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LIVING IN FRANCE

Reader Question: How do you contest a parking ticket in France?

Returned to your vehicle to find an unwelcome surprise from French officialdom on your windscreen? He’s what you need to know…

Published: 15 April 2022 13:03 CEST
A uniformed French police officer issues a parking ticket on a car in Lille
A uniformed French police officer issues a parking ticket on a car in Lille. (Photo: Philippe Huguen / AFP)

Question: I recently got a parking ticket while parked in a small town in France, but I’m sure I had parked within the regulations – how do I contest this?

Parking tickets are as much a fact of frustration for motorists in France as they are elsewhere.

You know the score. You get back to your vehicle, and there’s an unpleasant surprise on your windscreen, informing you that you’ve parked illegally and that you have a fixed penalty to pay.

The notice on your windscreen is not the actual ticket. It’s a warning that you will receive a ticket. A ‘notice of violation’ – aka the ‘ticket’ – and a payment card will be sent by mail to the address of the vehicle’s registered owner.

In theory this includes cars that are registered outside France. In practice it depends on the country and there are mixed reports on whether fines are posted out to non-French addresses. 

This document indicates the amount of the fine and how to pay or dispute the fine.

The fines are set at the following rates:

  • Improper parking : €35 (this is the one you get if you haven’t paid in a pay-and-display space, or have overstayed the allocated time)
  • Inconvenient parking : €35
  • Very inconvenient parking : €135
  • Unsafe parking: €135  – you also lose three points on your licence – remember French licences come with 12 points loaded on them, and you lose them if you commit an office. You also risk a driving ban for up to three years.

How to pay

You can pay your fine in several ways.

Online – click here

By app – yes, there’s an app for that. You can download the Amendes.gouv app from Google Play or App Store

By phone – call 0811 10 10 10 at any time. Be aware, this is a premium rate number

By post – send a cheque payable to Trésor public to the address indicated on the ticket. Make sure you include the payment card shown on the notice of violation

In person at an approved tobacconist – one of the many services offered at a French tabac is the one that allows you to pay certain fines, including parking tickets.

In person at a Centre des finances publiques

Deadlines

You must pay the fixed fine within 45 days (60 if you pay electronically) of the date on the notice of violation – otherwise the amount you have to pay will go up. NB – The fine is reduced by 20 percent if you pay within 30 days.

How to contest a parking ticket

You can raise your objection to a parking ticket online or by mail, within 45 days of the original fine being sent – or three months in the case of a fine being increased.

To contest a ticket online, click on the ANTAI website here

Note: you cannot contest a fine after paying it – paying the fine indicates you acknowledge the offence.

Or you can do so by post, by completing the exemption request form on your notice of violation.

You will need to include the notice of violation, and a letter, written on plain paper setting out the reasons for contesting the fine. Be aware, this is a formal letter, and it must be sent by registered mail, with notice of receipt (LRAR). If it is not sent by registered mail, the letter may be ignored.

Member comments

  1. I got one of these once. I arrived at the car just as he finished the ticket. I said to the Gendarme that there was no sign to say there was restricted parking (i was in a public car park). The Gendarme then took me to a tent – inside the tent was a restricted parking notice saying that from 2pm that day I could no longer park in that spot.
    I did appeal – but basically the reply was – you were parked there – pay

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For members

TAXES

What to do if you’re struggling to pay a French tax bill

Income tax bills come due in France from September 26th, while property owners will also be receiving property tax bills in the autumn – but if you’re worried about your ability to pay, options are available.

Published: 12 September 2024 10:30 CEST
What to do if you’re struggling to pay a French tax bill

France is a highly taxed country, so if you live here you probably already accept the fact that you will be paying a lot of tax.

But if you’re struggling to pay the bills, you have options, and in most cases the initial advice is the same – contact your local tax office and ask for help.

Income tax

If you’re registered with the online tax portal and make your declarations online you will have already given your bank details to the tax office and they will take the money out of your account directly (after sending you a bill so you know how much will be going out).

If you owe more than €300, the money will be taken in four instalments – this year the payment dates are September 26th, October 25th, November 25th and December 27th.

Defer payment

If you’re concerned about your financial situation you may request a deferment (a délai de paiement) from tax authorities, giving you more time to pay what you owe. 

