Are passport renewal deadlines exploding? The only national identity card is enough for you to go on vacation in many destinations. Including outside Europe.
The holidays are approaching and your passport has still not been renewed? Due to Covid or Brexit, there is indeed a traffic jam at the town hall for requests for identity papers. It takes 65 days (on average) to get an appointment at the town hall compared to 12 days a year ago, said government spokesman Gabriel Attal on May 11. In response, the executive announced,an emergency plan » to treat “500,000 more requests per week”. While the measure will reduce delays, the results will not be instantaneous.
While waiting for the first effects of this system, several destinations remain accessible to those whose passport has expired: some countries welcome French tourists without a passport for stays, most often, not exceeding 90 days. Here is the list of these countries where to travel on simple presentation of the national identity card.
Read alsoTraveling with expired identity documents, mission impossible?
In Europe
- The 26 countries of the Schengen area
Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia , Sweden and Switzerland.
- The other countries of the European Union
Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Ireland and Romania.
- Eight additional European countries
Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Liechtenstein and Monaco.
Since January 1, 2014, the period of validity of the identity card has increased from 10 to 15 years for adults. In theory, cards issued to over 18s between 2004 and 2013 are extended for 5 years. But beware, the French law of January 1, 2014 is not applicable in all European countries. Find here the list of countries in which this system is in force.
Read alsoWhere can we travel? Our map of open countries and restrictions for French tourists
Outside Europe: Turkey, Tunisia, Egypt
Very few countries exempt travelers from passports during border control beyond the Old Continent. The first of them has a foothold in Europe: it is the Turkey . French travelers can discover Istanbul or the wonders of Cappadocia with their identity card alone, the validity of which must exceed the date of entry into the country by at least 150 days (5 months).
This is also the case in Egypt . Without a passport, you must present a national identity card with a validity date of at least six months after the date of return to France. In addition, France Diplomatie specifies that identity cards issued to adults between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2013 are still valid 5 years after the expiry date indicated on the back.
Finally, a passport is not compulsory to go to Tunisia but only organized trips. The national identity card is tolerated if it is accompanied by the travel book issued by the agency with which the stay was booked. France Diplomatie points out, however, that this tolerance is not always applied and recommends traveling to Tunisia with a passport.
Again, identity cards issued to adults between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2013 are valid for 5 years after the expiry date.
SEE ALSO – Passport, identity card … Gabriel Attal announces an « emergency plan » to reduce the time required to obtain
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