what are the documents to present?

Blue flashing lights swirl in the distance, cones are placed on the roadside, an agent signals to certain vehicles to stop… A roadside check is in place, and if you are one of the lucky ones you will have to present a whole series of documents to the police or the gendarmes. Which are they, originals or copies, what are the consequences if you miss one or more? Let’s do a check in.

In the event of a roadside check, you will have to present three or four documents ( originals ), depending on the age and type of vehicle:

Your driver’s license
The vehicle registration document
The insurance certificate
Technical inspection, if applicable (especially for cars over 4 years old)
Your papers, please: what to show to law enforcement

Your driver’s license

This is of course the document that most interests the police. For those who have just passed the driving license exam but who do not yet have their title in their pocket, don’t panic, an alternative document will do the trick: just present the original examination certificate proving that you have passed. Failure to present a valid license or examination certificate exposes you to a fine of €11. You will also have to go to the gendarmerie or the police station to prove that you have the right to drive. If you do not fulfill this obligation in time, a second fine will be imposed, the amount of which can reach €750!And if you simply do not have the permit, a fixed fine of €800 awaits you. If you have presented a false license, you will be summoned to court with a heavy penalty. Attention, to make the gray card of a car it is necessary to have the definitive license .

The grey card

The gray card , proving that the vehicle is registered as required by law, must be presented in its original version. Photocopies of gray card are not accepted. In the absence of an original registration certificate, you risk a fine of €11 at the flat rate . As for the permit, you will have to present the gray card to the police within five days, otherwise you risk a second fine of 135 €, the amount of which can reach 750 € in the event of delay.

The insurance certificate

In addition to the sticker on the windshield, you must present the insurance certificate . If the sticker has been peeled off, don’t panic, the original of the certificate is sufficient. But in the absence of both, you will be fined 35 € . And, again, a period of 5 days to regularize your situation. Any delay still generates a second fine of a maximum amount of 750 €. In the event of a pure and simple lack of insurance, the fine is €750 at the normal rate (€650 at the reduced rate).

Technical control

Vehicles that are subject to technical control , for example cars over 4 years old, must prove that they are in order with MOT. Again, if the sticker is not present on the windshield, you will not be worried as long as you are able to present the original of the technical control . In the event of failure to present the technical inspection, the fixed fine is €11, or €135 if you are not in good standing with CT. If you do not have the proof, you must go to the police station within 5 days and pay the fine of 11 €.