Handling paperwork online
Filling out an administrative form
What you will be able to do In 6 minutes, you'll know how to fill out an administrative form online, fix an error, save it as a draft, and send it.
An administrative form online always looks a bit like the last one: fields to fill in, some marked with a star because they're required, others optional. When information is missing or in the wrong format, a message appears right next to the field concerned to tell you, without penalizing you. You can also stop partway through: a "Save draft" button keeps everything already filled in, so you can pick up later exactly where you left off. This really exists, including on public platforms like démarches-simplifiées.fr. We'll train you on a screen we designed. Nothing here is real, so nothing can happen to you.
Simulated screen
I practice
This screen was drawn by us. Nothing is sent, nothing is installed, and no real brand is shown.
The situationYou start an online application a bit late in the evening, and you're not sure you can finish it in one go.
The interactive exercise needs JavaScript. The written step by step, just below, says exactly the same thing.
The written step by step
The same steps, in words, to read or print. This sheet works even without the exercise.
The star that matters
Your turn Tap the required field you haven't filled in yet.
"Date of birth" has a star and stays empty: it's the required field to fill in first.
Attaching the right document
Your turn A proof of address is requested. Tap what lets you attach it to your application.
The "Add a file" button opens the camera or your files, to attach the requested proof.
Fixing what's wrong
Your turn A message points to an error. Tap the field concerned to fix it.
The "Email address" field shows an error message just below it: that's the one to fix.
Stopping without losing everything
Your turn It's getting late and you haven't finished. Tap what keeps your work for later.
"Save draft" keeps everything that's filled in, so you can pick up later exactly where you left off.
Sending, at last
Your turn You've picked your draft back up and read through everything. Tap what sends your application.
Once the draft is reviewed and complete, we tap "Send my application" to send it for good.
The sheet to keep
- A star next to a field means it's required; an empty field with no star can wait.
- A message shown next to a field points to a specific error to fix, not a failure of the whole form.
- The requested attachment is dropped in with the button made for it, not in a free text field.
- "Save draft" keeps everything already filled in: nothing forces you to finish in one go.
- You review before sending: once the application is sent, fixing it becomes more complicated.
- After sending, a file number or an acknowledgment of receipt appears: it's worth writing down or printing.
The reflexes in this skill
I stop before I click
Urgency is the sign of a trap. A message that counts down the hours is trying to stop you from thinking. Putting your phone down for two minutes costs nothing, and it is almost always enough.
I make a copy of what matters
Photos, documents, contacts: anything that exists in only one place can disappear along with the device. A copy somewhere else turns a breakdown into a minor inconvenience.
Two questions to check
Nothing is graded, and nothing is saved anywhere except in your own browser.
A message appears right below a field in the form. What does it mean?
See the answer
This specific field has a problem to fix before continuing
A message below a field points to a specific error, like a misspelled address: you fix that specific field, the rest of the form stays intact.
You need to stop before finishing an administrative form. What do you do?
See the answer
I save the draft, to pick up exactly where I left off
The draft keeps everything already filled in. Closing without saving loses that work, and sending it incomplete complicates the rest of the application.
I've done it
Check this box once you can do this skill on your own.
Your progress stays in your own browser.