ANTS : Complete Guide on the National Agency for Secured Documents

The National Agency for Secure Documents (ANTS) has become an indispensable pillar in the French administrative landscape. Under the supervision of the Ministry of the Interior, this institution plays a decisive role in the modernization and digitization of administrative procedures related to the obtaining of official documents. Between the national identity card, passport, driver’s license, and vehicle registration certificate, ANTS simplifies the lives of users by offering a fully dematerialized and secure public service.

At the heart of the transformations initiated since 2017, ANTS supports citizens in a smooth digital journey, while guaranteeing the protection of personal data and the fight against fraud. Thanks to the ants.gouv.fr platform, all procedures are centralized, accessible at any time, and constantly evolving to meet the requirements of 2026. This comprehensive guide immerses you in the world of secure documents and details the processes, innovations, as well as the precautions to take to complete your administrative formalities under the best conditions.

The fundamental role of ANTS in the issuance of secure documents in France

The National Agency for Secure Documents fulfills a crucial mission: managing the creation, validation, and issuance of the country’s main secure administrative documents. This responsibility covers a wide range of documents, from the national identity card and passport to the vehicle registration certificate, not forgetting driver’s licenses, residence permits, visas, and boat licenses.

Dematerialization is at the core of its operation. Since the initiation of the New Prefectures Plan in 2017, all procedures to obtain these documents have migrated to an online process, simplifying citizens’ access to public services while reducing physical travel. This structural change relies on a secure digital infrastructure, ensuring the authenticity and confidentiality of transmitted information.

Concrete example: a young driver in Lyon can now request their NEPH number, mandatory to take the driving test, directly on permisdeconduire.ants.gouv.fr, make their pre-application for a national identity card or passport, and track the progress of their requests online. This centralization optimizes application management, reduces processing times, and improves the user experience.

This is complemented by close cooperation with prefectures, sub-prefectures, authorized town halls, and the National Printing Office, which guarantees the production of secure documents. The link between these different actors maintains a high level of control throughout the process, essential to combat false documents and preserve national security.

In summary, ANTS is not limited to a simple administrative platform. It embodies a major digital revolution, offering a robust, reliable, and accessible framework for managing the secure documents necessary for civil and professional life.

The administrative procedures handled by ANTS: a complete overview

ANTS covers a full range of procedures related to secure documents, touching on various aspects of citizens’ daily lives. All these administrative formalities are accessible via the official site ants.gouv.fr, providing strong simplification and speed in processing requests.

The main concerned documents are:

• Vehicle registration certificate (formerly known as “carte grise”): essential for any vehicle circulating on French public roads. ANTS handles initial registrations, duplicates, address changes, as well as procedures related to the sale or purchase of used vehicles.
• Electronic national identity card and biometric passport: the agency facilitates online pre-application, acquisition of digital fiscal stamps, and case tracking, although fingerprinting remains a physical step at the town hall.
• Driver’s license: since 2019, the NEPH number request, a key step for driving test registration, is fully dematerialized via the ANTS portal. It also covers management of renewals, duplicates, and new categories.
• Residence permits, visas, and travel documents: these essential documents for foreign residents are managed in a secure and centralized manner.
• Boat license: also formalized by ANTS, following the same digital process to ensure easy access for users.
• Agent cards: for State and local administrative staff, these cards provide secure and standardized access.

Through these arrangements, ANTS establishes itself as a one-stop shop for secure documents. The large number of documents processed each year (more than 26 million in 2022) illustrates its importance in French administrative life.

Moreover, users can benefit from enhanced service thanks to collaboration with authorized professionals as they can also perform certain procedures, notably vehicle registrations, through garages, dealers, or rental companies duly registered in the Vehicle Registration System (SIV).

This diversified organization, mixing public and private interventions, ensures better territorial coverage and reduced processing times, essential in a context where mobility plays a key role in modern society.

Type of document	Main online procedures	Users concerned
Vehicle registration certificate	New registration, address change, duplicate, sale, purchase of used vehicle	Owners of motor land vehicles
National identity card	Pre-application, tracking, renewal	All French citizens
Passport	Pre-application, fiscal stamp, appointment booking at town hall	All French citizens
Driver’s license	NEPH number request, renewal, duplicate, new category	License candidates, drivers
Residence permits / visas	Request, renewal, modification	Foreign residents
Boat license	Identification, request, renewal	Users navigating French waters

Online driver’s license request via ANTS: procedures and practical advice

The modernization of driver’s license processing is one of the major advances brought by ANTS. To obtain the famous NEPH number, a mandatory step before taking any exam, it is imperative to make an online request on permisdeconduire.ants.gouv.fr. This service simplifies the procedure, considerably limiting traditional administrative steps.

