Minor offenses: it is now possible to pay the fine immediately

A fine imposed in tort is a criminal sanction imposed outside of trial by a police officer, gendarme or authorized public official who establishes an offense. The penalty is to pay a sum of money to the public purse. This procedure was set up following the Law of 18 November 2016 on the modernization of justice in the XXI^e century. The aim was to enable the simplest procedures to be dealt with quickly and efficiently and to make criminal sanctions more effective. Among the offenses concerned:

• driving without a license or with a license that does not correspond to the category of vehicle;
• driving a vehicle without insurance;
• the use of drugs;
• the unlawful occupation of an apartment block.

Previously, you could only pay a fine in tort after receiving a notice of violation and payment notice at your home. Now you can also pay the fine directly with the agent who issued the fine (by credit card, check or cash). The fine is then reduced, as was already the case when the fine was paid within 15 days of the finding of the infringement. For example:

• the amount of the flat-rate fine for driving without a license is €800 (fine reduced to €640 in case of immediate payment or within 15 days and increased to €1,600 in the absence of full payment within 45 days);
• the amount of the flat-rate fine for drug use is €200 (fine reduced to €150 in case of immediate payment or within 15 days and increased to €450 in the absence of full payment within 45 days);
• the amount of the flat-rate fine for uninsured driving is €500 (fine reduced to €400 in case of immediate payment or within 15 days and increased to €1,000 in the absence of full payment within 45 days). The amount of the fine for the offense of non-insurance is also increased by 50% for the benefit of the Guarantee Fund for compulsory non-life insurance (you have to pay in total €750 in the context of the basic flat-rate fine, €600 in the event of a reduced fine for immediate payment or within 15 days and €1,500 in case of increased fine for failure to pay in full within 45 days).

When you pay a fine directly in tort, a payment receipt is issued to you in paper form or in a dematerialized manner. For a paperless shipment, you must request it from the agent who issued the ticket, if the agent is equipped with the system that allows it. Some law enforcement officers only have a paper record of payment receipts. However, in the case of a cash payment, when the agent has the means to do so, he systematically sends you the receipt by e-mail.