The French parliament has approved a law prohibiting wearing a full-face veil in public.
The Senate passed the bill by 246 votes to one.
The legislation earlier cleared the lower house in July and will now be reviewed by the Constitutional Council, which has a month to confirm its legality.
The text makes no mention of Islam, but the government promoted the law as a means to protect women from being forced to wear Muslim full-face veils such as the burqa or the niqab.
Once in force, the law provides for a six-month period of 'education' to explain to women already wearing a face veil that they face arrest and a fine if they continue to do so in any public space.
