What is new ‘memo’ document all drivers in France will receive?

Drivers can expect to receive a ‘memo’ from their insurance company before April 1, the date on which the green insurance sticker becomes obsolete.

The green sticker, or card, that drivers have had to display to prove their insurance status since 1986 is to be replaced by a digital system on April 1.

From that date, police will be able to consult a digital registry to check whether a vehicle is insured.

Read more: End of green car insurance sticker in France: Eight questions answered

However, one of the drawbacks of the system is that it can take up to 72 hours to register a vehicle’s insurance status.

As a failsafe, should drivers be stopped by police during this period, insurers will provide them with a Mémo Véhicule Assuré, or car insurance memo, which will usually be a credit card-sized bit of paper that drivers must carry in the vehicle as proof of insurance.

This ‘memo’ can also be issued digitally, depending on the insurer.

It will also include all the information required in the case of an accident or breakdown.

Read more: End of car insurance stickers in France: what about driving abroad?

For the initial rollout of the new digital car insurance register, insurers will send a ‘memo’ to all their customers. In future, they will only be sent to new customers to smooth over the 72 hour transition period as the register is updated.

Nonetheless, drivers are urged to keep their old green cards, which remain valid proof of insurance after April 1 and until their indicated expiry date.

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