Can someone explain to me how to properly sign up for .fr domains? It looks like only people living in France are able to register them.
Or is it possible for me to just provide some French contact details and not stress about it?

The .fr domain is the country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) for France, and it's managed by the Association Française pour le Nommage Internet en Coopération (AFNIC). According to AFNIC's rules, only individuals or organizations with a legitimate connection to France can register .fr domains. This means that you'll need to provide a valid French address or a European Union trademark that matches the domain name you're trying to register.

Now, I know what you're thinking - can't I just provide some fake French contact details and get away with it? Well, I wouldn't recommend that approach. AFNIC takes domain registration rules very seriously, and if you're caught providing false information, your domain registration can be revoked. Plus, it's just not a good practice to engage in fraudulent activities, right?

Instead, if you're not a French resident or don't have a legitimate connection to France, you might want to consider using a proxy service or a domain registration company that offers .fr domain registration services. These companies typically have a presence in France and can act as your proxy to register the domain on your behalf. However, be prepared to provide them with your identification dоcuments and other required information to comply with AFNIC's rules.

Another option is to look into registering a different top-level domain that's more accessible to international registrants. For example, you could consider registering a .eu domain, which is the ccTLD for the European Union. The rules for registering .eu domains are less restrictive, and you don't need to have a physical presence in the EU to register one.
I would advise against providing false contact information or trying to circumvent the rules. It's always better to be honest and transparent when registering a domain, and to make sure you comply with the relevant rules and regulations.

Ther are some exstra requirments for registaring a .fr domen. If you indivijual, you need to be resident of France, and we need to no your date of birth, place of birth, city of birth and postal code, and maybe some dоcuments to prove it.

If you companey, you need to have ofis in Europian Union, or in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland. You need to have one of this: Siren/Siret number, DUNS number, companey registration number, bisnes certificate number or somethin els thats valid in Europian Union or other countrys. And dont forget, we need to be able to reech you, so you need to give us your phone number, adres and email adres. And maybe we will ask for some dоcuments to prove it too.

"Residency" criteria don't concern me because, technically, the United Kingdom is still part of the EU by default. It's a bit off-topic but relevant: when I organize an invitation (for a visa) for my mom to visit countries like France, the Netherlands, or Italy (where I don't actually reside), It easily gets a Schengen visa for the duration she requests from the embassy, all without shelling out any visa fees. This happens even though England isn't part of the Schengen area. The EU operates as a unified space.

Regarding proof of social security numbers, it's a bit of a mess. There's no dоcument that verifies it. The number itself just exists. There was a brief time when they issued cards with the social security numbers on them, but they stopped doing that quickly because it was too costly.

.fr namespace is pretty strict on residency requirements. Officially, registrants must be individuals or entities based in the EU or EEA, including France. Just throwing in random French contact details to bypass this is a sketchy workaround and could lead to nasty compliance headaches or even losing your domain.

Registrars often do KYC checks, so faking info isn't a long-term play. Better to use a legit local trustee service if you want clean, bulletproof ownership.