Can non-residents of France be fined for a French driving offence?

Reader question: What happens if you are caught speeding in France but are only on holiday here?

Recently, we answered a reader's question about how speeding offences work in France.

However, this article only covered information for residents and how the offences would affect their licence in France.

If you are driving in France but are not a resident, for example if you are on holiday or visiting a second home on a temporary visa, the main principle is that you potentially face the same punishments as a French resident, however the reality may be different.

Essentially, if your offence is caught by the police, you will usually still be fined on the spot, but if you are caught by a machine, a fine is unlikely to make its way back to your home outside France unless you are from a country with an agreement with France on exchange of driver details.

This is not the case with most non-EU countries, including, since 2021, the UK.

There are no bilateral agreements concerning removal of points, as not all countries follow the same systems with regard to this.

Fines from police

In most cases of a minor driving offence, if it is the police who catch you, they have the authority to issue a fixed penalty fine on the spot.

Methods of payment of these penalties include paying online at amendes.gouv.fr/tai, through the amendes.gouv app, or at certain tabac shops and tax offices. If you pay the fine within three days of receiving it, you will receive a discount.

It is possible to contest fines via the Antai (Agence nationale de traitement automatisé des infractions) website within 30 days of the fine being issued.

In the case of drivers who do not have a French address or workplace, French law also empowers the police to ask people to pay immediately, for example at the reduced rate in the case of a fixed penalty fine.

In the case of someone refusing to pay (or contesting the fine) or for a serious driving offence where a court hearing is required and there is no fixed penalty, it is possible for the person’s car to be confiscated for 24 hours while a decision is taken by the public prosecutor’s office regarding a monetary guarantee (consignation) that should be deposited.

The amount is variable, depending on the seriousness of the offence.

If this is required and you do not pay, the car can be impounded, also accruing costs of keeping it.

Read more: Explainer: Difference between contravention, délit and crime in France

If caught by a speed camera

Many EU countries share information about cars caught by camera involved in offences such as speeding, driving through red lights or using your phone at the wheel. This included the UK before Brexit.

Since 2021, however, EU countries do not share this information with the UK, meaning that if you are caught speeding by a speed camera on UK plates (with a car that has a UK address) it is unlikely that a fine will reach you.

Read more: France allows driving fines to be paid in instalments

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