Digital ID in France: FranceConnect and France Identité
How to prove who you are online in France: FranceConnect, FranceConnect+, the France Identité app and the electronic ID card, plus the EU wallet in October 2026.
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In France you identify yourself online through FranceConnect, a login hub that reuses an account you already have with the tax authority, health insurance or the postal service, or through the France Identité app, which reads your electronic ID card. This page explains how they fit together and where the EU wallet stands in October 2026.
At a glance
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| National eID or ID card with eID function | Electronic national identity card (CNIe) with a chip, read by the France Identité app |
| Mobile or app solution | France Identité app (NFC reading of the CNIe), also usable as a FranceConnect identity provider |
| Bank-ID | Not a central part of the French model |
| eIDAS notification and level | FranceConnect+ and the La Poste digital identity notified at substantial (2021) |
| EUDI wallet, October 2026 | France Identité is the intended French EU wallet and is live; wider opening to all residents planned by the end of 2026 |
| Responsible body | Interdepartmental digital directorate (DINUM) for FranceConnect, Ministry of the Interior and the national agency for secure documents (ANTS) for the ID card, ANSSI for security certification |
The national system
FranceConnect is the backbone. When you log in to a public service, you choose an existing identity provider, such as the tax portal, the health insurance service or the La Poste digital identity, and FranceConnect passes a verified set of identity attributes to the service without sharing your password. FranceConnect+ is the stricter variant for sensitive services, requiring a higher level of authentication, and it is the scheme notified with the European Commission under eIDAS at the substantial level. Our guide to levels of assurance explains what that level means.
France Identité adds a state-run identity wallet on top. It is built around the electronic ID card introduced from 2021, whose chip stores your identity data and is read through the phone’s NFC antenna.
How to get it and use it
Download France Identité on an NFC-capable phone, scan your CNIe, and follow the steps to create your digital identity. Officials describe a higher, certified level that involves an in-person check at a town hall; this certified identity is the one meant for use with the EU wallet. In daily life you then approve logins to FranceConnect-enabled services, generate identity attestations and, where supported, use credentials such as a mobile driving licence. The app was also used for digital proxy voting at the March 2026 municipal elections, according to the authorities.
Without the new ID card, you can still use FranceConnect with a tax or health insurance account, which is how many residents, including foreigners with such accounts, sign in.
The EU wallet in France (October 2026)
French guidance published in March 2026 states that France Identité is to be the French implementation of the EU Digital Identity Wallet. The app is live: it passed from pilot to scale-up in 2025, and the government has talked of reaching around five million users and opening the app to all residents by the end of 2026. Independent trackers in September 2026 still listed France with a public sandbox rather than a certified EUDI wallet, so the formal status deserves a check on the official pages. For the wider picture read our overview of the EU Digital Identity Wallet.
Use abroad and by foreigners
Because FranceConnect+ is notified, other member states can in principle accept it, and French services connected to the eIDAS network can accept eIDs from other countries. Coverage depends on the service, so see using your national eID in another EU country before you rely on it. Neighbouring models differ: Spain uses a card and certificate approach, while Belgium works with a smart-card eID and an app.
What to do now
If you hold the electronic ID card, install France Identité and create the digital identity; the certified level with an in-person check at the town hall is worth it mainly if you want to use the app as your EU wallet later. Everyone else keeps signing in through FranceConnect with an existing account. Keep access to your tax and health insurance accounts secure, because for many residents these are the key to FranceConnect. Before relying on it abroad, check that the target service is connected to the eIDAS network.
Privacy and security
FranceConnect shows you which data a service requests and lets the identity provider confirm it, which limits the number of passwords you have to manage. The France Identité app keeps credentials on your device. As always, install apps only from the official stores, protect the phone with a lock, and be wary of text messages or emails that imitate the tax authority or health insurance and ask you to log in through a link.
Official sources: France Identité and FranceConnect.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between FranceConnect and France Identité?
FranceConnect is a login hub: it lets you sign in to many services with an existing account from a provider such as the tax authority, health insurance or La Poste. France Identité is a state app that holds your digital identity and can itself serve as one of those providers.
Do I need the new electronic ID card for France Identité?
Yes. The app reads the chip of the electronic national identity card, called the CNIe, over NFC on your phone. Without such a card you cannot create the full digital identity, but you can still use FranceConnect with other accounts.
Is France Identité the French EU wallet?
The French authorities describe it as the future French implementation of the EU Digital Identity Wallet, and it is already in use. How and when it is formally certified as an EUDI wallet should be checked on the official pages, as that status is still moving in October 2026.
Can foreigners living in France use FranceConnect?
Often yes, if they have an account with a participating provider such as the tax portal or the health insurance service. The France Identité app, however, depends on a French identity card.