While passports have been issued in France, under one form or another, since the Middle Ages, the identity card is a 20th-century innovation.
The first ID was issued to foreigners in residence in France in 1917, in order to control the foreign population in a time of war and spy scare.
The first card for Frenchmen was created by the Police Prefect of the Seine département, then the Paris local authority, in 1921.
This carte d'identité des Français was a non-compulsory ID document and was only issued in the Paris region.

Following defeat in the Battle of France, the Vichy government created a new national identity card under the law of October 27, 1940.
This new ID was compulsory for every French person over the age of 16.
A central record was also instituted.
From 1942, French Jews had the word "Jew" added to their card in red, which helped the Vichy authorities identify 76,000 for deportation as part of the Holocaust.

Under the decree 55-1397 of October 22, 1955 a revised non-compulsory card, the carte nationale d'identité (CNI) was introduced, and the central records abandoned.
With the introduction of lamination in 1988 it was renamed the carte nationale d’identité sécurisée (CNIS) (secure national identity card).
In 1995 the cards were made machine-readable.
It became free in 1998.
While passports have been issued in France, under one form or another, since the Middle Ages, the identity card is a 20th-century innovation. The first ID was issued to foreigners in residence in France in 1917, in order to control the foreign population in a time of war and spy scare. The first card for Frenchmen was created by the Police Prefect of the Seine département, then the Paris local authority, in 1921. This carte d'identité des Français was a non-compulsory ID document and was only issued in the Paris region.
Following defeat in the Battle of France, the Vichy government created a new national identity card under the law of October 27, 1940. This new ID was compulsory for every French person over the age of 16. A central record was also instituted. From 1942, French Jews had the word "Jew" added to their card in red, which helped the Vichy authorities identify 76,000 for deportation as part of the Holocaust.
Under the decree 55-1397 of October 22, 1955 a revised non-compulsory card, the carte nationale d'identité (CNI) was introduced, and the central records abandoned. With the introduction of lamination in 1988 it was renamed the carte nationale d’identité sécurisée (CNIS) (secure national identity card). In 1995 the cards were made machine-readable. It became free in 1998.
National identity card (France)