Grounding for passeport, CNI and carte grise. All run through France Titres (ANTS); there is no official paid intermediary — genuine hosts are *.ants.gouv.fr, service-public.gouv.fr, timbres.impots.gouv.fr. Buy the timbre at timbres.impots.gouv.fr. The exact pièces depend on the case (first request vs renewal vs loss/theft, adult vs minor) — confirm the live checklist; below are the common adult cases.

Passeport

Start: pré-demande on passeport.ants.gouv.fr (keep the QR/numéro), then an in-person RDV at a mairie équipée (biometric station — not every commune, often appointment-only) for the dossier + fingerprints, then collect in person (within 3 months or it's destroyed).
Cost (timbre, métropole, 2026): adult 86 €, minor 15–17 42 €, minor < 15 17 € (higher from abroad; Guyane adult 43 €).
Pièces (adult): a compliant photo (or e-photo), justificatif de domicile < 1 an, the timbre number, and proof of identity. With a valid CNI (or expired < 5 yrs) the identity check is simple; otherwise an acte de naissance < 3 mois (copie intégrale / extrait avec filiation) is needed unless the birth commune is dématérialisée (COMEDEC), plus a justificatif de nationalité if not evident.
Validity: 10 years (adult), 5 years (minor). Délai: officially variable ("dépend de la période et du lieu") — do not promise a fixed turnaround.

Carte nationale d'identité (CNI)

Start: same France Titres portal (passeport.ants.gouv.fr) and the same mairie-équipée RDV flow as the passport (fingerprints in person).
Cost: free when you present the old card; 25 € (timbre) when renewing a lost or stolen card (12,50 € en Guyane). Renewing a valid card to the new format is also free.
Pièces (adult renewal after loss): compliant photo, justificatif de domicile < 1 an, a déclaration de perte (made on-site, or Cerfa 14011), the 25 € timbre, and an acte de naissance < 3 mois only if the birth commune isn't dématérialisée.
Validity: 10 years (cards in the carte-bancaire format since 2021). The 2014–2021 admin extension of older adult cards to 15 yrs is real but not recognised by every country for travel — flag this to a traveller.

Certificat d'immatriculation (carte grise)

100 % online on immatriculation.ants.gouv.fr (FranceConnect login) or the Simplimmat app — there are no préfecture counters for this since 2017.
Buying a used vehicle (changement de titulaire), request within 1 month. Pièces: the code de cession from the seller (the seller declares the cession first), certificat de cession Cerfa 15776, the old carte grise barrée ("Cédé le …" + signature), a valid contrôle technique (< 6 mois at sale, vehicles > 4 yrs), justificatif de domicile < 6 mois, demande Cerfa 13750, and an attestation of valid assurance + matching permis.
Cost = a sum, not a fixed price: regional taxe (cheval fiscal × puissance fiscale, set per région) + any malus + taxe fixe 11 € + redevance d'acheminement 2,76 €. Use the official simulator (service-public.gouv.fr/simulateur/calcul/cout-certificat-immatriculation) — never quote a single carte grise price.
You immediately get a CPI (certificat provisoire, valid 1 month, France only) to drive; the definitive card is mailed.
Address change on the carte grise is mandatory within 1 month of moving (free for the first 3 changes; ~2,76 € afterwards). Missing it risks a 135 € fine.

Photo

Compliant photo agréée (< 6 months, 35 × 45 mm, plain non-white background, head bare, neutral) from a photographe habilité / cabine agréée. The e-photo code is the norm for the permis flow; for passeport/CNI a physical compliant photo is the standard route. Locate an agréé photographer via the ANTS geolocation tool. See ../pieces/pieces-justificatives.md for the norm.

Common pitfalls

Paid look-alike sites ("carte-grise.org", "passeport-service", "demande-cni"…) that mimic ANTS and charge — the official routes carry no intermediary fee.
Photo printed at home, > 6 months old, or on a white background → systematic rejection.
Buying the wrong timbre amount/category, or buying it too early (valid 1 year).
Passport: assuming any mairie can take it (only équipées, often on appointment); not collecting within 3 months.
Carte grise: not getting the code de cession, missing the 1-month deadline, or expecting a préfecture counter (there is none).

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