Renewal of an identity card or passport that has been expired for more than 5 years: how to prove your French nationality?
Verified 14 August 2026 - Public Service / (Prime Minister)
When you apply for the renewal of an identity card or passport, the presentation of one of the following documents is sufficient to prove your French nationality:
- Identity card valid or expired since less of 5 years
- Passport valid or expired since less five years old.
If these 2 documents have been expired for more than 5 years, you must present other documents to prove your French nationality. We present you the information to know.
Birth certificate
If you cannot prove your French nationality by a valid or expired identity card or passport for less than 5 years, you can use a birth certificate.
The situation varies depending on whether you were born in France or abroad:
You were born in France
The situation varies depending on whether at least one of your parents was born in France or whether your French nationality is included in the marginal mentions of your birth certificate:
At least one of your parents was born in France
You can provide a birth certificate of less than 3 months if you were born in France and that at least one of your parents was born in France to prove your French nationality.
You can use this online service:
Application for birth certificate: full copy or extract (birth in France) - Free service
Your French nationality is on your birth certificate (in marginal mention)
Your French nationality is registered in marginal mention on your birth certificate? You can provide a birth certificate less than 3 months to prove your french nationality.
You can use this online service:
Application for birth certificate: full copy or extract (birth in France) - Free service
You were born abroad
If you do not have a recent identity document (identity card or passport), proof of French nationality can be provided by presenting a birth certificate (full copy or extract with filiation) less than 3 months.
This civil status certificate can establish your French nationality if you you find in one of the following cases :
- The birth certificate (on secure paper) was issued by the Nantes Central Civil Registry Service (Scec)
- The birth certificate (on plain paper) was issued by a consular registrar of an embassy.
You can use this online service:
Application for birth certificate: full copy or extract (birth abroad) - Free service
Documents related to French nationality
If you cannot prove your French nationality with a birth certificate, you can do so with one of these documents :
- Declaration of acquisition of French nationality in your name, duly registered or, if you do not have this document, a certificate of this declaration
- Amplification the decree of naturalization or reintegration into French nationality or, if you do not have this document, a certificate confirming the existence of this decree.
State Possession
If you cannot prove your French nationality with documents related to nationality, you can apply to benefit from the « possession of French status ».
State ownership is established if the public authorities consider you to be French for at least 10 years.
To establish it, it is necessary provide at least 2 documents listed in the next list :
- Military card or a document attesting to the fulfillment of military obligations
- Voter card for elections reserved for French people
- Document attesting to membership of the French civil service (for jobs reserved for French nationals, before the opening of the civil service to French nationals in 1991)
- Document attesting to the exercise of an elective mandate reserved for the French only
- Insecure identity document (e.g. card card, Delphine passport), even expired.
Certificate of nationality
If you do not have any of the above documents, you will need to submit a certificate of French nationality (CNF).