Passport: all you need to know about the formalities!
While the identity card is sufficient for traveling in Europe, the passport is an essential ally for long-haul travelers. What is a biometric passport? Where and how to apply for a passport or its renewal? Read this article without further ado to learn all about the passport and formalities before your next trip!
Passport or identity card?
To travel abroad, you will be required to provide an identity document. If within Europe an identity card is sufficient, the passport is required for international travel outside Europe. Before any departure, consult the website of the embassy or consulate of the country to which you are going to find out about the current formalities.
What is a biometric passport?
Following on from the electronic passport, the biometric passport has an electronic chip that stores your photograph, your marital status and your fingerprints. Since 2009, all passports issued in France are biometric.
How long is a passport valid for?
The validity of a French passport is 10 years for adults, 5 years for minors.
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Where to get your passport?
Applications for French passports are made at the town hall - in France - or at French consulates - if you live abroad. Your place of residence does not matter, you can indeed go to the town hall of your choice as long as it is equipped with a registration desk.
In Paris, you must submit your passport application to an administrative police office or to certain district town halls after making an appointment online.
Biometric passports are issued respectively by the prefecture or the consulate. Be careful, if you come to town hall without a photograph and want to do it on site, consider going to a town hall equipped with a biometric photo kiosk.
Passport application or renewal: how to do it?
To obtain a passport - renewal or first request - you must therefore go to the town hall in person, with or without an appointment (so inquire beforehand).
With the necessary supporting documents (see below), complete the cardboard form available at the counter or submit your passport pre-application previously completed online. Your form or pre-request number will allow the town hall to retrieve your data, then verify your supporting documents and take your fingerprints.
The papers to be provided
Depending on your situation - major or minor, first passport application or renewal… - the documents to be provided to make a passport may vary. Most of the time, you will be asked:
a fiscal stamp to be purchased when pre-applying online, on the timbres.impots.gouv.fr site, at a tobacco shop or at a tax center
a photo (see below)
an old identity document (identity card or passport, even if they have expired for more than 5 years) or, if you do not have one, a birth certificate extract less than 3 months old
your pre-request number (online) or a cardboard form delivered to the place of submission of the request
proof of address (original and photocopy)
in the event of a lost or stolen passport, a declaration of loss or theft.
Original documents are often required. To avoid disappointment, remember to take them with you, even if you made photocopies. They will obviously be returned to you at the end of your application.
What photo for a passport?
The photo required for a new passport is highly regulated. Thus, it must meet the following criteria:
be less than 6 months old
be taken by a professional photographer or in a booth using a system approved by the Ministry of the Interior
be on a plain light background (white prohibited).
Finally, be careful to keep your head bare, straight and facing the lens; face, ears and neck open; eyes open and mouth closed and a neutral expression.
The cost of a passport
The cost of the passport is related to the cost of tax stamps:
€ 86 for adults; 89 € if the photo is taken in town hall or consulate
€ 42 (or € 45) for minors aged 15 to 18
17 € (or 20 €) for minors under 15 years old
The timeframe for obtaining a passport
Depending on the town hall where you filed your application and the date of your application, the time taken to obtain a passport can vary considerably. It is therefore important to anticipate your request when approaching a trip abroad,
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