How to check your driving licence points online in France
French licences have 12 points on them which can be removed following driving offences
Points can be removed for several driving offences
RVillalon / Shutterstock
Drivers in France will probably be aware of the points system used for penalising drivers who break road rules.
Similar to the UK, a 12-point system is used, however unlike across the Channel where points are added to licences, in France drivers ‘start’ with points on the licence and then lose them following certain offences.
Anyone driving in France who commits an infraction resulting in a loss of points, but not driving on a French licence, must exchange their licence for a French one for the points to be accurately recorded.
You can lose between one and six points depending on the offence, and a maximum of eight points at a time for combined offences. Note you may also face other penalties such as fines and prison sentences depending on the offence.
It is straightforward to check how many points are on a French licence.
Check online for free
The service is free and available online through the Interior Ministry.
You access the permis de conduire section of the Ministry’s website either using your FranceConnect login or a separate login for the website (if this is your first time, you can create an account).
For the latter, you will also need your ‘numéro d'enregistrement préfectoral harmonisé’ or NEPH, a number linked to your driving licence.
You can find this information:
On your driving licence
On your ‘attestation de droits à conduire’, a document proving you can drive in France
On any official letters sent to you about driving infractions resulting in you losing points on your licence
Once logged in, you will be able to see how many points are remaining on your licence, although note the government says there is a delay in the time between points being taken off and this being shown on the website (and vice versa for when points are reinstated).
Alongside this information, you can also see your relevé d'information restreint, showing the validities tied to your driving licence (categories, validity period, etc), and your relevé d'information intégral showing your full offence history.
Points are returned to your licence provided you do not commit another infraction while they have been taken off. They are returned as follows:
For a minor offence, a period of six months for one point.
For a class 2 or 3 offence it takes two years, and for a class 4 and 5 offences three years.
