You may also have decided to leave this summer for a destination abroad for which you have already booked plane tickets. But problem: your identity papers (national identity card and passport) are expired. Should I cancel? Do not panic, some countries accept expired papers. Here are which ones.
ID card
Since January 1, 2014, the period of validity of the identity card has increased from ten to fifteen years for adults. If your identity card was issued to you before 2013, then it is valid for fifteen years, and if it was issued to you following 2013, it is also valid but only if it is an old model (blue plastic card). In the case of a new model (credit card format), the identity card is only valid for 10 years.
Thus, in theory, it is possible to continue to travel in Europe with your identity card, five years following its expiry date. But beware, this French law is not applicable in all countries. Some have officially confirmed that they accept old outdated identity cards (within 5 years). This is particularly the case for Andorra, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Luxembourg, Monaco, Serbia and even Italy, but also for Tunisia (only for dual nationals or people participating in group trips organized by a tourism professional) and Turkey.
Other countries have not spoken officially but tolerate these old maps. In the EU, this is the case with our German and Spanish neighbours, Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands, Cyprus or even Romania and Sweden. Outside the European Union, Liechtenstein, the Vatican, Albania, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, Morocco (only for dual nationals or people participating in group trips organized by a tourism professional ), also tolerate the presentation of an expired identity card.
Finally, the Belgian, Norwegian and Lithuanian authorities accept old valid identity cards (blue plastic) but do not accept expired ones.
A word of advice, before booking your trip, you can go to the site from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a list of countries applying the 2014 law is available.
Passport
Regarding a trip with an expired passport, the rules are a little different. A judgment of the Court of Cassation dating from February 2020 stipulates that it is possible to travel throughout the EU with a passport that has been expired for less than five years. The European agreement authorizes stays of less than three months in this situation. However, the Netherlands and the French overseas territories have not signed this agreement, which means that it will be impossible to travel there with an expired passport.
Outside the European Union, a valid biometric passport is required, ie issued for less than ten years for an adult and for less than five years for a minor. Some, such as Australia, Thailand, the United States or even Vietnam, Cuba, India or China, go further and require that the passport still be valid for at least six months following the date of entry or departure. leaving the territory. For South Africa or Canada, this duration is one month minimum. And for Mexico or Argentina, a passport valid only for the duration of the stay is required.