Court abolishes QR code requirement for the July 14 parade in Paris

Paris – 13 July 2026: Just hours before the major military parade marking the French national holiday, the administrative court struck down the planned QR code requirement for visitors to the Champs-Élysées. This means that public access may no longer depend solely on whether people have registered online in advance and received a personalised code. The parade on Tuesday, 14 July 2026, is nevertheless expected to go ahead as planned.

The Paris Police Prefecture had planned the procedure for the first time for this year’s celebrations. Anyone wishing to enter the cordoned-off areas of the Avenue des Champs-Élysées as a spectator and who was not officially invited had to register in advance via the platform for Élysée events. A personal QR code and the checking of an identity document at the entrances were planned.

The authorities justified the unusual procedure on the grounds of the security situation and the expected presence of numerous international guests. Heads of state and government are expected in Paris for 14 July. Security planning is the responsibility of the Police Prefecture, while the Ministry of Defence organises the military part of the parade. Thousands of military personnel, security forces and civilian emergency responders will also be deployed.

According to reports on the decision made on Monday, the administrative court criticised mandatory digital pre-registration as a condition for attending the parade. A fully publicly accessible ruling with detailed reasoning was initially not available. It therefore remains unclear exactly which individual provisions of the decision the court struck down or amended.

For visitors, the decision does not mean that the Champs-Élysées will be accessible without checks. Bag checks, barriers and police checks may still be imposed. Security services may restrict access to particularly protected zones. As far as is currently known, the court instead rejected the general obligation to register in advance and to have a QR code as a condition of entry.

The case touches on a question that has repeatedly arisen in Paris since the 2024 Olympic Games: how far may the state go in restricting access to public space when major events need to be protected? The decision came just before a national ritual that for many people thrives precisely on its open presence along the streets. Authorities and visitors must now adapt their procedures at short notice.

The Police Prefecture continued to refer visitors to pre-registration until early evening. Whether and in what form it would update its information after the court decision was initially unknown. Anyone wishing to attend the parade should therefore follow only the current instructions of the competent authorities before setting off and allow sufficient time for security checks.