From approximately 9.5 million requests in 2019, to more than 12 million in 2022, and even up to 13 million expected in 2023. In order to cope with the sharp increase in requests for identity documents, the Minister Delegate to the Communities, Dominique Faure, unveiled new measures, Friday January 13, to shorten the deadlines for obtaining, which could go up to six months in 2022.
While traveling in the Val-de-Marne, she announced the opening of 500 new counters throughout France to allow more town halls to receive requests for titles, known as “collection devices” (DR), in order to collect the applicant’s fingerprints.
The municipalities that collect the applications will also receive an additional 20 million euros under the grant for secure titles. This aid, which can go up to 21,000 euros per collection device, covers “75% of the cost of an assigned agent” in the service, said the ministry. Search engine (rendezvouspasseport.ants.gouv.fr) is also launched in order to make it easier to make appointments in town halls in the same area. In addition, the government wishes “to further mobilize the network of France Services spaces to multiply the points of deposit of applications for titles and to ensure more proximity with our fellow citizens on this subject”, explains Dominique Faure in an interview. at the Gazette of the communes.
“Respond positively to citizens who are losing patience”
Since the end of 2021, requests for the creation or renewal of identity documents have experienced an unprecedented increase, caused by various factors: the gradual exit from the Covid-19 pandemic and the catch-up in requests, the enthusiasm for the new identity card identity or the fact that valid identity documents are more required, in particular for travel.
“This increase has led to a significant deterioration in the times for making appointments at the town hall, which reached an average of 90 days in May 2022,” said the ministry. “We are aware that town halls are overwhelmed with requests, and we want to offer municipalities the possibility of responding positively to requests from citizens who sometimes lose patience”, declared Dominique Faure to the Gazette of the communes. The appointment at the town hall is only the first step in the process of obtaining a title. Then comes a time of instruction by the services of the prefecture then a time of printing the title.
An emergency plan launched in 2022 has already increased the number of request collection locations by 15%. An allocation of 14 million euros has also been released for town halls that had systems for collecting titles and twenty-nine temporary reception centers have been set up. Additional staff has also been recruited in the prefectures, the ministry assures. “This first step allowed us to reduce the time taken to make an appointment at the town hall from 90 to 50 days on average,” he adds. Some 4,500 collection devices are now installed or in the process of being installed in 2,500 municipalities.