If you ever get a fixed tort fine (AFD), you can now pay it in installments. An appreciable step in view of the amounts, but be careful to remain vigilant on the deadlines, otherwise the sum will increase.

If you ever get a fixed tort fine (AFD), you can now pay it in installments. An appreciable step in view of the amounts, but be careful to remain vigilant on the deadlines, otherwise the sum will increase.

In order to relieve the courts, certain traffic offenses have been considered since 2018 as criminal offenses – there were just over 225,000 in 2021, according to UFC-Que Choisir –, which relate only to driving a vehicle without a licence, without insurance or in a vehicle that does not correspond to the category of the vehicle (occupational offence), as well as driving after the use of narcotics. They are subject to treatment in the form of a fixed tort fine (AFD), which can be quite substantial, and therefore difficult to pay. Due to a large number of non-payments and as part of an experiment, the Ministries of Justice and Finance, in conjunction with the ANTAI (National Agency for the Automated Processing of Offences), decided to make the terms of payment and authorize, since March 6, the split payment solution to allow users to pay the amount claimed in installments, but under certain conditions.

Tort fixed fines: sums difficult to pay

The payment of the fixed fine makes it possible, in exchange for recognition of the offence, to avoid criminal proceedings – no trial. If it is paid within 15 days of the date on the notice of violation, it can be reduced – it will be reduced in sum. After these 15 days, the driver must pay his fine in full. On the other hand, if he still has not paid it after 45 days, it will be increased. Since this is a crime, the sums to be paid can quickly turn out to be quite substantial:

In view of the sums, the split payment of tort fines will facilitate payment and, consequently, relieve the courts. The number and amount of payments are not imposed, you just have to respect the limit of the payment period. To pay your fine, you must, using a bank card, go to the official website amendes.gouv.fr, on the amendes.gouv application (available on Play Store and App Store) or pay by phone on 0806 20 30 40 (non-surcharged number). Be careful, many scams are circulating on the Web at the moment, so it is essential to always go through official platforms to make your payments!

Tort fixed fines: the split payment solution

To benefit from the reduced split payment, simply choose at the payment stage to make a partial payment and indicate the amount – no minimum amount is required – as well as the desired dates using the same telepayment number. For example, it is quite possible to make a first payment of €50, then a second of €20 a few days later, a third of €30 a week later, and finally a final payment of €50 just before the due date. Note that he is not obliged to make all payments with the same bank card. AT each payment, a summary of the payments received and presented, as well as the amount remaining to be paid Note: it may take a few hours before a payment made is displayed as “taken into account”. In addition, once a first split payment has been made, it is no longer possible to contest the offence.

To benefit from the split payment, you must still meet a few conditions. First, all payments must be made within thirty days of receipt of the notice of fine, otherwise the fine will change to the flat rate – i.e. “normal”, and not reduced . If it is not paid in full after sixty days, the fine is increased – then the complement of what has already been paid must be paid. Payment in several instalments therefore makes it possible to spread out the sums to be disbursed, but you must be very vigilant in order to avoid any unpleasant surprises by not anticipating payments.