New pink number plates in France lead to more police road checks

Drivers in France are facing increasing police road checks following the introduction of new pink temporary number plates for imported or newly registered vehicles. 

The plates were introduced at the beginning of 2026 to address cases of number plate identity theft, currently at annual levels of 250,000 according to figures from the Interior Ministry.

What are the new pink licence plates?

The pink plates are temporary licence plates, and replace the white ‘WW’ plates that were used previously. They have been in force since January 1 this year.

The new colour is designed to enhance visibility, enabling police to identify them and verify their validity more easily. Pink is the only colour never previously assigned to a registration format.

Temporary licence plates are assigned to new or imported vehicles while awaiting a permanent certificat d'immatriculation (carte grise) registration document. 

They are valid for only four months for a given vehicle. They are used for around 400,000 vehicles each year.

They are used for three categories of vehicle, states the government registration website:

• new vehicles awaiting final registration

• vehicles imported prior to their registration in France

• vehicles used by professionals for road tests.

After a maximum of 14 months, the plates are transferred to another vehicle. This loophole can be abused by unscrupulous drivers, who continue using an expired plate and leave fines and penalties to be sent to the new, unsuspecting owner.

“When two identical plates are in circulation at the same time, unfortunately, it is the last holder who receives the fines, mostly for speeding,” said Stéphane Ponchaux, a mechanic from northern France, speaking to TF1. Some drivers have found themselves with fines of hundreds of thousands as a result.

Drivers found to be using expired plates risk a first fine of €135, notwithstanding any other penalties that may be due if they are found to have deliberately caused any road penalties to be sent to someone else. 

Why are there now more checks?

The pink plates have led to a surge in police roadside checks for drivers, as officers aim to “combat fraud and prevent people from driving with an expired temporary plate”, said Commissioner Cassandre Leblond of public security service le Service départemental de sécurité publique du Nord.

The plates are in the number format WW-123-AA (WW, three numbers, two letters). They also have the month and year of expiry in smaller numbers on the side. Officers can use the details to check the vehicle database system SIV (système d’immatriculation des véhicules) to see whether the certificate is still valid. The SIV has 65 million files.

However, some drivers with pink plates say that extra roadside checks are excessive and unnecessary as the plates are printed with expiry dates.

“Since I got these pink plates, I'm constantly being checked,” said one driver to Capital. “But [the plates] say they’re valid for four months, so I don’t understand it.”

Marc Jeansou, president of the motorist club l’Automobile club du nord de la France, agreed, saying: “The expiry date is on it, just like yoghurt pots. So the police officer knows immediately whether the driver is compliant or not."