If you’re asking for a deferment, you can do so online:

  • Log on to your personal space at impots.gouv.fr, and access “messagerie sécurisée” (secure messaging);
  • Click on “écrire” (write);
  • select “j’ai un problème concernant le paiement de mes impôts” (I have a problem paying my taxes);
  • then “j’ai des difficultés pour payer” (I am having trouble paying);
  • Select the tax concerned and follow the instructions on the form.

If you prefer to deal with the matter face to face, you can visit your nearest tax office.

Whether you are asking online or in-person, you must provide a completed difficultés de paiment form – find that here – plus;

  • your tax demand;
  • a bank statement;
  • supporting documents showing your incomings and outgoings (such as pay slips, rent bills, utility bills, etc).

Be aware that deferment requests are handled on an individual basis.

Write off a bill

In certain cases – if you have recently been made redundant, for example – you may ask for tax relief (known as a remise gracieuse), in which part or all of your bill is written off.

Your request for a remise can be made online, using the secure messaging system mentioned earlier. Alternatively, you can go to your nearest tax office in person.

You should fill out a completed difficultés de paiement (payment difficulties) form, and attach or take along corresponding documents.

  • Tax authorities will take into account, in particular, an unforeseeable loss of income (unemployment, for example);
  • Other exceptional circumstances (such as the death of spouse, separation, disability) or abnormally high expenses (illness);
  • a disproportionate difference between the size of your tax bill and your level of income.

Ability to pay

When you apply for a deferment or relief, your ability to pay is analysed, taking into account, among other things:

  • your assets and the resources of people living with you, whether taxable or not (social benefits, municipal assistance, RSA, etc.);
  • essential household expenses (food, healthcare, insurance, housing, transport to and from work, etc.);
  • whether your expenses match your resources and the composition of your household.

Be aware that, if your expenses exceed your financial capacity solely because of your lifestyle choices, your application will be rejected.

Furthermore, depending on your situation, the granting of tax deferment or relief may be subject to :

  • prior payment of outstanding taxes;
  • the filing of a tax return, if you are not fully up to date with your tax obligations;
  • a waiver of any litigation relating to the taxes concerned by the application.

Usually, requests for deferred payment or tax relief are processed within two months. If you have not received a reply within this period, you should assume your request has been rejected. 

But this period may be extended to four months if your situation is complex. In this case, the administration must inform you of this extension before the initial two-month deadline expires.

Property tax

If you own property in France, autumn is also the time when you will be getting property tax bills (tenants no longer pay property taxes after the phasing out of the taxe d’habitation.

All property owners get a bill for taxe foncière while second-home owners will also get a bill for taxe d’habitation – find a full explanation of the system HERE.

Many people have noticed a steep rise in property tax bills in recent years, due to changes in the tax system. If you think your bill is incorrect, here’s how to challenge it.

If the bill is correct, but you are having difficulty paying you can contact your local tax office as described above to request a deferment of the bill. Property tax can also be paid in monthly instalments, rather than all at once.

There are also some groups who are exempt from paying, or entitled to a reduced rate.

It’s sometimes mentioned that older homeowners in France are exempt from taxe foncière (property owners’ tax). This is wrong, but depending on your situation, assistance in the form of a reduction or an exemption may be possible. 

If you are over 75 years old on January 1st of the tax year, you can benefit from an exemption from property tax for your main residence (not a second home). Two additional conditions must also be met.

Concerning the occupation of the accommodation:

  • you live alone or with your spouse or civil partnership partner;
  • you live with dependents for the calculation of income tax (children, dependent persons).

Concerning your financial resources: 

  • the amount of your reference tax income from the previous year must not exceed a certain ceiling specified by article 1417-I of the General Tax Code, which is set by a decree published each year;
  • The income limits not to be exceeded depend on the number of parts retained for the calculation of income tax;
  • Holders of the solidarity allowance for the elderly (ASPA) or the supplementary disability allowance (ASI) are exempt from the financial resources requirement.

If you are over 65 and under 75 on January 1st of the tax year, you can benefit from an automatic reduction of €100 on property tax on your main residence.

Two additional conditions must also be met:

  • you occupy your accommodation under the conditions listed in the exemption from property tax for persons aged over 75;
  • the amount of your reference tax income from the previous year does not exceed a certain ceiling specified by article 1417-I of the General Tax Code.

Neither of these exemptions can be used for second homes. Since the taxe d’habitation is now only paid by second-home owners the opportunities for a deferment or exemption are very limited, since the tax office assumes that second-home owners are financially stable.

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