New Digital French Driving Licence

Cars / Motoring / Insurance
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New Digital French Driving Licence

On 14/02/2024, the digital French driving licence was launched to the whole of France.

However, this is ONLY currently available for people with new biometric French ID cards issued from summer 2021.

There is talk this will be rolled out to those holding Titre de Séjours later, but currently just French ID.

Even if this facility is available to you now or in the future, it’s NOT COMPULSORY, you can continue to use your physical licence.

French ID Holders

For those that can and want to, you need to set up a France Identié account but you go through this when you set the card up.

The card set up can only be done through the app which is available to download for Apple and Google.

https://france-identite.gouv.fr/

The set up is quite easy, you will be asked to scan the card and then leave your phone on the card, bit like touch and go payment with a phone, whist the app scans. You will follow the on screen instruction.

https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/actualites/A17159

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Thank you so much for this simple explanation… :+1:

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Do you just keep the digital licence on your phone?

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Thanks @kim for the info and for making it all clear. Compulsion would have meant that everyone who wanted to drive would have to have a smartphone. :astonished: :slightly_frowning_face:

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TF1 20h News the other night made it very clear also that not everyone has/wants/can afford a smartphone and therefore it is not compulsory.

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Yes, if you read the bit about French ID, you have to download the app to load your ID to be linked to your licence.

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What a great way to track the population…literally, at any given instant, you are but a ping away from a cell tower triangulation for any requisition of the government’s security services or other services that use France Identité.

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An interesting thought! I wonder would that functionality be built into the anticovid app or even the NHS app?

I wonder if Apple would vet the app or code to check for nefarious monitoring - presume they do some checking before putting an app in the App Store.

There again, phone tracking is already being done for crime investigation.

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Hi Kim

I read in a post last month that one can ask for a deeper search by the DVLA than the regular print off of driving entitlement, unless I’m mistaken. I already lost my C1 when I exchanged my licence several years ago. I passed an HGV test in Stockport in 1973 but I haven’t retained the licence. Are you able confirm if this is correct or not?