Documents to carry

[bixy]

I can't seem to get a straight answer to this question, apart from "all". My question is: which documents are you obliged to have with you when driving in France?

Patrick

[Anton Redman]

Passport, IdentityCard or other proof of identity

Driving License

Signed Insurance Certificate for the car (as well a stamp in window)

Controle Technique if appropriate. ( car over four years old)

Carte Gris ( Log Book)

Not legally required but can be handy

Printout of the Paris Police page which says that I do not legally have to exchange my driving license for a French one.

I normally also have bank statement and other proof of earnings just in case the Customs do another raid on Brico Depot

Recent utility bill just in case we decide to buy something where proof of address is required

[allanb]

The regulations are fairly clear.  You must have (1) your driving licence, (2) the car's identity document (carte grise), and (3) the insurance certificate, which is in two parts: the main part, known as the attestation, and the little bit that must be attached to the inside of the windscreen, known as the certificat.   (I'm taking this terminology from the Michelin summary of the Code de la Route.)

I don't know whether there are any special rules for foreign-registered cars, but it seems safe to assume that you should still be able to produce the car's identity document, whatever it may be called, and an insurance certificate in the recognized international form ("green card").

All of these are supposed to be the originals, not copies, except for the carte grise in the case of a rental car.

In practice, if you have left one of them at home, or if you only have a photocopy, I don't know what the attitude of the police would be.  It would be interesting to hear from anyone who has been in this situation.   

[Sunday Driver]

Code de la route Art R233-1: failure to produce driving licence or carte grise is a class 1 contravention - 11€ fixed fine.

Code de la route Art R 233-3: failure to produce insurance attestation or display the certificate vignette on the windscreen is a class 2 contravention - 35€ fixed fine.

In both cases, you are obliged to produce them to your gendarmerie within five days.  If you are late in doing this, then you also commit a class 4 contravention - 135€ fixed fine.

If you don't have a licence to produce, then it's a 15,000€ fine, a five year driving ban, one year in prison (two years if it's a repeat offence) and confiscation of the vehicle.

If you have no insurance cover, then it's a 3,750€ fine, a three year driving ban and confiscation of the vehicle.

If the car doesn't have a valid CT then it's a 135€ fine and the vehicle is subject to immobilisation.

 

 

[mint]

SD

Does driving licence mean BOTH parts of a British licence, that is, the card AS WELL AS the bit of green paper?

I ask because it's a bit of a bind carrying that flimsy bit of paper with you all the time. 

[Sunday Driver]

Officially, yes, because the paper counterpart forms part of the licence. However, the information it provides has little relevance to the French authorities, and I suspect the average gendarme might not even be aware of it's existence. The photocard contains your current driving entitlements which is all they'd be interested in.

Here's an interesting [url=http://www.dvla.gov.uk/media/pdf/consultations/cons_160204.pdf]DVLA consultation paper[/url] about its future role.

 

[bixy]

Thanks to all for the replies. It seems I have been breaking the law for many a long year. I can't help thinking that keeping all those documents in the car is pretty well perfect for a thief. Not only can he steal your car, and have all the documents to hand, he's pretty well on his way to stealing your identity as well.

But I shall toe the line.

Patrick

[Deimos]

[quote user="allanb"]The regulations are fairly clear.  You must have (1) your driving licence, (2) the car's identity document (carte grise), and (3) the insurance certificate, which is in two parts: the main part, known as the attestation, and the little bit that must be attached to the inside of the windscreen, known as the certificat.

[/quote]

Where you have specific additional cover for e.g. a trailer, this is only noted on the full insurance policy (not the certificate.  I always carry round a photocopy of the full certificate as several friends have been stopped when towing a trailer and asked to prove they were insured to tow the trailer.  I'm talking about small light trailers PTAC (?) less then 500Kg and nothing like caravans.

In my case/insurance I had to gave the trailer explicitly added to the policy (its a total loaded PTAC (?) of around 150Kg) and pay an additional premium.

Do you actually need to carry round this or is it a bit OTT.

Ian

[mint]

Whoa there, SD!  That's more information than I ever asked for! [:D]  Thanks all the same.

[allanb]

[quote user="bixy"]I can't help thinking that keeping all those documents in the car is pretty well perfect for a thief. Not only can he steal your car, and have all the documents to hand, he's pretty well on his way to stealing your identity as well.[/quote]I agree with you, and so do the authorities, apparently; you are officially advised not to leave the car documents in the car when you leave it parked.

It can be difficult to comply with this advice and the law; if I want to leave my car parked somewhere where my wife can collect it later and use it, it's positively impossible.

[Sunday Driver]

When I bought my car, the dealer gave me a very nice slim leather wallet to keep all the car documents in.  I just pop this into my jeans pocket whenever I leave the car parked anywhere.

On the other hand, if I'm wearing my tight disco trousers, then I use my "boy's handbag" to carry it around in........[8-|]

 

[AnOther]

I wonder what the Gendarmes would make of the old style pink paper licence such as many probably still have.

They are still valid in UK but in France/the EU ?

[kimg]

theyd better be

i have one

kim

[Anton Redman]

No expletive use what so ever to somebody who steals the car. Unlike an aircraft or a ships log book posession of a car's Carte Gris is not proof of title, anybody checks the C G againts an upto date C de I or Passport and visits the address on the C G.. Allowing for a minimum two week period for registering change of ownership and a 3000 Euro limit on cash transactions what good does it do them ? However unlike the majority of French mine are not behind the sun visor   

[AnOther]

[quote user="kimg"]theyd better be

i have one

kim
[/quote]Not scaremongering but bearing in mind SD's informative post about the penalties for not having a valid licence it might be as well to check, I think I would if I still had one [I]

[Gardian]

I was stopped at 11.00 a.m.at a routine check on one of our local roads a couple of weeks ago.

They were perfectly relaxed with my pink DL, Carte Grise and Insurance docs (incl the windscreen bit).

Coppers the world over aren't daft: if you, the car and your insurance seem OK, they'll rarely make a fuss.  

[allanb]

[quote user="Gardian"]I was stopped at 11.00 a.m.at a routine check on one of our local roads a couple of weeks ago.

They were perfectly relaxed with my pink DL, Carte Grise and Insurance docs (incl the windscreen bit).

Coppers the world over aren't daft: if you, the car and your insurance seem OK, they'll rarely make a fuss.  

[/quote]

But you had the required documents - so why would they make a fuss?

[cooperlola]

I have a pink licence.  As they clearly say "EU" on them, why wouldn't they be OK?  Acceptable to the gendarmes who stopped my o/h and deprived him of a few euros, anyway.[Www]