Contesting a French fine or PV: the complete procedure by mail

Quick answer

To contest a French fine or PV, send a request for exemption by registered AR letter to the Public Prosecutor's Officer (OMP) listed on the notice, within 45 days (30 days for an increased fine). Include the official contest form, the original notice, supporting evidence and the consignment payment — without it, your file is dismissed outright.

You received a PV (statement of offence) or a fixed fine you believe is unjustified? French law lets you contest it, but the procedure is strict: one day past the deadline, one missing document or the wrong recipient, and your challenge is dismissed outright. Here is the full procedure, offence by offence.

1. Check your contest deadline

The deadline depends on the type of fine and its state:

⚠️ The deadline runs from the date of dispatch (date on the notice), not from receipt. Count tightly.

2. Valid grounds to contest

Not every reason is admissible. The strongest are:

• You were not the driver at the time (theft, vehicle lent, vehicle sold)
• You were not the owner of the vehicle (sale, destruction, impounding)
• The offence did not happen (wrong plate reading, faulty CCTV, missing or hidden sign)
• Procedural defect: unmotivated notice, officer not identifiable, wrong date
• Force majeure: proven medical emergency, accident in progress
• Parking: valid ticket, faded road marking, loading zone used as such

❌ To avoid: "I didn't know", "there was no one around", "it was brief". These grounds are systematically rejected.

3. Step 1 — Prepare the file

Whatever the type of fine, your file must include:

• The original notice (keep it; do not send it if you need it for the deposit)
• A letter of requête en exonération, dated and signed
• The requête en exonération form (attached to the notice or downloadable on antai.gouv.fr)
• Supporting documents proving your ground:
  • Police theft declaration receipt
  • Vehicle transfer certificate (sale)
  • Crossed-out registration card and certificate of destruction
  • Photos of the sign, the road marking, the vehicle
  • Medical certificate, employer attestation, proof of presence elsewhere

4. Step 2 — Deposit (consignation) if required

For fixed fines, you must pay a deposit equal to the fine before contesting (unless you invoke theft, sale or plate fraud).

• The deposit is refunded if the challenge is accepted.
• It is kept as payment if the challenge is rejected.
• Pay online on antai.gouv.fr, by tax stamp or by cheque.

Without the deposit (outside exempt cases), your challenge is dismissed outright.

5. Step 3 — Send the challenge by registered mail with AR

This is the decisive step. The requête en exonération must be sent to the Officier du Ministère Public (OMP) whose address is on your notice (not a generic address).

Why a registered letter with return receipt (LRAR) is mandatory:

• The AR proves the date of dispatch within the legal deadline (45 days).
• It proves the OMP actually received your file.
• In case of rejection or silence, it is your only evidence to bring the matter before the juge de proximité.

❌ An email or a plain letter is systematically rejected or lost. The challenge then legally does not exist.

💡 If you are abroad, you risk missing the 45-day deadline for lack of access to La Poste. MaisonMail posts your LRAR from France the same day — you keep online proof of dispatch.

6. Special case — Post-parking fee (FPS)

Since 2018, paid-parking fines have become forfaits post-stationnement managed by municipalities. The procedure differs:

1. RAPO (Recours Administratif Préalable Obligatoire) — sent to the municipality or the indicated body, within one month of notification, by LRAR.
2. No reply within 1 month or in case of rejection, you can refer the matter to the Commission du Contentieux du Stationnement Payant (CCSP) in Limoges, within one month of the rejection, again by LRAR.

Without the prior RAPO, the application to the CCSP is inadmissible.

7. What happens after sending?

8. Common mistakes that get a challenge rejected

• Sending after the 45th day (or 30th for an increased fine): inadmissible.
• Forgetting the deposit: automatic rejection.
• Sending as plain mail: no proof of dispatch, file lost.
• Addressing the wrong OMP: only the one on the notice has jurisdiction.
• Returning the original notice instead of a copy: impossible to prove the facts afterwards.
• Contesting without supporting documents: ground rejected for lack of evidence.

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Bottom line: contesting a PV is winnable, especially with solid grounds and supporting documents. But the form is strict: registered AR mandatory, on time, with deposit and evidence. A well-prepared file, sent as LRAR from France, gives you the best odds of getting the case dropped.