France - Bike traffic ticket in Paris - what happens if I don't pay?

I'm an American student in Paris for an academic year. Today I got a 90 euro ticket for running a red light on a velib in Paris. I knew that the Paris police have been running stings on bike infractions, but was in a hurry, in a protected bike lane, with no cars coming for blocks in any direction... and unfortunately a group of about six police officers were lurking hidden to the side about a block ahead (they pulled over at least a dozen bikers while I was getting written up!)

The officer accepted my French student card as ID, and wrote only that number on the ticket (I realize that this was very lucky, as the police threatened to throw my friend in jail for not having her passport on her when she got a ticket!) I gave the officer my real address in Paris.

My question: what happens if I don't pay? I am leaving France in six weeks. I suppose the police could send a letter to my French university asking for my passport number. Perhaps they could even hold up my degree if they acted within the next two months (I am getting a Masters from a French university). But my guess is that I will be long gone by the time that happens. Is there any way that this could follow me back to the States? Or pose a problem if I visit France again a few years down the line?

Thanks for any advice!

i sent an advice to the french authorities to send you to devil's island if the ticket goes unpaid.

You say you did what they say you did, pay the fine and move on. You don't say it is a hardship (financial) case...

You played and you lost.
That's the "game" and the rules.

I do not know if the "Police aux frontières" can ask you to pay the fine upon departure. But, if you can, I advise you to pay and then you will avoid any problem in the future.

I'm not sure about bike-related fines, but what I do know is that if you get an infraction (parking-related, speeding, etc) while driving a car on foreign plates (ie: Belgian, Italian, etc) most of the time they won't even bother sending it to your adress. Ofcourse this doesn't apply here since the OP gave the French rozzers his adress in Paris.
Oh, and the French Police were overreacting a bit with threatening to throw your friend in jail. While it is required to have at least one form of ID on you at all times within the EU, not having any ID on you will result in a fine, but nothing more than that (though repeated offenders may get harsher punishments).

While it is required to have at least one form of ID on you at all times within the EU, not having any ID on you will result in a fine, but nothing more than that (though repeated offenders may get harsher punishments).

There is no such law requiring the carrying of ID in the UK and last time I checked we were unfortunately still part of the EU. :eek:

Probably just the Schengen zone then, my mistake.

The violations of law on the road result in fines. They are due to the State and must be paid within a certain time.

This is the case for contraventions of the first four classes. These range from simple parking violations to driving while intoxicated through the use of telephones while driving, speeding or failure to give way.

The amount claimed depends on the offense but, in any case, it increases as you wait to pay.

Clearly, if you pay within three days of the offense or within fifteen days after the sending home of the ticket, you pay what is called a fixed fine at reduced rate (EUR 90 in your case).

If you pay within forty-five days, the normal rate will be applied (EUR 135).

Finally, if you miss this deadline, you must pay the increased rate (EUR 375). If you have to pay a fine at a higher rate, you have the option to request from the Treasury a payment extension or a graceful surrender. If the request is accepted, the fee may be reduced by 20%.

The violations of law on the road result in fines. They are due to the State and must be paid within a certain time.

This is the case for contraventions of the first four classes. These range from simple parking violations to driving while intoxicated through the use of telephones while driving, speeding or failure to give way.

The amount claimed depends on the offense but, in any case, it increases as you wait to pay.

Clearly, if you pay within three days of the offense or within fifteen days after the sending home of the ticket, you pay what is called a fixed fine at reduced rate (EUR 90 in your case).

If you pay within forty-five days, the normal rate will be applied (EUR 135).

Finally, if you miss this deadline, you must pay the increased rate (EUR 375). If you have to pay a fine at a higher rate, you have the option to request from the Treasury a payment extension or a graceful surrender. If the request is accepted, the fee may be reduced by 20%.

This info is interesting, but the OP is asking: how would "they" collect the fine if he/she didn't pay and has departed Europe (presumably will be in Portland, OR, from profile).

The posts thus far have focused on whether the OP would be chased down to pay the fine. Unlikely is my guess.

A bigger concern I would have is whether the non-payment would find its way into a database-French, EU, US-who knows?, and come up in the contect of international travel and his passport in the future. In such case, it may not be a question of paying the fine but rather non-compliance with laws and not being allowed to enter the country. This a long shot but as computer records continue to replace paper, not impossible.

I'd rate the chance of being denied entry to France for failliure to pay the fine for a trivial traffic offence as very unlikely.
The worst they would probably do is either mail the fine to the OP's home adress in the US or, should the OP return to France, ask him to pay the fine upon entry. Though both of these things seem very unlikely to me.

