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DRIVING

Drivers warned of fines at France’s new free-flow toll booths

Motorists driving in France are being warned to watch out for signage indicating France's new free-flow tollbooths - as drivers have just 72 hours to pay the toll or risk a fine.

Published: 1 August 2024 17:00 CEST
Drivers warned of fines at France's new free-flow toll booths
Drivers on the A13 motorway in May 2024, shortly before the introduction of the new tollbooths. (Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP)

France has begun introducing free-flow (péage flux libre) tollbooths, which allow for motorists to continue driving through the highway péages and pay the toll fee later. 

One such tollbooth had already been installed in 2022 along the A79 motorway, but in June a new free-flow system began to be implemented along the popular Paris-Normandy axis, which is operated by the Sanef organisation.

So far, it has been added to the A14 motorway which goes through the Yvelines département, and later on, in December 2024, it will be implemented on the A13 motorway, which is 210km in length.

The free-flow tollbooths scan licence plates, and afterwards motorists have up to 72 hours after passing through the tollbooth to pay.

But some motorists have complained that the signage is not clear enough, leading to people forgetting to pay and risking a fine.

Florent, who lives in the Paris region, told La Dépêche, “I paid, but this system is unbearable”. He explained: “I did not see it at all on the way there, and I only noticed it on the way back”. 

“It’s not just a yellow sign on the side of the road that indicates the terms and conditions,” one Rouen resident, Xavier, who received a letter informing him he had failed to pay, told Le Parisien.

“It’s another example of a technocratic measure cloaked in ecology and simplicity,” he said.

The system works by allowing drivers to keep going and pay later – similar to the Dart Crossing in the UK.

You can pay by entering your licence plate number online to the Sanef website or going in person to a participating tabac (you can find the list here). 

People should also be able to use a ‘télépéage’ toll badge or create an account on the Sanef website in advance of their journey so that they pay automatically.

For those who forget to pay, fines have begun to be issued.

If you do not pay in the 72 hours afterwards, then fine of €90 can be added to the toll price. This can be reduced to €10 if payment is made within 15 days, but if you do not pay within two months, then the fine will be increased to €375.

Foreigners will follow the same rule of entering their licence plate in to pay, a representative from Sanef told The Local in a previous interview.

Meanwhile, rental cars will also follow the same process.

READ MORE: How will France’s new free-flow autoroute tollbooths work for foreign vehicles?

Member comments

  1. Are there fast-pass transponders in France? It seems like a more sensible solution for those motorists who do not want to slow down for the tollbooth. Here in the SF Bay Area, all the bridges have gone to free-flow toll lanes. I don’t have a fast-pass – I simply drive through the lane and receive a bill in the mail. Requiring people to remember to pay seems like a system set up to fine forgetful people (most of us).

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TRAVEL NEWS

Explained: The rules of travelling in the Schengen zone for French residents

Europe's Schengen zone is the area of frictionless travel and free movement, but from police checks to passports, there are important restrictions for foreigners living in France - especially as Germany increases border checks.

Published: 16 September 2024 12:35 CEST
Explained: The rules of travelling in the Schengen zone for French residents

Established in 1995, the Schengen Zone or Schengen Area encompasses 29 European countries which have officially abolished border controls at their mutual frontiers, making for seamless travel between them.

But the return of controls at the German border is throwing into perspective some of the other limitations on the freedoms of the Schegen zone, particularly for non-EU citizens who are officially resident in France.

Schengen countries

The Schengen zone is not quite the same as the EU – most EU countries are part of it but there are a couple of exceptions, while some other countries are part of the Schengen zone but not members of the EU.

The Schengen zone countries are; Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. 

Travel between these countries usually does not involve a border check, while commercial traffic can also pass freely between these countries without requiring customs checks or import taxes.

It’s worth noting that the tiny microstate of Andorra, situated between France and Spain, is not a member of the Schengen zone, meaning that customs officials can check what you are bringing back into France and limit the amount of items such as cigarettes, alcohol and household products (which are significantly cheaper in Andorra since it has no sales tax).

The EU member states of Ireland and Cyprus are not part of the Schengen zone.

Police checks 

While Schengen zone countries agree to abolish border checks, they can impose police checks at the border if they feel this is necessary.

This could be either temporary – for example if one country is on heightened alert for terrorism – or on a longer-term basis as Germany has recently announced it will be doing.

During the Covid pandemic many Schengen borders saw the return of regular police checks in order to enforce health restrictions. 

Police have the right to check the documents of anyone crossing the border and to perform a search of baggage or vehicles if applicable. 

Documents 

Although in practice crossing an internal Schengen border may involve no checks at all, the rules still state that you need to have a valid travel document.

For non-EU citizens who are resident in France, this means a passport. A carte de séjour is a residency document – it proves your right to re-enter France and can also be used as an ID document but it is not a travel document. You should therefore always have with you a valid passport when travelling in Europe.

Non-EU nationals may also have their passports stamped at the border, although in practice this is rare.

For EU citizens, a national ID card – such as the French ID card – does count as a travel document, which means you don’t need a passport in order to travel within the Schengen zone (although since Brexit the French ID card can no longer be used to travel to the UK).

Freedom of movement

Non-EU citizens who have residency status in France (visa or carte de séjour) have the right to unlimited stays in France for the duration of their card/visa – however this does not extend to other EU countries.

Once a non-EU national leaves France, immigration rules kick in, which for countries that benefit from the 90-day rule means a limit in stays to 90 days in every 180.

Although in practice a lack of border checks mean that there is not strict controls, non-EU citizens who are resident in France should be aware that their right to stay in other EU countries is limited. Likewise having residency in France does not entitle you to work in another EU or Schengen area country.

These rules do apply to Brits who have the Brexit carte de séjour known as WARP or Article 50 TUE, since onwards freedom of movement (ie moving to a different EU country) was not part of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement deal.

Overstayers

If you have over-stayed in one EU or Schegen zone country, this risks barring you from entry to all the others.

There are a range of sanctions for ‘over-staying’ – which includes both remaining in a country after your visa/residency card has expired or over-staying your 90-day allowance – and they can include being barred from re-entry to both the country you over-stayed in and the other 28 Schengen zone countries.

Even if you are not officially banned, having the ‘over-stayer’ stamp in your passport can lead to increased checks and scrutiny at an internal Schengen border. 

READ ALSO What happens if you ‘over-stay’ in France?

EES/ETIAS 

In good news, the EU’s new Entry & Exit System of enhanced biometric passport controls – due to come into effect on November 10th – is only applicable at external EU/Schengen borders. Therefore there is no need to complete EES pre-registration if you are making a trip between two Schengen zone countries.

The same will apply to ETIAS, once that comes into force in the spring of 2025.

EES and ETIAS: The big changes coming for travel in Europe

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