Since January 1, 2014, the validity period of the national identity card (CNI) in France has been extended from 10 to 15 years for adults. Regarding recognition abroad, the country communicated the implementation of this measure to all EU member states in 2015. Twenty of them confirmed that they accept “expired” CNIs as travel documents. Others (Lithuania, Norway and Belgium) refuse to recognize them. Finally, some countries have still not spoken out.

Spain and Portugal “normally tolerate prolonged CNIs”

Since Spain and Portugal are among the states whose position on this issue is not known, on December 20, 2022, the deputy of the fifth French constituency outside France, Stéphane Vojetta, consulted the Ministry of the Interior and Overseas Territories. He wondered whether it would be possible to have this measure officially recognized by the authorities of both countries. In its response dated July 25, 2023, the ministry states that if the two countries “have not officially communicated their position,” they “generally tolerate extended CNIs,” that is, their validity period is extended from 10 to 15 years.

However, when traveling to countries whose location is not known, the ministry recommends presenting your passport and also obtaining information about it website of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. Travelers who do not have a valid passport also have the option of requesting an early extension of their plastic card from their prefecture.