France Identité app now accepted for boarding at French airports from June 24

The measure applies regardless of the flight's destination. However, it does not replace your physical ID card or passport for border crossings.

What exactly does this measure allow?

The change stems from a decree issued on June 8, 2026, amending a 2013 civil aviation security measure, published in the Official Journal on June 23 and effective the following day.

In practical terms, two key moments in the passenger journey are affected:

• Baggage drop at check-in counters;

• Boarding, when airline staff verify your identity.

The scope is broad: all French airports, covering domestic flights, Schengen-area flights, and international flights. This means you don’t need to check whether your departure airport participates in a trial—it applies nationwide from day one.

The background is important. Until now, the certified digital ID was mainly used to access online public services via FranceConnect or generate identity documents remotely. Airports were the first everyday physical location where travelers still had to rely on the reflex of carrying their ID card. This isn’t a limited trial: the text applies nationwide immediately.

Where digital ID isn’t enough

That’s the key limitation to remember before heading to the airport with just your phone. Service-public.fr clarifies that France Identité’s digital ID cannot be used in foreign airports or at border crossings.

Put simply: border police upon return, authorities in the destination country, and staff at non-French airports will still require a physical document. A flight from Paris to Madrid still involves crossing a border—your national ID or passport must be in your carry-on, even if you used your smartphone at the Orly check-in desk.

The right way to think about it: digital ID saves time for airlines, but it doesn’t reduce the list of documents you need to carry.

Who can use certified digital ID

To activate the France Identité app, you must meet three cumulative conditions:

• be a legal adult (18 or over);

• hold a national ID card in credit-card format—i.e., the electronic ID card issued since 2021;

• use a smartphone running Android 11.0 or later, or iOS 16.6 or later.

A pre-2021 or traditional-format ID cannot be used. If your ID expires or was issued before 2021, renewal is mandatory.

In practice, you open the app, tap the ‘digital ID’ card on the homepage, and display a vertical card showing your photo, surname, and first name to the agent.

Nothing is made mandatory

The system adds an option, not a substitution.

Traditional travel documents remain fully valid: national ID card, passport, residence permit, or driver’s license.

If you don’t have an electronic ID, are traveling with a minor, or prefer not to rely on your phone’s battery at check-in—no action is needed. Nothing changes for you.

Families should note: since only adults can activate the ID, a child traveling with you must present their own physical document at check-in and boarding. A group of four can’t rely solely on two smartphones at the counter—the kids’ IDs must still be carried.

What to check before your next flight

A quick pre-departure check avoids unpleasant surprises:

1. Does your destination require a passport? Many non-EU countries demand a passport valid months beyond your return date. Digital ID doesn’t apply here.

2. Is your physical ID valid? It’s the one checked at the border, both going and coming back.

3. Is any travel authorization required? Depending on your destination, a visa or electronic authorization (e.g., AVE, ESTA, ETA) may still be needed upfront, regardless of how you present your identity.

For flights departing France to destinations with formalities, the third step causes most boarding denials. Airlines verify travel authorization before allowing you to board, and France Identité does not replace it.