The passport race is on. With the approach of the summer holidays, many French people are obliged to renew their passport in order to be able to go abroad. But like every year, the number of requests is increasing and it is particularly complicated to find an appointment on time. Some city dwellers even have to travel 300 km to be able to redo their papers.
According to LCI calculations, it takes an average of 70 days to obtain an appointment at the town hall, followed by 20 days to manufacture the title. However, in reality, it can be much more complicated, especially this year.
While in 2022, a total of 9 million requests had to be processed, the government expects 14 million in 2023. “We expect this increase, this high demand to continue to be significant in the two or three years to come”, explains Anne-Gaëlle Baudoin, director of the National Agency for Secure Titles, with TF1.
In many large French cities, finding an appointment at this time is a miracle. To do this, it is advisable to use the platform, rendezvouspasseports set up by the government and bringing together the majority of town halls able to do so. Only, of the 2,500 municipalities able to issue identity documents, 1,500 are registered on the device.
But even with this booking system, finding an interview can be a real headache for people in some territories. Here are 9 major cities in which there are often no appointments left.