coppercapped
Established Member
In the eight years I lived and worked in France I never met a Frenchman, or woman, who did not have a Carte national d'Identité. While I understand that having a Carte National d'Identité is not 'compulsory' it is compulsory for everybody (above the age of, I think, sixteen) to possess some form of valid government-issued identity document.French citizens are not *required* to carry along identification documents and possessing a national identity card is not mandatory.
But in practice, it is difficult or even impossible to carry out many acts of life without a national identity card or a passport (such as taking an official exam or opening a bank account).
In my case both my wife and I had a Residence Permit - which is a bit of a joke because apparently the EEC/EU permits free movement so the Residence Permit is automatically issued to citizens of the member states, but at a cost in time queuing in the office and cash - valid for ten years. We were strongly advised to carry it with us at all times.
Added in edit as a result of @Austriantrain's post above: When I lived in Germany in the seventies and early eighties I had to register my address and details at the Einwohnermeldeamt in the town. For identity purposes my German issue driving licence was sufficient and ideally my UK passport as well. It was all more laid back than France but I suspect that things have changed since then as the ID card is no longer a little book but a machine readable credit card sized bit of plastic.
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