It’s No Joke! French Car Insurance Stickers in Windscreens to Disappear from 1st April 2024!

The French government have decided that from 1st April 2024, the small green card that is currently affixed to the windscreen, known as a carte verte, will disappear in favour of a digital version.

Why the change?

The change will simplify

the administration process for motor insurance policies, not only for the insured driver but also for the government and insurance companies.

Today, more than 900,000 motorists drive illegally without insurance, and the carte verte can be easily falsified. Like in the UK, police and gendarmes will now be able to check that a vehicle is insured using the Fichier des Véhicles Assures (FVA), which was established on 1st January 2019.

Another important benefit of the change is to protect the environment. Insurers will no longer have to send out the printed carte verte for not just new policies but year on year at renewal. The government estimates that the ecological cost of printing the carte vertes each year is 1,200 tonnes of CO2!

So, will you receive any proof that your insurance policy is in place?

From 1st April 2024, you will receive a document with a white background instead of green. This is called the Mémo Véhicle Assuré (MVA) and will contain all compulsory information and details about your insurance policy. Like the carte verte, you need to keep this document handy, either on your smartphone or a paper version, so in the case of an accident, you have the information needed. This is particularly important for filling in an accident form – Constat Amiable d’Accident. The MVA will also serve as your insurance certificate for the first 15 days after taking out your policy.

Now, what happens if you are travelling abroad?

You can request a document called the International Motor Insurance Card (IMIC) if you need to travel to countries that have not abolished inspection of insurance certificates, notably Tunisia, Turkey, and Morocco, as well as Albania, Azerbaijan, Moldova, the Republic of Northern Macedonia, and Ukraine. You will need to print out this document on one side only (the reverse side will disappear in 2024) and keep it with you for the duration of your trip to these countries.

In member countries of the European Economic Area and the following countries – Principality of Andorra, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Switzerland, Great Britain, Montenegro, Serbia, Monaco and San Marino, the Mémo Véhicle Assuré (MVA) will be sufficient.

Does this apply to all “vehicles” in France?

No, not all types of vehicles are listed in the Fichier des Véhicules Assurés (FVA), so there is a special case for unregistered vehicles subject to compulsory insurance: professional vehicles and EDPM (Engins de Déplacements Personnaux Motorisés): electric scooters, hoverboards, gyropodes, monoroues…): For this category of vehicle, you will still receive the equivalent of the current carte verte as well as a sticker. However, this will be printed on white paper, and you will still have to affix the sticker visibly to the vehicle and present the insurance certificate to prove that the vehicle is properly insured in the event of an inspection.

Does the abolishment of the carte verte mean the end of compulsory insurance in France?

Drivers will still be obliged to take out at least 3rd party only cover for their vehicles. The disappearance of the carte verte doesn’t change this.

Article courtesy of FrenchEntree.com