French passport

Passport issued to French citizens

A French passport is an identity document issued to French citizens. Besides enabling the bearer to travel internationally and serving as indication of French nationality (but not proof; the possession of a French passport only establishes the presumption of French nationality 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. Every French citizen is also a citizen of the European Union. The passport, along with the national identity card allows for rights of free movement and residence in any of the states of the European Union, European Economic Area and Switzerland.

The history of the French passport can be traced to documents issued in the 19th century.

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.

Unlike those from most other EU countries which are burgundy, ordinary passports have a Bordeaux red front cover, with the diplomatic emblem of France emblazoned in the centre of the front cover. The word "PASSEPORT" (Passport) is inscribed below the emblem 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.

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 requirements for French citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of France. As of January 2024, French citizens had visa free or visa on arrival access to 194 countries and territories, ranking the French passport 1st in terms of travel freedom (tied with the passports of Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, and Spain), according to the Henley Passport Index. 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.