Thanks for any help you can offer: I purchased the navigo decouverte, affixed the photo, signed it, peeled off the instructions, and then folded the clear film back over the picture and signature.
is the thick plastic case just for storage? And what’s the secondary card for? Does the picture card need to be removed to use?
thanks!
1 answer
Yes, the thick plastic case for the Navigo Découverte card is to hold both the plastic smart card and the paper name/photo card together as a single unit. If you are asked by RATP controllers to show/validate your card at random checks onboard a vehicle or inside a station, the paper card will need to have your photo & name sealed onto it to be within regulations, else you will be fined.
You don't need to remove the paper card from the plastic holder when validating the Navigo card at turnstiles / fare gates / boarding bus/trams. You only need to show the photo/name side of the paper card when asked by transit staff. To make it easy, I'd suggest orienting the paper card so the photo/name shows through the clear plastic holder, for ease of display if needed (which is unlikely to happen).
Have a good trip!