French passport

French passport
The front cover of a contemporary French biometric passport
Date first issued	12 April 2006 (biometric passport) 28 October 2008 (current version)
Issued by	France
Type of document	Passport
Purpose	Identification
Eligibility requirements	French citizenship
Expiration	5 years after issuance for citizens under the age of 18; 10 years for adults
Cost	86 € (adult) / 42 € (15-17) / 17 € (14 and under)

French passport (in French: Passeport français) is an identity document issued to French citizens. Besides enabling the bearer to travel internationally and serving as indication of French citizenship (but not proof; the possession of a French passport only establishes the presumption of French citizenship 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.

According to the 2014 Visa Restrictions Index, French citizens can visit 172 countries without a visa or with a visa granted on arrival. 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.

Every French citizen is also a citizen of the European Union. The passport, along with the national identity card allows for free rights of movement and residence in any of the states of the European Union and European Economic Area.

History of French passport can be traced to 19th century documents.

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 have 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 underligned. The 3 types of passport are shown above.

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