1.8 million French citizens will need to change their address

By June 1st, nearly 2 million French citizens will have to change their address, even without physically moving. This unique situation stems from the enforcement of the 3DS law, which aims to differentiate, decentralize, deconcentrate, and simplify certain administrative procedures. Until now, municipalities with fewer than 2,000 inhabitants were not required to name all streets. Now, they must proceed with «naming roads and localities, including private roads open to traffic,» meaning those not closed by a gate, as indicated by the law. This extensive change aims to make access for emergency services, network technicians, and delivery drivers easier. According to La Poste, approximately 20,000 municipalities in France currently have at least one unnamed street, causing difficulties in mail delivery, nationwide fiber optic deployment, and even emergency response.

As noted on the government's official website, many public and private services require precise address localization. Ariane Rose, head of the program at the National Agency for Territorial Cohesion, emphasized in a statement to Ouest-France that vague descriptions like "the house with green shutters" are not reliable. Firefighters have sometimes lost crucial minutes thinking they were at the correct address. The selection process for street names involved will be decided during town council meetings. Mayors are currently organizing this effort and will receive support from La Poste, which already has a database of all existing street names. Consequently, residents will be assigned a street number or an entirely new address. Individuals affected by this change will need to complete administrative tasks, including updating their information with the tax authority, and notifying their employer, bank, electricity provider, and telecommunications operator.