Checklist for travel in France - advice appreciated

[yessuz]

did you guys checked your insurance? )

There was one comment regarding "not covering automated cars outside GB" - which is irrelevant as there is exactly 0 automated cars according the Secretary of transport (or something) and that's what insurance companies reference to..

HOWEVER
Did you guys check your wording regarding insurance coverage abroad? Because what I have found in my insurance wording (PSA aka Peugeot Insurance) is that Comprehensive coverage is valid ONLY in UK (and I think some tax havens like IOM etc) and in Europe it is actually just 3rd party coverage. If you want comprehensive coverage while abroad, you might need to purchase top-up for that (which in my case was 44 gbp for 2 weeks...)

You have to check the insurance wording before your trip, as you might end up in quite serious situation if your car is stolen or damaged by some road accident and you cannot claim.. or fire.. or windows...

 

[qwickshot]

that’s not abnormal for U.K. insurer now, just another Brexit bonus.

Direct line don’t include it on their standard insurance, it’s 3rd party only which is the minimum they must provide but it’s as usual as a chocolate teapot. They only offer proper comprehensive cover for the EU on their comprehensive plus product where as Admiral offer it by default.

 

[mikeyg_ev]

If you receive your crit'air sticker and don't speak French it can be a bit confusing. The website is in perfect English but the letter you get with the sticker is in French only and says seemingly random things like "attach to vehicle bodywork" etc.

So what it tells you (from memory as I long since disposed of the letter):
For car windscreens: peel off the sticker and stick it in the lower right corner of the windscreen. If you try to remove it later then it'll rip and you'll have to get another.
For motorcycles and other vehicles without a suitable windscreen (or if you don't want to stick it permanently). Peel off the clear rectangular sheet from the back of the letter and stick the sticker to that. Then it's no-longer sticky and you can put it in a tax disc holder. (Which for a motorcycle is bolted to the vehicle bodywork.)

So for us, who probably don't want it permanently cluttering up the windscreen. Buy a cheap tax disc holder. Stick the sticker to the clear plastic from the back of the letter. Cut round the sticker so it's neat. Then put the whole thing in the tax disc holder and stick to the lower right of the windscreen. For most people there should be a small area where it won't actually obstruct your view of the road and just be covering part of the car wing.

 

[yessuz]

I have ordered the crit air 2 weeks ago... still waiting. got my email confirmation that I have ordered...

however I am not parking outside hotel parking spalces in Toulouse and Paris, so I hope all be fine :/

 

[Simavon]

I have ordered the crit air 2 weeks ago... still waiting. got my email confirmation that I have ordered...

however I am not parking outside hotel parking spalces in Toulouse and Paris, so I hope all be fine :/

Check your email, I received this:

Nous vous prions de bien vouloir trouver en pièce jointe votre facture relative à votre commande de certificat de qualité de l’air concernant le véhicule immatriculé YOUR_REG.

Votre certificat sera expédié prochainement par courrier à l’adresse de livraison indiquée lors de la commande.
Dans l’attente, cette facture vous permet de justifier de votre démarche et du classement de votre véhicule.

Veuillez agréer, Madame, Monsieur, nos salutations distinguées.

Le service de délivrance des certificats de qualité de l’air

Ce message est automatique, veuillez ne pas y répondre. Pour nous contacter, merci d’utiliser l’adresse [email protected]

Which my French suggests this is a certificate you can use in the meantime should you be stopped.

I just ran it through google translate.

Please find attached your invoice for your air quality certificate order for the vehicle registered YOUR_REG.

Your certificate will be sent shortly by courier to the delivery address indicated when ordering.
In the meantime, this invoice allows you to justify your approach and the classification of your vehicle.

Please accept, Madam, Sir, our best regards.

The service issuing air quality certificates

This message is automatic, please do not reply to it. To contact us, please use the address [email protected]

If you have this document then I would print it out and show it to the relevant authorities if challenged, and maybe leave it on the dashboard when parked.

 

[yessuz]

Check your email, I received this:



Which my French suggests this is a certificate you can use in the meantime should you be stopped.

I just ran it through google translate.



If you have this document then I would print it out and show it to the relevant authorities if challenged, and maybe leave it on the dashboard when parked.

I have the same.

at the same time, I tracked order and got that they posted on 27th of July. so hopefully will get it this week

 

[Simavon]

I have the same.

at the same time, I tracked order and got that they posted on 27th of July. so hopefully will get it this week

Mine was dispatched on the same day. It's a race!

 

[WllXM]

The only catch with the Critair vignette is I am wondering to what extent the gendarmes now have access to your identity and address if you get caught speeding, as you are willingly matching this with your reg... Since Brexit they can't request it from DVLA anymore and provided they don't get you on the spot the fines get lost somewhere in the chunnel...
In a city center like Paris I have yet to hear a story of a Tesla driver getting a 68 euro fine for failing to show a Critair, I assume common sense would prevail for an EV-only brand...

 

[yessuz]

The only catch with the Critair vignette is I am wondering to what extent the gendarmes now have access to your identity and address if you get caught speeding, as you are willingly matching this with your reg... Since Brexit they can't request it from DVLA anymore and provided they don't get you on the spot the fines get lost somewhere in the chunnel...
In a city center like Paris I have yet to hear a story of a Tesla driver getting a 68 euro fine for failing to show a Critair, I assume common sense would prevail for an EV-only brand...

well, I would not be that certain.

