The entry into force of a 2022 law may require you to update an important document. Don’t wait because you risk a fine of 135 euros in the event of an inspection.
It is a fairly dense and rather technical text of law, but which will have very concrete repercussions on certain aspects of everyday life, even the most trivial. The 3DS law, for “Differentiation, Decentralization, Deconcentration and Simplification” was passed on January 4, 2022 and its implementing decree entered into force on January 1er January 2024. If it mainly concerns the organization and functioning of local authorities, it will also have effects on individuals.
In terms of addressing, article 169 now requires municipalities to name all roads and localities on their territory, including private roads open to traffic, and to precisely number all premises and homes located there. Previously, certain homes located in hamlets or localities did not have a precise and unique address. This state of affairs made their geolocation complicated and posed a problem for many public and private stakeholders, such as emergency services, delivery services or fiber optic installers.
To remedy this, French municipalities must therefore assign a precise and unique street number to all premises which previously did not have one, and transmit this information to the State within a centralized database called National Address Base. Municipalities with more than 2,000 inhabitants had to make their first data transmission on 1er January 2024, and those with less than 2,000 inhabitants must do so by 1er June 2024. Thus, many people will be assigned a new street address in the coming days and will have to inform various contacts, such as Social Security, the Family Allowance Fund or even their bank and insurance.
But this change of address will also have an impact on their vehicle. Indeed, the registration document, a mandatory and essential document for traveling legally, shows the address of the vehicle owner and must be updated at each change, in the event of a move for example. In this case, drivers affected by the new addressing of roads and homes under the 3DS law must therefore update their registration document within the month following the allocation of their new address.
If you are in this situation, you can carry out the change of address procedure on the registration certificate of your vehicle, also called registration card, on the official website of the National Agency for Secure Titles. Changing your address is done entirely online and, if your vehicle registration is in “AA-123-AA” format, the first three changes are free. You will then receive a label indicating your new address, to stick on your registration document. From the fourth change of address, you will receive a brand new registration document and this time it will cost you €2.76.
On the other hand, if your vehicle has a number from the old National Registration File (FNI), with the department number, you will then have to request a new number compliant with the Vehicle Registration System, in force since 2009, and replace your license plates at your expense. An additional but necessary expense, because driving with a registration document that does not indicate the correct address exposes you to a fine of €135 in the event of an inspection.