French identity card
| French national identity card (Carte nationale d’identité) |
|
|---|---|
| Issued by |
 France
|
| Valid in |
 Dominica (max 14 days) Egypt Georgia Greenland (de facto) Jordan (on organized tours through Aqaba airport) Montserrat Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Tunisia (on organised tours) Turkey
|
| Type of document | Identity card, optional replacement for passport in the listed countries |
France
Europe (except Belarus, Kosovo, Russia and Ukraine)
The French national identity card (French: Carte nationale d’identité or CNI) is an official identity document consisting of a laminated plastic 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.
Identity cards, valid for a period of 15 years (extended from initially 10 years as of 1 January 2014), 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 cards may be used to verify identity and nationality and may also be used as a travel document within Europe (except Belarus, Kosovo, Russia and Ukraine) as well as French overseas territories, Egypt, Turkey, Georgia, Dominica (max 14 days), Montserrat, Saint Lucia (max 14 days), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and on organized tours to Jordan (through Aqaba airport) and Tunisia 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.
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Wikipedia