In the past, in some countries, you could "accumulate" your fines from the speed cameras, and if you are caught later - well, suck it up an pay all of them. So I am not sure regarding this.

also, where do you get info that they cannot get DVLA information anymore?

 

[WllXM]

also, where do you get info that they cannot get DVLA information anymore?

That I am very sure. I won't say here this is from experience... but... The UK was one of the last countries to give access because they were forced by EU regulation. Prior to 2016, we were all virtually exempt from fines. Then 2016 to 2020 people started to receive some. Since the full withdrawal in 2021 it's over though, and we are back in the state we were pre-2016.

Many articles are covering this..

Brexit stops speeding tickets at the border

The UK’s exit means a deal on motoring offenses no longer applies to British drivers in the EU, and vice versa.

www.politico.eu

Works both ways and many foreign drivers here are exempt from ULEZ or CC fines that are lost in translation... They now outsource it to an EU debt collection agency that has no real powers beside sending strongly worded letters to force people who are unaware of it into paying.. The recovery rate on the last FOI request was laughable.

 

[yessuz]

That I am very sure. I won't say here this is from experience... but... The UK was one of the last countries to give access because they were forced by EU regulation. Prior to 2016, we were all virtually exempt from fines. Then 2016 to 2020 people started to receive some. Since the full withdrawal in 2021 it's over though, and we are back in the state we were pre-2016.

Many articles are covering this..

Brexit stops speeding tickets at the border

The UK’s exit means a deal on motoring offenses no longer applies to British drivers in the EU, and vice versa.

www.politico.eu

Works both ways and many foreign drivers here are exempt from ULEZ or CC fines that are lost in translation...

welp, this MIGHT hit us back, because you might end up on the side of the road with cuffs... until you pay all the fines. and depending on your driving, this can be thousands

 

[WllXM]

welp, this MIGHT hit us back, because you might end up on the side of the road with cuffs... until you pay all the fines. and depending on your driving, this can be thousands

I would say this : you can switch to a different personalised plate every year before going abroad for the holidays, just £80 with DVLA... less than a single fine...

But to be serious, in France, the statute of limitations for speeding fines is one year. So no, they can't accumulate actually and you can't end up in this position.
This is of course different for every country, unlike Switzerland, don't try it there.... but they have fewer motorways anyway...

 

[mikeyg_ev]

The only catch with the Critair vignette is I am wondering to what extent the gendarmes now have access to your identity and address if you get caught speeding, as you are willingly matching this with your reg...

If you exceed the speed limit significantly by accident then you really should have been paying more attention and deserve the strong reminder.
If you decide to exceed the speed limit (as we all do sometimes) and you get caught then take it on the chin. Your decision, you take the consequences.

then of course:
Breaking the law in another country is something everyone should do their absolute best to avoid. Something that would be a minor annoyance in your own country could turn into a whole world of pain when you're not completely fluent in the language or culture, live 1000 miles away, and don't have the same rights that a citizen does. You are a guest and "a foreigner", rightly or wrongly you're never going to get same rights or respect that a local does.

 

[WannabeOwner]

The recovery rate on the last FOI request was laughable.

I don't understand why they don't just charge people fines at the border when they leave. Or serve them a legal document. The IT required for that isn't hard (we'd lose a few if the offence was a few minutes before departure ...)

And if they come back into the country without having paid THEN they are in trouble.

Reminds me of the NHS saying they couldn't possibly introduce a system to charge foreigners for medical treatment ... and everywhere else in the world I go I have to have insurance so I can pay the bill, which I will definitely get, if I need medical assistance.

 

[yessuz]

Mine was dispatched on the same day. It's a race!

got mine today...
@Simavon you?

 

[djtaylor]

As an update to the ULYS tag and SEPA direct debits issue, I think I now know what the issue is for those for whom the DD fails in some circumstances.
I set mine up with a Revolut account and I only had a GBP account within the app. The DD failed with "NO PROVISION" which wasn't helpful.
ULYS state that I need to send their French DD mandate form to Revolut, Revolut insist that the activity has to be performed by the Merchant.
One comment from Revolut though was for me to send my Euro account details to ULYS... I didn't have a Euro account added.

All that requires is clicking a + button in the app to add a Euro account and pop some funds in there and then i'm informed that this instigates a SEPA DD whereas from a GBP account that tries to do SWIFT which is not supported.

It's the same for Starling Bank too (I had a chat with them today)

I'm yet to confirm this as ULYS haven't tried again but if successful i'll report back but for anyone trying ULYS with either Revolut or Starling, try adding a Euro account and place some funds in there and see what happens.

 

[Simavon]

got mine today...
@Simavon you?

Yep, it's a tie.

 

[yessuz]

Yep, it's a tie.

 

[yessuz]

by the way - question is this:

do I have to stick it if I will park car in hotel car-park only? I really hate to have all these stickers and other crap on my windshield :/ any other ways anyone manages to stick those???

 

[WllXM]

by the way - question is this:

do I have to stick it if I will park car in hotel car-park only? I really hate to have all these stickers and other crap on my windshield :/ any other ways anyone manages to stick those???

No. Actually the law doesn’t mandate anywhere that you have to stick it on the windscreen. You can stash it in the glovebox and just throw it on the dashboard when parked / produce it upon request, if you get stopped.
And the likelihood of that happening would warrant a post here, as you would certainly be the first ever.

I’m happy that I can finally get rid of the Swiss vignette as they finally moved to e-registration. I fully intend to keep my windscreen immaculate from now on