Road traffic offences abroad: what are the risks for French residents with a French drivers licence?

Speeding in Germany, unpaid tolls in Italy, running a red light in Spain... Can you be prosecuted in France for an offence committed abroad? What do you risk? Read all about the consequences of traffic offences committed abroad in this article.

 

You can be prosecuted in France

Each EU country has its own traffic regulations. You must therefore follow the rules of the country in which you are driving.  When you commit an offence, you are subject to the traffic rules of the country where you committed the offence and therefore to the corresponding penalties.

France practices cross-border information exchange with 19 EU countries, which allows you to be identified and to receive the ticket directly from French authorities. Here is the list of offences for which you can be prosecuted in France:

  1. speeding
  2. failure to wear a seat belt
  3. crossing a red light
  4. drunk driving
  5. driving under the influence of drugs
  6. not wearing a helmet
  7. driving on a prohibited lane
  8. the driving telephone or any other unauthorized communication equipment while driving

If you have not been arrested on the spot, you will be notified about the offence and its penalties via letter sent to your home address.

Good to know: The infringement notification letter must be written in French and can be sent by ordinary mail.

It must contain the following information:

  • details of the infringement (nature, date, time, place, national text infringed, etc.),
  • the amount
  • the deadline for payment
  • the procedures for contesting and appealing.

If you live in France and you receive a letter written in a foreign language, you can dispute it and request that it be sent in your language in accordance with article 5.3 of directive 2015/413. Beware of the generally short deadlines for lodging objections!

Beware of tolls abroad!

Since 19 October 2021, EU Member sates have been able to exchange information on drivers in the event of non-payment of road tolls (European Directive 2019/520). ECC France is receiving more and more complaints about unpaid tolls in Italy, Portugal or the UK. 

In Portugal, you can pay your toll either in cash or by bank card, or electronically. There are 4 ways of paying electronically:

  • EASYTOLL: payment by automatic debit from your bank card - only for "electronic" tolls.
  • TOLLCARD: payment by prepaid card - only for "electronic" tolls.
  • VIA VERDE : the Portuguese equivalent of the French Télépéage.
  • Fulli / Bip and Go / Ulys : private French operators offering boxes and subscriptions valid in France, Portugal, Spain and Italy.

If you fail to pay the electronic toll, you must contact the company operating the section of motorway used:

  • A22 e A28 : vialivre
  • A33, A8 – A19 / Pousos, A19, A4 – Vila Real-/ Bragança (Quintanilha), A23 – Abrantes / Guarda : Pagamento de Portagens
  • A4 – Sendim-/ Águas Santas (A3), A4 (Túnel do Marão), A13 – Atalaia (A23) / Coimbra Sul, A17 – Mira / Aveiro Nascente (A25), A23 – Torres Novas (A1) / Abrantes), A24, A25, A29, A41 – Freixieiro (A28) / A42 e A42 : Ascendi

In the case of a rental car, either the hire company will provide you with a Via Verde badge, or you will have to pay the electronic tolls at a CTT post office (please have the registration number of the hired vehicle ready). Payment can be made from the 2nd day after passing through the tollgate and for a period of 5 working days.

For more information, visit the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs website or the Portugal Tolls website.

On some motorways in Italy, there are no barriers. You can therefore drive through the tollgate without physically paying there.

On other motorways where there is a barrier, for safety reasons the barriers always open after a certain time, whether you have paid or not.

You may therefore receive reminder letters for non-payment of a motorway toll from a collection company several months after your journey, usually with surcharges.

How do I pay a toll in Italy?

Several methods of payment are available, depending on the lane you choose when you arrive at the toll station:

  • Cash payment

The passages are announced by a sign showing coins and notes on a white background (cash payments).

  • Payment by bank card or viacard

The lanes are indicated by a blue sign. The viacard is a prepaid card that you buy and credit in advance from the motorway infrastructure management company.

The lanes are indicated by a yellow sign. This system allows you not to stop. All you have to do is pass through the gate at less than 30 km/h and the payment method associated with your season ticket is automatically debited (if you have a Telepass season ticket). Don't use this lane if you don't have a Telepass!

  • Auromatic payment « freeflow »

Some Italian motorways are equipped with cameras that photograph your number plate and vehicle category to calculate the user charges due. This system is advertised on the motorways concerned by a white sign with a green box in the middle showing the pictograms of a car, a camera and the euro (€). People who do not have a Telepass subscription, which guarantees automatic payment, have 15 days to pay for their journey. They can do so via an online credit card platform, at one of the service areas indicated on this site or via an app developed for this purpose.

What should I do if paying at the toll barrier doesn't work?

It may happen that a card payment is not accepted at the toll sation, even though the card is valid. A receipt is then issued with the words "Mancato pagamento", which means "not paid".

Don't throw the receipt away! You will be asked to pay the toll later.

To pay the toll, you can :

    • go to the "Punto Blu" motorway service points located at the major rest areas along the motorways.
    • pay online, by card or bank transfer, within 15 days via the Autostrade website.

Do I have to pay the fine for not paying the toll?

If the offence is real, it is better to avoid reminders or not to react. In theory, prosecution is possible, with surcharges.

Under Italian law, the time limit for bringing an action for an unpaid toll is 10 years.

It is always possible to contest the fine in accordance with the procedures set out in the letter received from the authority or the collection company.

There is a congestion charge in London. The zone in question can be seen by clicking here.

This toll costs £15 and you can pay it before crossing it, on the day or by midnight on the third day after the journey on this website.

If you fail to pay the congestion charge, you may receive reminder letters from a debt collection agency.

The fine for non-payment is :

  • 90 £if paid within 15 days,
  • 180 £if paid within 15 to 27 days,
  • 270 £if paid after 28 days,

It is always possible to lodge an objection via the Transport for London website or the debt collection agency's website.

Good to know: If you are living in France, a French collection company can only claim the amount of the initial fine and must not charge you any additional fees.

Driving offences abroad: no points deducted

If you break the law while driving abroad on a French licence, no points will be deducted.

However, if you commit a serious offence, you may be subject to the same fines and prison sentences that apply to  nationals of the country in question. The fine must either be paid on the spot, or, if the two countries have signed an agreement, you may be notified by post.

Offences in France with a foreign permit

You live in France

If you have committed an offence in France with a foreign licence, you must exchange your driving licence for a French licence (FR). Otherwise, you risk a 4th class ticket (FR). More information in our article on driving in France.

You do not live in France

You will have to contest or pay the fine (via the French government site if a telepayment number appears in the fine received). If the licence is suspended, it will be returned to your home. Make sure that the address on your licence matches your current address.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Innovation Council and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Executive Agency (EISMEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.