identity card (this involves placing your mobile phone against the front of your identity card, following the instructions provided within the France Identité app);
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Choose the "face-to-face identity verification with an agent" option (your identity is verified in this case at an embassy or consulate if you reside abroad, and at a town hall if you reside in an overseas territory);
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Confirm your email address, then use your mobile phone's unlock procedure to validate the operation – the app then generates a QR code;
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Go to an overseas town hall, an embassy, or a consulate to present the QR code generated in the France Identité app to an agent.
After presenting the QR code to an agent, your request is reviewed within 24 to 48 hours; you then receive, by email or within the France Identité app, a message indicating whether your identity verification via the QR code was successful. If this message indicates that your identity verification procedure worked, you must finalize the creation of your digital identity within 7 days of receiving the email or notification in the France Identité app; to do so, you must perform the following actions:
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Scan the front of your identity card with your mobile phone's camera;
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Create your 6-digit personal PIN code for the France Identité app;
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Perform an NFC read of your identity card to associate your personal PIN code with your ID document;
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Use your mobile phone's unlock procedure.
Once you have completed all these steps, your digital identity is created.
It is stated on the France Identité program website that "although this process is open to all residents of overseas collectivities, it primarily targets residents of territories without access to FranceConnect (namely French Polynesia, New Caledonia, and Wallis and Futuna)."
Furthermore, it is specified that the identity verification procedure at town halls is not accessible to French citizens residing in metropolitan France, as they can have their identity verified by sending a registered letter in addition to the FranceConnect procedure.
However, all French citizens can request early renewal of their national identity card to benefit from digital identity. In this case, your France Identité digital identity is created at the town hall upon receipt of your new identity card (this procedure is performed at an embassy or consulate for French citizens residing abroad).
See also
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Identity card, passport: online pre-application now possible for French citizens abroad Service Public
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French citizens abroad can now renew their passports online in 4 countries Service Public
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The procedure for obtaining a digital driver's license has been simplified Service Public
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International driver's license: a now digitized and paid procedure Service Public
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Create your digital identity abroad, in New Caledonia and French Polynesia France Identité
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France Identité (FAQ) France Identité
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Source: Service-Public particuliers