Say Goodbye to the Green Sticker: Changes in Car Insurance Requirements Explained

Drivers and insurance companies have long awaited this change. From April 1, 2024, they will therefore no longer be required to display the green sticker of the motor vehicle insurance certificate on their windshield. The government has officially ended this obligation. Let’s see together how this new system works and what changes it introduces for all drivers.

No more green sticker for car drivers!

The deadline for the green sticker that car drivers place on the right of the windscreen of their car is now known: April 1, 2024.

During an Interministerial Committee for Road Safety (CISR) which took place on July 17, the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, announced the end of the history of this sticker which was born in 1949.

This small green sticker that car drivers affix behind their windshield was originally created to allow law enforcement to know the main information of your insurance contract during a roadside check.

From April 1, 2024, all this information will then be recorded in a file by the insurance companies. This file will therefore be instantly accessible by the police and gendarmes during their checks, explained Gérald Darmanin.

The removal of the green sticker will also put an end to the fine of 35 euros. This fine to which car drivers are exposed if they do not present the green sticker during a check.

More than 900,000 uninsured cars in France

According to the Interministerial Road Safety Observatory quoted by Argus, 900,000 cars are not insured in France. In 2022, 7% of fatal accidents (239 deaths) and 7% of bodily accidents involved an uninsured car.

This problem cost the Compulsory Insurance Guarantee Fund 107 million euros in 2022. To remedy this, the government has therefore decided to abolish the sticker and the green insurance card. However, this does not mean that insurance is no longer compulsory. Indeed, it is always mandatory to take out at least civil liability insurance.

Motor insurance control: the FVA file

The government now prefers to encourage the use of the dematerialized file FVA (File of Insured Vehicles) which was created in 2016. Insurance companies send the necessary information to the platform.

Insurers must provide information. Such as the vehicle registration (car, motorbike, etc.), the name of the insurer, the contract number and the period of validity of the insurance contract. They have 72 hours to do so after taking out or terminating the automobile civil liability guarantee.

With the registration number of your vehicle, the police can therefore check the validity of your insurance contract.

The FVA file was created in 2019 primarily to combat uninsured fraud. It also facilitates the search for information for the identification of vehicles in the event of hit-and-run, theft, etc.

The police consult the FVA file during traffic checks. Your insurance will thus provide you with a paper insurance certificate for any new subscription to avoid any problem during a roadside check. This document should be kept in your bag or in your glove box.

The car insurance certificate must always be available in dematerialized form. In addition, it is essential for motorists traveling outside France. The police abroad do not have access to the FVA.

Changes in traffic tickets

Under this measure, two traffic violations will be removed:

1. The 2nd class fine for failure to affix the insurance certificate to the windshield of the vehicle, which results in a fine of 35 to 150 euros.
2. The 4th class fine for non-presentation of the insurance certificate within five days in the absence of a valid green sticker on the windshield. It entails a fine of 135 to 375 euros in the event of late payment.

In exchange, a new control technique will be implemented: automated control of insurance default. Automatic speed cameras will soon be able to check that your vehicle is well insured by interrogating the FVA with your registration number, according to the columns of AutoPlus.

Article L. 324-2 of the Highway Code specifies that driving without insurance is an offense that may result in a fine of up to 3,750 euros. In practice, you risk a fine of 500 to 1,000 euros depending on the payment period.