The France Identité app now has more than 1.5 million users and can be used to board domestic flights starting this summer. But during France’s municipal elections this month, it still could not be used as an ID at the polling booth.
The gap surfaced clearly during the March 15 and 22 municipal votes. France Identité actively promoted a useful role it could play: people with the newer national identity card format could use the app to complete a fully online proxy vote through the Maprocuration platform, a legitimate and convenient application of a certified digital identity. But show up at a polling station and try to use the app as your ID document? Not accepted.
A written question filed at the National Assembly on March 18 put the issue on the legislative record. It pointed out that the governing circular listing accepted polling-station documents had not kept pace with digital identity adoption, and that both France Identité and the digital driving licence were still absent from that list, even though ministry guidance had already recognized the digital driving licence in other official identity checks.
That inconsistency is the interesting part. The same digital credential that proves your identity for a flight or an online proxy vote is not recognized when you walk into a polling station. The app has been integrated into airport boarding, vehicle registration, and remote government services. Voting in person remains an exception.
Updating the circular to include France Identité would be a straightforward administrative step. The National Assembly question signals parliamentary awareness that the gap exists. The Interior Ministry has not announced any timeline for addressing it.
For users who have already adopted France Identité as their everyday digital credential, the polling station exclusion is a visible reminder that acceptance still depends on which specific institution or process you’re dealing with. The app’s reach keeps growing, but the list of places it is officially recognized has not caught up.
Sources: France Identité, Assemblée nationale
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By the Mobile ID World Editorial Team
