French passport
Encyclopedia
French passports are issued to French citizens
for the purpose of international travel. Besides serving as indication of French citizenship
(but not proof; the possession of a French passport only establishes the presumption of French citizenship according to French law), they facilitate the process of securing assistance from French consular officials abroad or other EU member states in case a French consular is absent, if needed.
French citizens can visit 168 countries without a visa or with a visa granted on arrival. French citizens can live and work in any country within the European Union
as a result of the right of free movement and residence granted in Article 21 of the EU Treaty
.
emblazoned in the center of the front cover. The word "PASSEPORT" (English
: Passport
) is inscribed below the coat of arms and "Union européenne" (European Union), "République française" (French Republic) above. The “e-passport” (biometric) cover has a microchip symbol at the bottom. French passports use the standard EU
design, with the standard passport containing 36 pages.
The biodata page includes the following data:
The information page ends with the Machine Readable Zone
starting with P
and French
with translation of the fields on the bearer's page in the other languages of the European Union
elsewhere in the document.
French nationality law
French nationality law is historically based on the principles of jus soli , according to Ernest Renan's definition, in opposition to the German's definition of nationality, Jus sanguinis , formalized by Fichte.The 1993 Méhaignerie Law required children born in France of foreign parents to request...
for the purpose of international travel. Besides serving as indication of French citizenship
French nationality law
French nationality law is historically based on the principles of jus soli , according to Ernest Renan's definition, in opposition to the German's definition of nationality, Jus sanguinis , formalized by Fichte.The 1993 Méhaignerie Law required children born in France of foreign parents to request...
(but not proof; the possession of a French passport only establishes the presumption of French citizenship according to French law), they facilitate the process of securing assistance from French consular officials abroad or other EU member states in case a French consular is absent, if needed.
French citizens can visit 168 countries without a visa or with a visa granted on arrival. French citizens can live and work in any country within the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
as a result of the right of free movement and residence granted in Article 21 of the EU Treaty
Treaties of the European Union
The Treaties of the European Union are a set of international treaties between the European Union member states which sets out the EU's constitutional basis. They establish the various EU institutions together with their remit, procedures and objectives...
.
Types
Passports are valid for 10 years for applicants aged 18 or over and 5 years for applicants under the age of 18.Front cover
Ordinary passports have a Bordeaux-red front cover, (unlike those from most other EU countries which are burgundy) with the French Coat of armsCoat of arms of France
The current emblem of France has been a symbol of France since 1953, although it does not have any legal status as an official coat of arms. It appears on the cover of French passports and was adopted originally by the French Foreign Ministry as a symbol for use by diplomatic and consular missions...
emblazoned in the center of the front cover. The word "PASSEPORT" (English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: Passport
Passport
A passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth....
) is inscribed below the coat of arms and "Union européenne" (European Union), "République française" (French Republic) above. The “e-passport” (biometric) cover has a microchip symbol at the bottom. French passports use the standard EU
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
design, with the standard passport containing 36 pages.
Identity information page
- Photo of Passport Holder
- Type (P)
- Code (FRA)
- Passport No.
- Surname (1)
- Given Names (2)
- Nationality (Française) (3)
- Date of Birth (4)
- Sex (5)
- Place of Birth (6)
- Date of Issue (7)
- Date of Expiry (8)
- Authority (9)
- Holder's Signature (10)
- Height (12)
- Colour of Eyes (13)
- Residence (15) - Page 36
The information page ends with the Machine Readable Zone
Machine-readable passport
A Machine Readable Passport is a travel document where the data on the identity page is encoded in optical character recognition format. Many countries began to issue machine readable travel documents in the 1980s....
starting with P
Languages
The data page is printed in EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
with translation of the fields on the bearer's page in the other languages of the European Union
Languages of the European Union
The languages of the European Union are languages used by people within the member states of the European Union. They include the twenty-three official languages of the European Union along with a range of others...
elsewhere in the document.
External links
- Images of a 1953 French passport from www.passportland.com
- Images of a 1971 (different type) French passport from www.passportland.com