Major Change for Air Travelers: The Country Where Your Smartphone Is Now Your ID

France Identité, the French government's digital identity application, is now accepted for baggage drop-off and boarding procedures at airports across the country, including on Air France flights, marking another major step in the digitization of travel.

Simplified Airline Checks

The announcement was made jointly by France Identité and Air France, following new regulations that officially recognize the app's digital identity card as valid proof of identity during airline checks.

Until now, passengers were required to present a physical identity document when checking baggage or boarding a flight. With the updated system, travelers can instead display the front of their digital identity card through the France Identité app, allowing airline staff to verify essential details such as name, surname, and photograph directly from a smartphone.

Officials emphasized that the service is designed with privacy in mind, sharing only the information necessary for identity verification while keeping additional personal data hidden.

The latest development builds on the growing list of services available through France Identité. The app already supports digital driver's licenses, vehicle registration documents, online administrative procedures, and identity verification for rail travel with SNCF.

The move is also part of a broader European effort to modernize airport travel. Earlier this year, France Identité coordinated a pilot program with border police at Marseille Provence Airport to test the use of digital identity for both boarding and border control procedures.

Marseille Provence Airport. Poto: Arie Rinanda / Shutterstock.com

During the trial, participants were able to upload passport information to a provisional version of the app, enabling a streamlined airport experience from check-in to border crossing.

Further tests are already planned. In September 2026, France Identité will participate in a new experiment alongside Geneva International Airport and other European digital identity providers as part of efforts to establish internationally recognized digital identities for travelers.

According to French authorities, more than 4.5 million people currently use France Identité, making it one of Europe's fastest-growing digital identity platforms.

The expansion into air travel highlights France's ambition to simplify everyday interactions through secure digital tools while paving the way for a future where passengers can move through airports using little more than their smartphone