How to check a French identity card online?
Many business or personnel processes require the presentation of proof of identity: recruitment, rentals, KYC processes, etc.
Nowadays, the pieces are usually scanned or photographed before being sent by email: therefore, it becomes complex to ensure that these pieces are authentic and have not been modified with image processing software such as Photoshop.
Our product “ID Plus – Verify the validity of your French biometric identity card online” enables you to check the validity of your French biometric identity card online:
- analyzing online MRZ band information and security keys
- extracting the information encoded in the 2d-Doc barcode on the card
- extracting the electronic signature certificate used to certify the authenticity of the information
And this in a few seconds!
How does the validity verification of the French biometric identity card work online?
After your purchase is confirmed or after you sign up, you will receive an email with your login details to access our identity verification web app (please check your spam folder if needed).
In just a few simple steps, you can verify an ID card or any other official document directly online.
1. Access the web app
Log in to your secure workspace using the credentials you received by email.
From your dashboard, select “Verify an identity document”.
2. Upload your document
Upload the scan or photo of the identity document (front/back), in an image format (JPG, PNG, WebP…) or PDF.
No preparation is required: the system automatically detects the document orientation as well as the MRZ area.
3. Automatic document analysis
The platform instantly performs:
– OCR reading of the MRZ
– validation of security check digits
– data consistency checks (document number, dates, identity…)
– forensic file analysis (Pro level)
This step quickly detects inconsistencies, input errors, and potential document fraud attempts.
4. Instant results and detailed report
Results are displayed immediately as a status (passed / failed), along with a complete report available in PDF, JSON, or XML.
Each field is detailed: recognized data, check digits, information consistency, and integrity indicators.
Reports remain available in your history and can be deleted at any time (privacy-friendly).
5. Credits and account management
Credits are deducted only when the MRZ is successfully detected.
You can check your balance at any time and subscribe to a plan that matches your analysis volume.
Example: verifying an identity document
The front and back of the ID card are shown in the video example below, but please note that only the back (with the MRZ) is required to analyze a document.
Support and guidance
Have a question or a specific need? Our support team is available by email or via the built-in help interface.
Additional resources (guides, FAQ, documentation) are also available to help you.
For professionals
Do you want to integrate identity document verification into your business workflows (KYC, onboarding, recruitment, compliance)?
We offer subscription plans tailored to professional needs, as well as a complete solution to analyze identity documents and PDF files through our web app.
Common use cases
Recruitment & onboarding
Quickly validate a candidate’s identity before signing a contract and reduce fraud risks.
Real estate rental
Verify the authenticity of documents provided by a tenant and secure your application files.
KYC & compliance
Automate identity verification to meet regulatory requirements while speeding up your checks.
Signing up for an online service
Check users’ age and identity for sensitive platforms.
B2B relationships & partnerships
Secure your collaborations by validating the identity of legal representatives.
How are the results of the analysis of the validity of the French biometric identity card presented?
The results of the analysis are available for download from the history of the identity suite in PDF / JSON / XML format:
What document formats are accepted?
When checking the validity of your French biometric identity card, you can send your documents as jpg / jpeg / png images, or as PDF files.
Scans/photos do not need to be cropped or retouched: they are automatically detected when the validity of the French biometric identity card is verified.
You can send the front and back of the part on the same scan in any order (front first and back underneath, or vice versa): they will be sorted and recognition will be trouble-free.
The same goes for inclination: scans may be a little tilted/misaligned: they will be recognized by our service!
Example:
Will I be charged if the information is not correctly extracted from the verification of the validity of my French biometric identity card?
No. You are never charged as long as the MRZ of the Romanian ID card has not been correctly detected and analyzed.
Billing applies only to successfully recognized documents — meaning when the data can be automatically extracted, validated, and verified.
If the photo quality is low or some characters are not properly detected, you can manually correct the fields to obtain a reliable analysis — with no credit loss.
👉 Result: zero risk of unnecessary charges, and a verification process you can always rely on.
Discover the full workflow in the video below:
What is the 2d-Doc barcode on French biometric identity cards?
A 2d-Doc barcode can be found in the top left-hand corner of the French biometric identity card: this barcode contains the essential information and an electronic signature certificate, making it forgery-proof and enabling you to verify the validity of your French biometric identity card.
The following information is available:
- Publication date
- Signature date
- First names
- Name
- Document number
- Nationality
- Type
- Country of birth
The electronic signature certificate contains the following information:
- Validity start date
- End date
- Transmitter
- Sender reference
What is the MRZ (Machine Readable Zone) or ZLA (Zone de Lecture Automatique) strip on a biometric ID card?
An automatic reading zone, or optical reading zone, is an area on an official document reserved for reading, identifying and verifying the validity of a French biometric identity card.
For example, documents such as passports, French national identity cards, residence permits and driving licenses can or must include an optical reading zone, depending on the country and version of the document.
It is located at the bottom of identity documents: it contains all the information on the document, with security keys to check that it is authentic and has not been altered.
The information it contains varies according to the type of document.
How is it made up?
Cards issued from 2021 onwards will feature three lines of text, each containing alphanumeric characters.
What data is extracted from an MRZ strip on a French biometric identity card?
The data extracted from the MRZ strip during verification of the validity of the French biometric identity card is as follows:
- Front row:
- Document Type: 2 characters, code indicating the type of document, represented by the letters “ID”.
- Issuing country: 3 characters, the ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code of the issuing country. For France, this is “FRA”.
- Card number : 9 characters, unique card number.
- Control key: 1 character, control key for the card’s unique number.
- End of line: 15 characters, ” < ” to complete the line.
- Second line:
- Date of birth : 6 characters, year, month and day of birth in YYMMDD format.
- Control key: 1 character, control key for date of birth.
- Gender : 1 character, “M” for a man, “F” for a woman.
- Expiry date: 6 digits, card expiry date in YYMMDD format.
- Control key: 1 character, expiry date control key.
- Country code: 3 characters, ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code of the holder’s nationality (in this case FRA).
- End of line : 11 characters, chevrons to complete the line.
- Control key: 1 character, control key for concatenation of characters line 1 6-15, line 2 1-7, line 2 9-15.
- Third line:
- Holder’s surname and first names: holder’s surname and first names, beginning with the family name followed by the first name. The surname and first name are separated by two characters. <. In the case of a compound surname, a compound given name or several given names, they are separated by the character <. Spaces and apostrophes are replaced by the character < and the name is truncated to 30 characters if necessary, and any accents on the letters are removed. The line is then completed with the <.
Personal data & privacy
Protecting your data is a top priority.
After downloading the report, you can immediately delete the analysis from your secure account history. This gives you full control over your documents and personal information.
By default, all data is automatically deleted after 3 months, in line with GDPR best practices.
Our platform is designed to ensure the confidentiality of uploaded documents and the security of all processing — whether for occasional or professional use.
👉 Find all details about personal data management on our dedicated page: Privacy Policy.
Terms and Conditions
Service usage terms, billing information, and your rights are detailed in our Terms and Conditions.
👉 View the full Terms and Conditions here: TrustDocHub T&C.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.