National identity card (France)

French national identity card Carte nationale d’identité
Front of the card
Back of the card
Type	Identity card, optional replacement for passport in the listed countries
Issued by	France
Valid in	EU and rest of Europe (except Belarus, Russia, Ukraine and United Kingdom[1])  Anguilla (max 24 hours, 72 hours for Saint Martin residents)  Dominica (max 14 days)  Egypt  Georgia  Montserrat  Saint Lucia  Tunisia (on organised tours)  Turkey
Expiration	10 years

The French national identity card (French: carte nationale d’identité or CNI) is an official identity document consisting of an electronic ID-1 card bearing a photograph, name and address. While the identity card is non-compulsory, all persons must possess some form of valid government-issued identity documentation.^[2]

Identity cards, valid for a period of 10 years, are issued by the local préfecture, sous-préfecture, mairie (in France) or in French consulates (abroad) free of charge. A fingerprint of the holder is taken, which is stored in paper files and which can only be accessed by a judge in closely defined circumstances. A central database duplicates the information on the card, but strict laws limit access to the information and prevent it being linked to other databases or records.

The card may be used to verify identity and nationality and may also be used as a travel document within Europe (except Belarus, Russia, Ukraine and United Kingdom) as well as French overseas territories, Anguilla, Egypt, Turkey, Georgia, Dominica (max 14 days), Montserrat, Saint Lucia and on organized tours to Tunisia^[3] instead of a French passport. The cards are widely used for other purposes — for example, when opening a bank account, or when making a payment by cheque.