The chances the unpaid fine will prevent you to enter the Schengen area later is small. There is no direct link between the database used by the Police for immigration and the one listing unpaid fines. They may try to chase you over at your US address if they can get ahold of it but this is also rather unlikely.

I have personal experience of the French police arriving at the business premises where I worked on a few years ago to enforce the payment of a fine which had been hired by one of our employees and had been caught speeding in Switzerland.

I have also been told by someone whom I trust that he had been refused permission to catch his flight until he'd been to the cash point in the airport and made a withdrawal sufficient to pay a speeding fine to the police at the airport because he'd ignored written reminders that he'd have to pay his fine on several occasions hoping to slip out unnoticed.

PAY UP. Be the adult in the circumstances. You were caught. We all hope to get away with this sort of thing once in a while. But you didn't. PAY UP. JOB DONE. RETURN TO NORMAL LIFE.

I have personal experience of the French police arriving at the business premises where I worked on a few years ago to enforce the payment of a fine which had been hired by one of our employees and had been caught speeding in Switzerland.

I have also been told by someone whom I trust that he had been refused permission to catch his flight until he'd been to the cash point in the airport and made a withdrawal sufficient to pay a speeding fine to the police at the airport because he'd ignored written reminders that he'd have to pay his fine on several occasions hoping to slip out unnoticed.

PAY UP. Be the adult in the circumstances. You were caught. We all hope to get away with this sort of thing once in a while. But you didn't. PAY UP. JOB DONE. RETURN TO NORMAL LIFE.
I doubt the French authorities will make a trip to the USA to collect a 90EURO fine.

I have personal experience of the French police arriving at the business premises where I worked on a few years ago to enforce the payment of a fine which had been hired by one of our employees and had been caught speeding in Switzerland.

Your case is different : it was a Swiss fine. The Swiss police is notorious for chasing people who did not pay the fines by all means.

Back to the OP's case :
- the odds to be chased to the US are extremely low if you want my opinion
- but I agree with others, that is not a good reason not to pay the bill ; OP broke the law, he has to pay just like any tourist/student/worker would have to do in the US in the same case

Your case is different : it was a Swiss fine. The Swiss police is notorious for chasing people who did not pay the fines by all means.

One of my colleagues just manged to pick-up a CHF40 fine for doing 56 km/h in a 50 zone. On the notification, they gave a 5 km/h margin of error, so the actual fine is for doing 51 km/h in the 50 zone.:eek: And as you say, non-payment is not an option.

One of my colleagues just manged to pick-up a CHF40 fine for doing 56 km/h in a 50 zone. On the notification, they gave a 5 km/h margin of error, so the actual fine is for doing 51 km/h in the 50 zone.:eek:

The margin error is quite the same in France. Basically, it is 5km/h for speed under 100 km/h, and 5% for speed above 100 km/h.

Sure it seems :eek: to be fined for a 1 km/h excess but it then means that the car speedometer was more indicating 60 km/h than 50 km/h.

One of my colleagues just manged to pick-up a CHF40 fine for doing 56 km/h in a 50 zone. On the notification, they gave a 5 km/h margin of error, so the actual fine is for doing 51 km/h in the 50 zone.:eek: And as you say, non-payment is not an option.

My mom recently got caught speeding in a 30 zone, doing 31km/h (corrected, real speed was ~36km/h) near a school at 5pm on a Friday (ie: when there's no school at all). She was fined €50. So it's not just the Swiss who are pedantic about speeding offences.

My question: what happens if I don't pay? I am leaving France in six weeks. I suppose the police could send a letter to my French university asking for my passport number. Perhaps they could even hold up my degree if they acted within the next two months (I am getting a Masters from a French university). But my guess is that I will be long gone by the time that happens. Is there any way that this could follow me back to the States? Or pose a problem if I visit France again a few years down the line?

Thanks for any advice!

We take bike offenses very seriously ! Secret services will send a commando to the US to track you down and make you pay under the most painful tortures :)

Or....nothing will happen.

If it were recorded against your passport number, I would advise you to pay as you might be asked for it at the border next time (plus the increased fee).

IF anything happens, you can always pretend that you had lost your ID for a long time by this date and never reported it as you didn't expect a student ID to be of any value.

Pay up ,move on ,no worries! Bike rented with credit card deposit right? Sa la vie

I'd advise you to pay it.

