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Renewing one’s identity papers is an obstacle course. It is almost impossible to get an appointment at the town hall for two months on average, it is twice as long as usual, but the waiting times could finally be shortened in the coming weeks.
A resident of Tarbes (Hautes-Pyrénées) came to try her luck directly at the town hall, to renew her identity card. There is no slot before July, the date of his departure abroad. That day, his perseverance will pay off. In the Hautes-Pyrénées as everywhere in France, the waiting time to get an appointment is exploding. It takes up to four months depending on the municipality, compared to one month in normal times.
“The health crisis, almost for two years, meant that people were not concerned about the validity of their title”, says Anne Soulie, head of the general administration department of the town hall of Tarbes, where there are up to 80 meetings a day. 1.3 million titles were not requested during the health crisis. So there has been a catch-up effect in recent months. The Ministry of the Interior has announced that it will increase its workforce by 30% and provide new equipment to local authorities.