The green piece of paper (carte verte) that is visible on all vehicles that are registered in France is used to prove that a motorist has vehicle insurance but this is to change in April 2024.
As French law currently stands, drivers who do not show proof of a vehicles insurance by displaying their ‘carte verte’ can be fined up to €35. Now the French government has announced that from April 2024 the green car insurance cards will be replaced by an automated system accessible by the police.
In future, insurance companies will record a driver’s insurance detail into a data base. The new digital system will allow for driver’s insurance to be checked using licence plates and by verifying information in the file of insured vehicles which has been accessible to law enforcement agencies since 2019. Insurance companies are required to update the register every 72 hours.