I visited France in 2016 and got a few speeding and parking tickets. I choose not to pay those tickets, totaling a bit less than €300. I haven't returned to Europe since then.
I'm planning on heading back to France this year. How much problem will this be? And if I wish to pay those fines now, who do I contact?
Probably not a huge issue for entering France as a tourist, especially over older sub-€300 fines, but I’d still try to clear them up before going back. Contact ANTAI (the French traffic fines agency) and see if the fines are still active and payable. If you still have the rental-car info or any ticket numbers, that’ll help.
Official sites:
https://www.antai.gouv.fr
https://www.amendes.gouv.fr
Also be careful — France has a lot of fake “traffic fine” scam emails/texts, so only use the official government sites.
Regarding speeding and parking tickets, the statute of limitations is one year from the date of the offense. In theory, if no action is taken within a year, they can no longer come after you.
In your case, it's been 10 years, so it won't be a problem unless the French government sent follow-up notices as recently as last year, which is highly unlikely given how small the fines are.
Thank you so much. I'll check into that system to pay the fines. It's been on my conscience for ten years . . .
Trifle with bureaucracy and take your chances. I’ve had several traffic tkts in France that I was late paying and all had increased by the time I settled up.
I’m going to suggest the idea that paying tickets for traffic violations is one of the outcomes you should expect to do when driving in our country or any other country. Those fines are painful. I understand. I encourage you to reconsider your choice not to pay.
You got JoLui's answer about it being over and done, and mine is not to open a can of worms. We both live in France and deal with French bureaucracy.
If your conscious is bothering you, set aside the equivalent that you would have paid, and dribble it out to donate to organizations dealing with big problems, or leave something in the churches you visit here in France, or the buskers, or Secours Popular or the Red Cross who make sweeps of the streets nightly to help whichever homeless need something to survive. If you are here July 13th, donate it at a firehouse where the firemens' ball is taking place. There's a lot of good use for the money. Pandora says to keep the lid on the box.
Without wanting to promote not paying your fines, if it makes you feel any better, note that according to official sources, the overall payment rate for all categories of fines is 71.65%, meaning about 28% are never paid.