The process starts with creating a personalized account on the ANTS platform. Then, in the “My driver space”, the candidate chooses the type of request according to their situation: first registration, renewal, category change, or recovery following a cancellation.

It is important to provide all required supporting documents, such as:

• A valid identity document
• An up-to-date proof of residence
• A recent identity photo conforming to standards
• If applicable, a certificate of entitlement or specific training

Once the request is completed and validated, the applicant receives an acknowledgment with a NEPH number, a document they must present during the theory and practical driving tests. This system, focused on dematerialization, guarantees transparent tracking and complete traceability of files, essential for managing the large flow of candidates.

This online procedure also has the advantage of appreciable time savings. For instance, a resident of a small village in Brittany can benefit from immediate registration possibilities, without traveling to a physical counter or enduring long waits. Furthermore, any issue can be quickly addressed via customer service directly accessible on the platform.

ANTS also allows obtaining additional information, such as tracking license points, through a direct link with the official “My license points” site.

However, for optimal experience, certain points of vigilance should be recalled:

1. Carefully prepare all documents before the request, as an incomplete file delays validation.
2. Pay attention to deadlines to avoid missing a scheduled exam.
3. Use FranceConnect for secure and simplified access.
4. Keep a printed copy of the validated request for personal reference.

Thanks to this organization, the driver’s license is fully part of the digital revolution of secure documents embodied by ANTS, improving the quality, speed, and security of French administrative formalities.

The new pink plates and vehicle registration: innovations and challenges in 2026

Since January 1, 2026, an innovative system affects vehicle registration with the introduction of pink plates for temporary registrations. This measure, resulting from a November 2025 decree, aims to clearly distinguish these temporary plates from the permanent ones, providing more legibility and control for law enforcement and state services.

The vehicle registration certificate remains an essential formality for any owner or user circulating on public roads. ANTS, through its role, continues to ensure the smooth processing of requests in a context where digital transition combines with material innovations on the ground.

However, the implementation of this new system has caused some technical difficulties that need to be analyzed in retrospect. For example, in July 2025, several professional actors in the automotive sector, notably dealers and garages, encountered temporary blockages in the generation of pink plates and updating of temporary registrations.

These incidents highlight the importance of robust digital infrastructures and the interdependence of different actors in processing administrative files.

Despite these temporary obstacles, the ramp-up is progressive and service quality is improving, as evidenced by the fact that nearly 80% of procedures are processed within less than three business days. This responsiveness represents a considerable progress compared to the period before dematerialization or the first months of implementing the pink plate system.

To overcome potential difficulties, ANTS continues to optimize its IT systems, strengthening collaboration with authorized establishments that can themselves perform certain procedures on behalf of users. These professionals must be accredited in the Vehicle Registration System (SIV) to ensure compliance and prompt processing of requests.

Motorists are advised to closely follow official instructions and regularly check the progress of their request directly on the ANTS portal to avoid any inconvenience while driving.

Advantages of pink plates	Challenges encountered in 2025	Prospects for 2026
Better visibility and distinction of temporary vehicles	Technical malfunctions limiting fast issuance	Progressive ramp-up of services and improvement of deadlines
Strengthening control by law enforcement	Increased complexity for automotive professionals	System optimization with regular updates

Overall, the evolution of practices related to registration thanks to ANTS contributes to better security and more efficient organization, meeting public service expectations.

Pre-application for passport and national identity card: dematerialization and key steps

For several years, the National Agency for Secure Documents has digitized a significant part of the process for obtaining identity documents such as the national identity card and passport. While the final issuance remains a physical step – involving fingerprinting and document delivery at the town hall – preliminary formalities are simplified, thus avoiding long queues and repetitive procedures.

The online pre-application, accessible through passeport.ants.gouv.fr or ants.gouv.fr, allows any user to easily enter their personal information, upload the necessary supporting documents, and pay the digital fiscal stamp, now mandatory since 2019.

Some essential steps:

• Purchase of the digital fiscal stamp: a secure system allows online payment and obtaining a unique code, eliminating paper stamps.
• Creation or login to an ANTS account: essential for case tracking.
• Filling out the online form: personal details, reason for the request, address, and contact information.
• Validation and download of the number or QR code for presentation at the appointment in the town hall.

Although this pre-application is highly recommended to save time, it is not mandatory. Anyone can still use paper forms directly at the town hall, especially in case of Internet access difficulties.

Since 2024, an experimental fully dematerialized renewal system targets certain adult French citizens residing abroad, allowing them to extend the validity of their passport without traveling to the consulate. However, this project remains limited to a few pilot countries and specific conditions (identical renewal, identity already verified).

However, in metropolitan France, fingerprinting remains mandatory, and full dematerialization of renewal is still in progress but not yet widespread in 2026.

