French driving documents can now be delivered via a simplified procedure

The sending of important French driving documents - the carte grise and driving licence - has been simplified in France in a bid to save public funds.

The new system has been in place since January 2.

Previously, a carte grise (vehicle registration document, officially certificat d’immaculation) or driving licence sent by post needed a signature on delivery, or had to be collected from La Poste in the event that the recipient was not home at the time of attempted delivery. 

They can now simply be posted into a person's letterbox without a signature or in-person collection. However, the recipient can still track them and be notified when they are posted through the letterbox. 

This means of delivery is considered less expensive than requiring a signature.

Technically, the change means the documents are sent by lettre suivie (tracked letter) and no longer by lettre recommandée (registered post).

Read more: Process, costs, carte grise: How to register a car in France 

The new system was outlined in a decree in the Journal Officiel on December 13, 2024. 

It states that "in the context of a constrained budgetary situation, changes to the chain of distribution for certain documents has been identified as a major area for simplification for users and a rationalisation of public expenditure.”

A further decree, of December 16, adds: “The aim is to make savings while maintaining a high quality of service for users and combating fraud.”

One-year trial

The new system will be trialled for one year and will be “maintained if it proves to be effective and efficient”, the decree states.

Read more: Car registration fees in France: Normandy rise highlights national variations 

It comes after the price of a carte grise increased this year in several regions of France, including a rise to €60 - the legal maximum - in Normandy, and €55 in Brittany, Bourgogne Franche-Comté, and Centre-Val de Loire.