Even if they do not chase you down or limit your ability to enter the EU this will still follow you around.

Imagine getting pulled over for a papers check in 5 years in Paris, and them looking up your name and finding this fine. They'll then demand full payment, and/or haul you down to the station at least.

The new regime of Sarcozy has been forcing lawfullness on the French through heavy handed fines and consequences for violating the law.

I doubt the French authorities will make a trip to the USA to collect a 90EURO fine.

Maybe not, but it's a much smaller world than you might think and they might just add this to the list when the American police might want to question you about something completely unconnected in the future ...

IF anything happens, you can always pretend that you had lost your ID for a long time by this date and never reported it as you didn't expect a student ID to be of any value.

Notwithstanding the beauty of this plan, I recommend that the OP pay the fine. It will be character building.

Maybe not, but it's a much smaller world than you might think and they might just add this to the list when the American police might want to question you about something completely unconnected in the future ...

Seems incredibly unlikely. The FBI is the only federal "police force" and they have slightly better things to spend their limited budgets on. Other than that there are numerous city, county, and state police services and a number of other federal agencies that have category specific law enforcement powers e.g DEA, ATF etc. Again, can't see the former having any interest (and anyway, which one would you notify?) and the latter again have better things to do. Frankly, short of issuing an arrest warrant, I doubt any US law enforcement agency would have the slightest interest.

Notwithstanding the beauty of this plan, I recommend that the OP pay the fine. It will be character building.
+1 ^

This info is interesting, but the OP is asking: how would "they" collect the fine if he/she didn't pay and has departed Europe (presumably will be in Portland, OR, from profile).

Of course the OP could decide to behave like an adult, accept his responsibility and pay up, then he need never worry about finding out.

I'm going to break with all the somewhat amusing "holier-than-thou" bleating and go with ignore it if you want to. It's your choice.

Data point - not identical but it's the only one I have:

I rented a car with Hertz at Nice airport 3 years ago. I was flashed by a speed camera nearby while doing probably 10-15 km/h over the limit. Hertz clearly were approached by the authorities and asked for my details (they levied a small admin fee a few weeks later and explained it thus when I questioned it). I never heard a thing about it again.

I have since traveled to and from a number of European countries with - surprise, surprise - no problems whatsoever.

I'm going to break with all the somewhat amusing "holier-than-thou" bleating and go with ignore it if you want to. It's your choice.



Nice post champ. Glad you didn't kill anyone while you were speeding, that's a great story to be able to tell your kids when you're teaching them how to grow up to be good people.

I think it is time to put an end to comments of a personal nature.
Thanks for your understanding.

Jouy31
France forum co-moderator

Hopefully my bike tour of Paris I booked this week manages to not run afoul of the local law enforcement.

MHO is to pay the fine and move on.

Notwithstanding the beauty of this plan, I recommend that the OP pay the fine. It will be character building.

I personnally share the same point of view and do not endorse violation, but was answering his question.

The violations of law on the road result in fines. They are due to the State and must be paid within a certain time.

This is the case for contraventions of the first four classes. These range from simple parking violations to driving while intoxicated through the use of telephones while driving, speeding or failure to give way.

The amount claimed depends on the offense but, in any case, it increases as you wait to pay.

Clearly, if you pay within three days of the offense or within fifteen days after the sending home of the ticket, you pay what is called a fixed fine at reduced rate (EUR 90 in your case).

If you pay within forty-five days, the normal rate will be applied (EUR 135).

Finally, if you miss this deadline, you must pay the increased rate (EUR 375). If you have to pay a fine at a higher rate, you have the option to request from the Treasury a payment extension or a graceful surrender. If the request is accepted, the fee may be reduced by 20%.
Does the OP have anyway of "challenging" the ticket? You don't mention this option in your post.
[In most jurisdictions in the USA, you can go before a hearing examiner or judge to challenge a moving or parking violation, for example.]

Does the OP have anyway of "challenging" the ticket? You don't mention this option in your post.
[In most jurisdictions in the USA, you can go before a hearing examiner or judge to challenge a moving or parking violation, for example.]

Of course you can.
http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/F18510.xhtml

Of course you can.
http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/F18510.xhtml

Using google's translation of the info on the site above:
(1)you have to deposit the amount equal to the fine (to challenge his offense)
(2)it seems motor vehicles are discussed, not bicycles.

Since the OP will leave France in 6 weeks (from the date of his OP) in combination with (1), puts him at a disadvantage over people with permanent domiciles in France.