Do I need to change address on my French licence to receive fines?

Reader question: When I moved, I was told I do not need to change the address on my driving licence. I was caught speeding, and as we had mail redirection with the post office, we received the notification. With the cheque, I notified the authorities of the change of address. Do I need to do anything else?

The address used to send out fines is not the address on your driving licence but rather the one on the vehicle registration document (carte grise).

If the fine was initially sent to your old address it probably means that you have not updated your carte grise.

You can do this via immatriculation.ants.gouv.fr. Sign in either via France Connect with your log-ins from a partner site (e.g., tax office or ameli.fr) or via your ANTS account – you might need to create an account.

Once connected, click on Nouvelle demande, then immatriculation and Changer l’adresse de votre carte grise.

The change is free – you will be sent a sticker to attach to the carte grise – although for a fourth change, you need to pay €2.76 for a new document.

Read more: How do speeding fines work in France?

You do not need to change the address on a French driving licence unless you need to apply for a new one – for example, if it is lost, stolen, or expiring.

If you have a foreign licence you were using legally in France, you should apply to swap it for a French licence after committing a driving offence, such as speeding, normally involving the loss of points. French licences start with points and lose them for offences.

This includes a non-expired EU licence or UK licence first obtained before 2021, or other foreign licences in the first year of moving over.

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