It said France was violating Sikhs’ religious freedom by forcing them to remove their turbans when having photos taken for passports and ID cards.
Ranjit Singh, 76, said he had turned to the UN because he found the French policy disrespectful and unnecessary.
The ruling is not legally binding. France was asked to respond by March.
Mr Singh welcomed the decision, telling the BBC: “[The turban] is part of my body. It is my identity and I cannot part with it.”
Long battle
Sikhs in France have been fighting a long battle over the turban.
In 2004 France passed a law banning religious signs in schools. This included turbans and Muslim headscarves.
In the following years, people renewing passports and certain official documents were also asked to remove the religious headgear for photographs.
In the case of driving licences, French regulations said that motorists must appear “bareheaded and facing forward” in their photographs.
But some Sikhs like Ranjit Singh refused to take off their turbans for these official photographs.
As a result, they were refused ID cards and passports.