French passport

French passport
The front cover of a contemporary French biometric passport
Date first issued 12 April 2006 (first biometric passport)
1 April 2013[1] (current version)
Issued by France Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development
Type of document Passport
Purpose Identification
Eligibility requirements French citizenship
Expiration 5 years after issuance for citizens under the age of 18; 10 years for adults
Cost 86 € (adult) / 42 € (15-17) / 17 € (14 and under)[2]

French passport (in French: Passeport français) is an identity document issued to French citizens. Besides enabling the bearer to travel internationally and serving as indication of French citizenship (but not proof; the possession of a French passport only establishes the presumption of French citizenship according to French law), the passport facilitates the process of securing assistance from French consular officials abroad or other European Union member states in case a French consular is absent, if needed.

As of May 2018, French citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 187 countries and territories, ranking the French passport 3rd in terms of travel freedom (tied with the Finnish, Italian, South Korean, Spanish, and Swedish passports) according to the Henley Passport Index.[3] French citizens can live and work in any country within the EU as a result of the right of free movement and residence granted in Article 21 of the EU Treaty.[4]

Every French citizen is also a citizen of the European Union. The passport, along with the national identity card allows for free rights of movement and residence in any of the states of the European Union and European Economic Area.

History

History of French passport can be traced to 19th century documents.

Types

Passports are valid for 10 years for applicants aged 18 or over and 5 years for applicants under the age of 18. Optical passports (older) have no sign under the word "Passeport" on the front page. Electronic passport contains an embedded chip and has the chip logo under the word "Passeport". Biometric passeports are the most recent ones and are decorated as the electronic passports but the word "Passeport" is underlined. The 3 types of passport are shown above.

Physical appearance

Front cover

Unlike those from most other EU countries which are burgundy, ordinary passports have a Bordeaux-red front cover, with the national emblem of France emblazoned in the centre of the front cover. The word "PASSEPORT" (Passport) is inscribed below the coat of arms and "Union européenne" (European Union), "République française" (French Republic) above. The "e-passport" cover has a microchip symbol at the bottom. On the biometric variant of e-passports, the word "PASSEPORT" is underlined. French passports use the standard EU design, with the standard passport containing 32 pages.

1941 French Vichy SAFE - CONDUCT travel document issued to a Jewish refugee.

Identity information page

The biodata page includes the following data:

  • Photo of Passport Holder
  • Type (P)
  • Code (FRA)
  • Passport No. 22244
  • Surname JOHN
  • Given Names CHRISTIAN
  • Nationality (Française) (3)
  • Date of Birth 01/10/1970
  • Sex M
  • Place of Birth FRANCE
  • Date of Issue (7)
  • Date of Expiry (8)
  • Authority (9)
  • Holder's Signature (10)
  • Height (12)
  • Colour of Eyes (13)
  • Residence (15) - Page 36

The information page ends with the Machine Readable Zone starting with P<FRA.

Languages

The data page is printed in French and English with translation of the fields on the bearer's page in the other languages of the European Union elsewhere in the document.

Visa free travel

Visa requirements for French citizens
  France
  Freedom of movement
  Visa not required
  Visa on arrival
  eVisa
  Visa available both on arrival or online
  Visa required prior to arrival

Visa requirements for French citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of France. As of 10 October 2018, French citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 188 countries and territories, ranking the French passport third in the world in terms of travel freedom (tied with German and South Korean passports) according to the Visa Restrictions Index.

See also

References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑ Passeport
  3. ↑ "Global Ranking - Passport Index 2018" (PDF). Henley & Partners. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  4. ↑ Treaty on the Function of the European Union (consolidated version)
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