ID Plus – French biometric identity card validity check online

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 validated, you will receive an email with credentials to log into our identity web application (please check your spam folder a few minutes after purchase if you do not receive the activation email).

• Platform access
  • You log into the web application using the credentials received by email after your purchase or registration.
• Verification mode selection
  • From your dashboard, you choose the option “Verify an identity document.”
• Document upload
  • You upload the scan(s) (front/back) of the identity document, as image (.jpg, .png) or PDF files.
  • No additional manipulation (cropping, rotation, etc.) is required: the system automatically detects the orientation and the MRZ area.
• Automatic analysis
  • The service reads the MRZ (Machine Readable Zone) and verifies the security keys.
  • It checks essential information (card number, date of birth, expiration date, etc.) as well as the integrity of the document via the check digits.
• Instant result
  • The analysis results are displayed immediately in the interface as a status (pass/fail) and a detailed report (PDF, JSON or XML).
  • The report specifies the recognized fields and the validity of each element (check digits, date consistency, etc.).
• Report download and archiving
  • You can download or view the PDF report directly.
  • The data remains available in the history for later consultation, but you have the option to delete it at any time (privacy guarantee).
• Optional integration (API)
  • If you have a CRM or ERP, you can use the API to automate verification: the document is sent to the service and the report (or simply the status) is returned to your internal software.
  • You can find all the details at these links:
    • Identity API
    • Resources API
• Account and credit management
  • Your analyses are charged only in case of successful MRZ detection (i.e., if the information has been correctly extracted).
  • You can check your credit balance at any time and, if necessary, subscribe to a plan adapted to your needs.
• Support and assistance
  • In case of difficulty or questions, you can contact support by email or through the integrated help interface.
  • Additional resources (guides, FAQ, API documentation) are also available online.

You can find all details on the product page Identity Web Suite.

Professionals, do you need to integrate identity document validation into your business processes?

We offer subscriptions that may better suit your needs! You can find all details on the pricing page.

We also provide a service to verify all identity or resource documents via API AND through our web application.

You can find all details at these links:

• Identity Web Suite
• Identity API

Use Cases

• Recruitment and Onboarding
  When you need to validate a candidate’s identity before signing an employment contract, online identity document verification ensures document compliance and limits fraud risks. You save time in administrative processes and offer a smoother experience to your future employees.
• Real Estate Rental
  When signing a lease, you can require verification of identity proof to validate the tenant’s seriousness. This step ensures the submitted document is authentic and that information (name, birth date, etc.) has not been modified or forged.
• KYC Process (Know Your Customer)
  In banking, finance, or for service providers subject to anti-money laundering and fraud prevention obligations, identity validation is essential. MRZ reading and security key verification help comply with regulations while simplifying checks.
• Online Service Registration
  Whether for access to a gambling platform, online trading, or any other service requiring proof of majority or strong authentication, automatic identity document checking allows quick verification that the user meets legal conditions.
• B2B Relationships or Partnerships
  In some partnerships or commercial contracts, identity proof may be required to confirm the identity of a partner or legal representative. Automated identity document verification helps secure transactions and builds trust between parties.

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?

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:

1. Document Type: 2 characters, code indicating the type of document, represented by the letters “ID”.
2. Issuing country: 3 characters, the ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code of the issuing country. For France, this is “FRA”.
3. Card number : 9 characters, unique card number.
4. Control key: 1 character, control key for the card’s unique number.
5. End of line: 15 characters, ” < ” to complete the line.

• Second line:

1. Date of birth : 6 characters, year, month and day of birth in YYMMDD format.
2. Control key: 1 character, control key for date of birth.
3. Gender : 1 character, “M” for a man, “F” for a woman.
4. Expiry date: 6 digits, card expiry date in YYMMDD format.
5. Control key: 1 character, expiry date control key.
6. Country code: 3 characters, ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code of the holder’s nationality (in this case FRA).
7. End of line : 11 characters, chevrons to complete the line.
8. Control key: 1 character, control key for concatenation of characters line 1 6-15, line 2 1-7, line 2 9-15.

• Third line:

1. 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 <.