Conclusion of a car or motorcycle insurance contract

Verified 01 April 2024 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

If you own or operate a motor vehicle in circulation in France, you must be covered by civil liability insurance. The procedure for concluding this contract is regulated. We present the applicable rules.

The insurance obligation concerns all land motor vehicles which must be registered.

These vehicles are:

  • Car (private car, commercial vehicle, unlicensed car), tractors and agricultural machinery
  • Truck
  • Gear at 2 or 3 wheels motorized (motorcycles, scooters) and quads, whether or not non-approved (e.g. mini-motorcycles)
  • Trailer hitched or unhitched

The obligation to provide insurance also concerns certain land motor vehicles which do not need to be registered.

These vehicles are:

  • Light Cyclomobiles : draisienne, electrically assisted bicycle with a power exceeding 250w or a speed exceeding 25 km/h etc.
  • EDPM : electric scooters, electric scooter, single wheel, gyropod, hoverboard, etc...
  • Self-supporting mowersequipped with a seat which allows the driver to maneuver them

The obligation to provide insurance also concerns certain land motor vehicles which do not need to be registered.

These vehicles are:

  • Light Cyclomobiles : draisienne, electrically assisted bicycle with a power exceeding 250w or a speed exceeding 25 km/h etc.
  • EDPM : electric scooters, electric scooter, single wheel, gyropod, hoverboard, etc...
  • Self-supporting mowersequipped with a seat which allows the driver to maneuver them

You can take out this insurance contract from one of the following organizations:

  • General Insurance Officer
  • Broker
  • Bank
  • Insurance company

You can speak to multiple agents simultaneously and freely to compare their proposals.

You must indicate the type of guarantee you wish to obtain from the insurer with which you have a contract: civil liability, material damage, driver protection, assistance, troubleshooting, etc.

If you were already insured, you will have to submit a statement of information issued by the previous insurer.

The insurer may ask you to complete a questionnaire to allow them to assess the risks and calculate the premium amount.

Be sure to mention in particular the following:

  • You will use your vehicle to get to work
  • Identity of the usual driver(s) of the vehicle
  • Major accidents in the past
  • Past sanctions (suspension or withdrawal of licenses...)

The information you give to your insurer must be accurate.

A false statement or omission can have serious consequences and is considered a swindle. The compensation you should have received may be reduced and you may have to compensate the victims in part yourself in the event of an accident.

If a declaration of bad faith is found, the contract can be declared invalid: the insurance will not intervene to compensate you, but it will have the right to keep the contributions already paid.

The insurer requested must provide you with an insurance proposal. It includes the following:

  • Copy of the draft contract
  • Information sheet on prices and guarantees
  • Detailed information leaflet

The documents must be clear and written in an apparent character. They provide you with very specific information on the following:

  • Collateral limits (e.g. list of uncovered risks)
  • Applicable law and competent bodies in case of dispute
  • Triggering of the guarantee for liability contracts (by the harmful event or by complaint)

If the insurance proposal is suitable for you, you must sign it and hand it over to the insurer with the requested documents.

Once the signed proposal reaches the insurer, the contract is formed and you can no longer change your decision.

The right of withdrawal is the possibility of renouncing a contract within 14 days of signature.

The application of the right of withdrawal to the car insurance contract varies depending on whether the contract has been signed physically or remotely.

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Contract physically signed with the insurer or its representative

There is no right of withdrawal for a car insurance contract physically purchased by the insurer or its representative (general agent, broker).

Distance contract

The 14-day right of withdrawal provided for distance contracts may apply to the motor insurance contract signed at your home or workplace following a canvassing by the insurer.

The right of withdrawal applies if you have not made use of one of the guarantees of the contract.

If you have not used any of the guarantees in the contract, you must send the cancelation request by registered letter or by registered electronic mail with notice of receipt, within the deadline of 14 calendar days from the signature of the contract.

The proof you need from the insurer depends on whether your vehicle is registered or not.

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Registered vehicle

If you have insured a registered vehicle, proof of insurance is essentially through consultation with the FVA: titleContent, which lists all civil liability insurance contracts concluded in France.

The insurer must provide you with a document at the time of enrollment that contains the following essential elements of the contract:

  • Name and address of insurance company
  • Name, forenames and address of the subscriber of the contract
  • Insurance policy number
  • Date of issue of the document
  • Effective date of the guarantee
  • Vehicle registration number
  • Make and model of vehicle
  • If the contract guarantee applies to both a motor vehicle and its trailers or semi-trailers, indication of the type of trailers or semi-trailers which may be used with the vehicle
  • If necessary, mention of the fact that the vehicle is used in the context of a particular public passenger transport activity for consideration

This document is issued once, except in case of loss. It is not renewed every year like the green card.

It may be used as temporary proof of contract, during the period of updating the VAT.

For this reason, it should read: " This document constitutes a presumption of insurance for 15 days after the effective date of the policy ”.

The document can also be used throughout the contract to do certain things, such as completing a amicable declaration of accident or contact the insurer to request information.

It is therefore advisable to keep it in your vehicle, or to download it to your phone.

Unregistered vehicle

If you have insured an unregistered vehicle, the insurer must provide you with proof to be affixed to the vehicle and proof to be presented during a policy check.

Document to be affixed to the vehicle

The proof of insurance to be affixed to the vehicle is a certificate that the insurer must issue you within 15 days after the subscription or renewal of the contract.

If the insurer cannot issue you the certificate immediately upon enrollment, it must issue you an interim certificate.

The certificate shall contain the following information:

  • Insurance company Name
  • Subscriber identification number
  • Vehicle chassis or serial number
  • Contract Start and End Dates

If you do not affix the certificate of insurance to your vehicle, or if you affix an invalid certificate, you may be fined €35.

Justification to be submitted in case of inspection

You must always present a document during a policy check proving that you have taken out insurance for your unregistered vehicle subject to the insurance obligation.

The document to be presented during a police check is a certificate from your insurer.

The insurer must issue you an insurance certificate within 15 days of the subscription or renewal of the contract.

If the insurer cannot issue the certificate immediately upon enrollment, it must issue you a provisional certificate.

The certificate must contain the following information:

  • Name and address of insurance company
  • Name, forenames and address of the subscriber of the contract
  • Insurance policy number
  • Insurance period corresponding to the premium or portion of premium paid
  • Characteristics of the vehicle, including chassis or serial number

You can also ask the insurer to issue you an international insurance card.

The international insurance card is the insurance document adopted by the countries participating in the Green Card system.

The green card system is an agreement signed by several countries that recognize all the car insurance certificates issued by one of them.

If you are unable to present an insurance certificate, a provisional certificate or an international insurance card during a policy check, you may be fined €35.

But the police can give you five days to submit one of these documents.

If you do not submit one of the documents within 5 days, you will be fined €135.

In this case, the fine of €35 no longer applies.

Putting a land motor vehicle into circulation without having insured it is a offense punishable by a fine of €3,750.

Depending on the circumstances, one or more of the following additional penalties may be applied in addition:

  • Works of general interest
  • Fines days (fines set per day)
  • Suspension of driving license (up to 3 years)
  • Cancelation of the driving license and the prohibition to re-pass it for a certain period of time (up to 3 years)
  • Prohibition of driving certain vehicles, even if they do not require a driving license
  • Obligation to complete a road safety awareness course at his own expense
  • Immobilization and/or confiscation of the vehicle with which the offense was committed.

You will only be sentenced to the lump sum fine of €500 if the offense was found by an electronic record and that you have not been convicted in the past for lack of insurance. In this case, the payment of the fine within the prescribed period shall terminate the proceedings.

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