Procedures concerning the national identity card follow a comparable approach, with a focus on data security and confidentiality.

Data protection and vigilance against fake sites: guarantees and recommendations for users

One of the major challenges linked to the dematerialization of administrative procedures is the protection of personal data. ANTS takes this responsibility very seriously by adopting strict measures to protect the information collected during online requests. This data includes sensitive elements such as name, first name, address, date of birth, and sometimes biometric information.

Each user benefits from a legal framework allowing them to exercise their rights, including the right of access, correction, and especially the right to object to the use of their data for commercial or advertising purposes. For example, a user can refuse that their data be used for surveys or solicitations unrelated to administrative services.

To exercise these rights, the platform provides a dedicated navigation towards “other requests”, accessible once logged in via FranceConnect, which constitutes a secure interface for reliable identification.

At the same time, ANTS and FranceConnect regularly alert the public about the existence of fake sites mimicking official services to defraud users. These fake sites, often detected by suspicious domain names (.online, for example) or unauthorized social media pages, aim to collect personal data for phishing or scam purposes.

It is essential to systematically verify the URL of services and prioritize official addresses ending exclusively with .gouv.fr. Moreover, official notifications from France Titres or FranceConnect are sent only from addresses containing the suffixes @franceconnect.gouv.fr or @notification.franceconnect.gouv.fr.

This vigilance is all the more crucial in 2026 as cyber threats continue to evolve in sophistication. ANTS conducts regular awareness campaigns and provides accessible support to report any anomaly.

This dual approach – legal protection of rights and active fight against fraud – aims to establish a relationship of trust essential to the success of the State’s digital services.

The transformation of ANTS into France Titres: issues and impacts for users

Since 2024, the National Agency for Secure Documents is also known under the new name “France Titres”. This change does not mean a major upheaval of missions, but rather a clear strategy for modernization and harmonization of administrative services.

The main objective is to strengthen accessibility, transparency, and simplicity of procedures while consolidating the security of issued documents. The name “France Titres” fits within a coherent set with other digital public services, such as FranceConnect or France Identité, offering a more fluid user experience.

This transformation notably relies on the successes achieved in dematerialization since the implementation of the New Prefectures Plan (PPNG), which enabled from 2017 the migration of secure documents to centralized digital processing.

In 2022, ANTS processed more than 26 million requests, proving its ability to meet the growing needs of citizens. With the new identity, tools and interfaces are gradually improved to offer an ever more intuitive journey.

A flagship example in terms of innovation is the integration of secure documents directly into the France Identité mobile application. Since October 2025, dematerialized driver’s licenses have been accessible on smartphones via this app, enhancing user mobility and security during roadside checks or digital administrative procedures.

Furthermore, the digital vehicle registration certificate, accessible since June 2025, complements this offer, attracting more and more holders of vehicles registered in the recent format. This digital solution offers real comfort, with less risk of loss or theft of physical documents and rapid updating of information.

Beyond simplification, the “France Titres” approach aims at strengthened fight against document fraud, a major national security issue. The production of secure documents with the National Printing Office guarantees high protection against falsification, while ensuring effective management of the flows of requests.

Former name	New identity	Objectives	Main innovations
ANTS (National Agency for Secure Documents)	France Titres	Modernization, simplification, digitization	Integration of documents in France Identité app, dematerialized renewal, enhanced security

For all procedures, the ants.gouv.fr site remains the essential reference, even in 2026, with an optimized customer journey and support adapted to the challenges of the 21st century.

The growing integration of secure documents in the France Identité app: towards a unique digital wallet

Dematerialization takes on a new dimension with the integration of administrative documents into mobile applications. The France Identité application, launched by the State, now offers the possibility to store, use, and present directly on a smartphone the secure documents issued by France Titres (formerly ANTS).

Since October 2025, users can import their driver’s license in dematerialized format into the app, simplifying proof of their driving rights during roadside checks.

This innovation adds to the integration, effective since June 2025, of the digital vehicle registration certificate. Vehicles registered after 2009 can thus benefit from fully dematerialized management for this document.

This transition to the unique digital wallet represents a significant advance in terms of comfort, speed, and security. Users are no longer forced to systematically carry all their physical papers, while benefiting from permanent access to their official administrative documents.

For this dematerialization to be effective, certain conditions are necessary:

• Being of legal age and possessing a modern national identity card (bank card format)
• Having a smartphone compatible with NFC technology
• Using the official France Identité application

This advance also contributes to the fight against fraud by proposing encrypted data and access authenticated by secure protocols.

In 2026, this trend is part of a broader e-government movement where official documents are managed via integrated digital platforms, promoting better management of citizens’ digital identity.