“Simplify people’s lives, remove paperwork, remove the risk of fines”: the government clarified on Thursday, December 7, the terms of removal from April 2024 of the green sticker and the insurance certificate that motorists should systematically have. “All motorized vehicles remain subject to this insurance obligation which does not change,” underlined the office of the Minister of Economy and Finance Bruno Le Maire during a call with journalists.
The decree was published in the Official Journal this Saturday, December 9. It provides for “the end of the obligation, for drivers of registered vehicles, to be able to present a certificate of insurance during a check and to affix an insurance certificate (“green sticker”) to their vehicle. Concretely, the green sticker to be placed on the windshield and the insurance certificate to be kept in the vehicle will be replaced by an entry, within 72 hours after taking out an insurance contract, in a dematerialized file of insured vehicles (FVA) to which law enforcement will be able to access “from their digital tools on board while on patrol”. In the event of renewal or subscription to a new contract from April 2024, insurers will have to send “a memo” to the insured detailing their contract.
Failure to affix the sticker and failure to present the certificate are currently (and until April 1st) punishable by a fine of 35 euros. The professional federation France Assureurs welcomed this decree to the AFP “which will help to simplify the lives of motorists”. Dematerialization also has an “ecological goal”: avoiding the emission of 1,200 tonnes of CO2 linked to the printing of green cards and the supply of glue, which also had disadvantages in terms of adhesion with the windshield. , according to the ministry’s office.
The interministerial road safety delegation added that the objective was also to “fight against fraud” with a “reliable file” which replaces a falsifiable paper system. Finally, this deletion makes it possible to “remind the interest of insurance” and to provide “education” because insurance not only allows you to be reimbursed for damage to the car but also to not have to pay in case of injuries for the accidents caused, according to the delegation. More than 206,000 people were penalized for driving without insurance in 2022, said the interministerial delegation, compared to more than 147,000 without a license.
“No more fines because it is not displayed on the windshield. No more lengthy paperwork. No more printing this sticker which has a significant ecological cost of nearly 1,200 tonnes of CO2 per year, Bruno Le Maire welcomed Thursday on X (ex-Twitter). This is a common-sense measure that constitutes an important step in the simplification and modernization of our insurance system.”
The government has also clarified by order the application in French law of European directives relating to automobile insurance. The order published in the Official Journal on Thursday will facilitate compensation for victims of road accidents when the insurer of the person responsible is bankrupt, whether the accident occurred in France or abroad, deciphers the Guarantee Fund for victims, primarily concerned.
