Navigo Découverte card: all you need to know
The Navigo Découverte card offers a convenient way to get around Paris. Whether you're a resident or a visitor, this reusable travel card can be a useful companion. In this article, we'll explore its key features, including how to obtain it, its coverage zones, costs and validity periods.
Table of contents
- Paris Navigo Découverte: uses and benefits
- Types of Navigo card
- Navigo Découverte: rules for tourists
- Where can you buy a Navigo card?
- How can you get a Navigo card online?
- Do you need a photo for a Navigo card?
- Navigo Découverte photo requirements
- Prepare your Navigo card photo online
- Navigo card and travel pass prices
- Frequently asked questions
Paris Navigo Découverte: uses and benefits
The Paris Navigo Découverte is a reusable card onto which you load a travel pass. Depending on the pass and zones you choose, it gives you unlimited travel on buses, trams, RER and other trains, and the Métro in Paris and the surrounding Île-de-France region.
Its main benefit is convenience for frequent travel. A suitable pass can cost less than buying separate tickets for every journey, particularly if you plan to use public transport regularly during your stay. Choose the coverage you need: the all-zones weekly pass covers zones 1 to 5, while two-zone options cover a more limited area. The card itself does not determine your travel coverage.
Types of Navigo card
The main Navigo cards and services include:
- Regular Navigo card: available to people who live or work in Île-de-France. It is personalised with the holder's name and photo; supporting documents may be required when applying.
- Navigo Découverte card: available to visitors as well as residents. It can hold daily, weekly and monthly passes. Their validity depends on the pass loaded, not on whether you are a tourist.
- Navigo Easy card: a rechargeable card for occasional travellers. It can hold compatible individual tickets and passes, including Paris Visite. It does not require a photo.
- Navigo Liberté+: a pay-as-you-go service that bills journeys the following month. The physical-card service is for people who live or work in Île-de-France; the smartphone version currently requires residence in the region. Check the eligibility conditions for your chosen version before subscribing.
Navigo Découverte: rules for tourists
Navigo Découverte consists of a contactless card and a companion identification card. Before travelling, write your first and last names on the companion card, attach your photo and secure the self-adhesive flap. Both parts are personal and cannot be shared.
Travel coverage depends on the pass you load. An all-zones weekly pass includes Charles de Gaulle airport via RER B and Orly airport via Métro line 14. Orlyval is not included. The card is not restricted to central Paris, but you must choose a pass that covers your journey.
Keep the contactless card and the companion identification card together, and present both during ticket inspections.
The card is reusable. A weekly pass runs from Monday to Sunday, not for seven days from first use. A monthly pass covers the first to the last day of a calendar month, not thirty days from purchase. You can load another suitable pass onto the same card for a later period.
Validate the contactless card at the reader when entering the network or boarding a vehicle, and at transfers and exits where required. The companion identification card is for identification, not a separate ticket to tap.
Where can you buy a Navigo card?
You can buy Navigo Découverte at transport sales offices, participating station counters and authorised retailers. It is issued on the spot, without proof of identity or residence. The card is sold without a travel pass, so you also need to load one before using it. Check the official sales information when planning where to buy it.
How can you get a Navigo card online?
If you live or work in Île-de-France, you can apply online for a regular personalised Navigo card through the account service linked from the official Navigo page. Enter your details and follow the photo instructions in the application. This is a different process from buying a physical Navigo Découverte card and attaching a printed portrait to its companion card.
Do you need a photo for a Navigo card?
Yes, personalised Navigo cards need a photo to identify the holder. For Navigo Découverte, you attach a printed portrait to the companion identification card. Navigo Easy does not require a photo.
Navigo Découverte photo requirements
For the physical Navigo Découverte card, the issuer's photo requirements
- Face the camera directly.
- Keep your head uncovered.
- Use a neutral background.
- Use an unused photograph, not a scanned image or photocopy of an existing photo.
