The Foreign Office has issued an important warning to tourists heading to France. If you are set to go to the nation soon – be it for a business trip, a long-awaited holiday or the Olympics 2024 – there is one important thing you will want to bring with you. And failture to do so could see you being slapped with a hefty fine or even being put behind bars.

It comes as the Foreign Office said that tourists need to provide specific documents for identification purposes. On their website, the government officials state that when it comes to personal identification, tourists need to be able to provide one of three official IDs. These must be provided by a government body, it adds.

They explain: “You must be able to prove your identity either by providing documents when asked or within 4 hours at a police station.” Identity documents can be:

• passport
• photo driving licence
• other documentation provided by a government body

According to Service-Public.fr, if you refuse or can’t confirm your identity, you may be detained, on site or at the police station, for an audit. The identity check must not exceed four hours since the start of the check (eight hours in Mayotte).

They further warn: “If you maintain your refusal or if there is no other way to establish your identity, the public prosecutor or the investigating judge may authorise the taking of fingerprints and photographs. Refusing to be fingerprinted or photographed is liable to €3,750 fine and three months in prison.”

Who can do an identity check?

The police (police, gendarmerie) who are authorised to carry out identity checks are as follows:

• Judicial Police Officer (OPJ)
• Judicial police officers, under the responsibility of the OPJ
• Some deputy judicial police officers, under the responsibility of the OPJ

Officials say that a customs officer may also carry out an identity check in certain cases.