Application for an identity card or passport: what proof of address to present?

Verified 12 May 2026 - Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister), Ministry of the Interior

The rules vary depending on where you apply for an identity card or passport:

In France

To apply for an identity card or passport, you must provide proof of address less than one year old on the date of submission of the application.

The document to be provided depends on your situation :

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You have proof of address in your name

Only one proof of domicile is required.

It must include your first and last name.

It must be dated less than a year on the date of submission of the application.

For example, it may be one of the following documents:

  • Phone bill (including mobile phone)
  • Electricity or gas bill. Warning: if you have a contract with EDF, Total Direct Énergie, Engie or Gaz Tarif Réglementé, you do not have to provide proof provided you use the device Proof of address and if the proof is in your birth name. Justif d'adresse is a technical device integrated into the application for an identity document that allows authorities to perform an automatic verification of the address you have entered. If you live in an Overseas Community (OCT), you cannot use Justif'adresse.
  • Receipt of rent (from a social agency or real estate agency) or title deed
  • Water bill
  • Tax Notice or Certificate of Non-Taxation
  • Housing insurance certificate or invoice
  • Statement of the Caf: titleContent mentioning housing-related aids.

FYI  

A secure proof of address (including a 2D-Doc barcode) cannot be refused.

You live with a relative (relative, friend...)

We have to present the 3 following documents :

  • Identity document of the person hosting you (photocopy only)
  • Certificate on the honor of the accommodation dated, signed and certifying that you have been living with her on a stable basis or for more than 3 months (original)
  • Proof of residence of less than one year in the name of the host (original).

FYI  

No other documents should be required.

You are homeless or homeless

You may, under certain conditions, elect domicile with one of the following structures:

  • Organization approved by the prefect. For example, these may be humanitarian organizations working against exclusion or for access to healthcare (French Red Cross, Secours catholique, Emmaus, etc.). Your town hall can tell you the list of these approved structures.
  • Communal (or intercommunal) center for social action (CCAS or CIAS).

The name of the organization is not on the ID. Only his address will be indicated.

You live in a hotel

We have to present the 2 following documents :

  • Accommodation certificate of the hotel manager or manager
  • Official document in your name indicating the same address (driving license, tax or non-tax notice, vital certificate, pension document, family allowance document, France Travail document...).

You live in a trailer

We have to present the 2 following documents :

  • Deed of ownership of the land or lease agreement
  • Official document in your name indicating the same address.

Please note

If you have not had a fixed address (or residence) for more than 6 months (e.g. Travelers), you must present a certificate of residence.

You are being held in a detention center

The documents to be provided vary according to your situation:

You have proof of address in your name

One alone proof of domicile is required.

It must include your first and last name.

It must be dated less than a year on the date of submission of the application.

For example, it may be one of the following documents:

  • Phone bill (including mobile phone)
  • Electricity or gas bill. Warning: if you have a contract with EDF, Total Direct Énergie, Engie or Gaz Tarif Réglementé, you do not have to provide proof provided you use the device Proof of address and if the proof is in your birth name. Justif d'adresse is a technical device integrated into the application for an identity document that allows authorities to perform an automatic verification of the address you have entered. If you live in Overseas Communities (OCTs), you cannot use Justif'adresse.
  • Receipt of rent (from a social agency or real estate agency) or title deed
  • Water bill
  • Tax Notice or Certificate of Non-Taxation
  • Housing insurance certificate or invoice
  • Statement of the Caf: titleContent mentioning housing-related aids.

FYI  

A secure proof of address (including a 2D-Doc barcode) cannot be refused.

You live with a relative (relative, friend...)

We have to present the 3 following documents :

  • Identity document of the person hosting you (photocopy only)
  • Certificate on the honor of the accommodation dated, signed and certifying that you have been living with her on a stable basis or for more than 3 months (original)
  • Proof of residence of less than one year in the name of the host (original).

FYI  

No other documents should be required.

You are asking for the election of domicile at the penitentiary

You may choose to live in the prison where you are being held.

The address indicated will be that of the prison. The name of the prison will not appear on the identity card.

Please note

Domiciliation within the establishment is temporary, i.e. it lasts the time of detention.

You are homeless or homeless

You may, under certain conditions, elect domicile with one of the following structures:

  • Organization approved by the prefect. For example, these may be humanitarian organizations working against exclusion or for access to healthcare (French Red Cross, Secours catholique, Emmaus, etc.). Your town hall can tell you the list of these approved structures.
  • Communal (or intercommunal) center for social action (CCAS or CIAS).

The name of the organization is not on the ID. Only his address will be indicated.

You live on a pleasure boat

If you live on a pleasure boat and your boat is moored for at least 3 months, you can justify a domicile.

The name of the vessel and the location of the vessel shall be mentioned under the heading ‘home’.

You must provide one of the following documents :

  • A certificate from the harbor master's office, a certificate of ownership of location or permanent rental
  • An insurance receipt for the boat
  • A valid title deed or rental contract of the boat.

Warning  

If parking is not not sustainableHowever, your situation is that of a person without a stable home. Therefore, the documents to be provided are different.

Abroad

To apply for an identity card or passport, you must provide proof of address less than one year old on the date of submission of the application.

The document to be provided depends on your situation :

Répondez aux questions successives et les réponses s’afficheront automatiquement

You have proof of address in your name

Only one proof of domicile is required.

It must include your first and last name.

It must be dated less than a year on the date of submission of the application.

For example, it may be one of the following documents:

  • Phone bill (including mobile phone)
  • Electricity or gas bill.

FYI  

A secure proof of address (including a 2D-Doc barcode) cannot be refused.

You live with a relative (relative, friend...)

We have to present the 3 following documents :

  • Identity document of the person hosting you (photocopy only)
  • Certificate on the honor of the accommodation dated, signed and certifying that you have been living with her on a stable basis or for more than 3 months (original)
  • Proof of residence of less than one year in the name of the host (original).

FYI  

No other documents should be required.

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