For a clear portrait, frame your head and upper shoulders, keep your face visible and use even lighting. Avoid blur, glare over your eyes and red-eye. These are practical photo-quality tips, rather than additional biometric measurements specified by the issuer. Check that the printed portrait fits the photo space before attaching it.
Here is an example of a Navigo card photo:
Prepare your Navigo card photo online
Travelling to Paris? Preparing your photo before you leave can save you the trouble of finding somewhere to take and print one on arrival. Visafoto can crop and resize a fresh portrait and prepare a printable template for your physical Navigo Découverte card.
Upload a clear portrait or selfie with your head uncovered and your face turned towards the camera. Keep a natural, neutral expression. Visafoto can adjust the background and framing, but it cannot guarantee acceptance of every source photo.
Take your source photo with a smartphone or camera against any background, then select the France Navigo card photo format. You do not need studio equipment; Visafoto can adjust the background and improve lighting.
Start with a photo like this:
Visafoto provides a digital image and a printable template. For physical Découverte, print the template on the paper size specified for that file, at its intended scale. Disable automatic cropping or resizing, such as "fit to page". Measure a printed portrait and check it against the card's photo space before cutting it out and attaching it. Do not print the whole template at the size of a single portrait or use a scan of an old ID photo.
Navigo card and travel pass prices
The physical Navigo Découverte card costs €5, separate from the travel pass you load onto it. The following standard weekly and monthly fares apply from 1 January 2026:
| Zones | Weekly | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| All zones, 1 to 5 | €32.40 | €90.80 |
| 2 to 3 | €31.80 | €88.80 |
| 3 to 4 | €30.80 | €86.40 |
| 4 to 5 | €30.40 | €84.40 |
Frequently asked questions
Does Navigo Découverte cover airport journeys?
Yes, when loaded with a suitable pass. An all-zones weekly pass covers CDG via RER B and Orly via Métro line 14, but not Orlyval. Do not assume every pass loaded onto Découverte includes airport travel.
How do I validate my Navigo pass?
Tap the contactless card on the reader when entering or boarding, and at transfers and exits where required. Carry the companion identification card for inspections; it is not a separate ticket to validate. Weekly and monthly validity follows fixed calendar periods, not the date of your first tap.
Can I get a refund or extend my Navigo pass?
You can load another travel pass onto the same Découverte card, but that does not change the dates of an existing weekly or monthly pass. Refund eligibility depends on the ticket and circumstances. Check the official weekly and monthly pass conditions or ask the seller before requesting a refund.
Is there a Navigo mobile app?
Yes. The Île-de-France Mobilités app lets you recharge a compatible physical card. You can also buy a weekly pass directly on a compatible iPhone or Android phone and use the phone to validate journeys. That is a separate option from preparing a physical Découverte card with an attached portrait. Follow the app's account and photo instructions.
Can I use Navigo on night buses?
Yes. Navigo weekly, monthly and daily passes are accepted on Noctilien night buses. Use a pass that covers your journey, validate when boarding and check the timetable for your route.
Can a group share a Navigo Découverte card?
No. Each traveller using Découverte needs their own personalised card and valid travel pass. You cannot share one card between several people, even when travelling together.
What should I do if I lose my Navigo Découverte card?
You must buy a new card and travel pass. If either part of Découverte is lost or stolen, neither the card nor its loaded tickets can be replaced or refunded. There is no registered balance to transfer.
Should I choose Navigo Découverte or Paris Visite?
Compare the passes against your travel dates and planned journeys. A weekly all-zones Navigo pass costs €32.40, plus €5 if you need a Découverte card, and runs Monday to Sunday. Paris Visite offers 1, 2, 3 or 5 consecutive days, not a week. Its 2026 adult prices are €30.60, €45.40, €63.80 and €78 respectively. It covers zones 1 to 5, including airports and Orlyval, and can be loaded onto Navigo Easy or a compatible phone. A weekly Navigo pass may cost less, but a stay spanning two calendar weeks needs a different comparison.
Last updated: 11 September 2026