This practice, although very common among motorists, is prohibited in France

Do you own a motor vehicle? Beware of this practice that could cost you dearly.

It’s fairly logical: your car’s number plate must be legible to the French authorities. This obligation, as reported by the media outlet Demotivateur, means you’re not allowed to customise your number plate. Nonetheless, in France, adding stickers representing a region has become a widespread practice among drivers. These stickers are prohibited on number plates, regardless of whether the registration number remains visible.

In Corsica, a female driver tried to stick a sticker over the "F" on her plate, which stands for the country of the vehicle. This is considered an offence in France. The woman therefore had to pay a fine of 135 euros for a “non-compliant plate”.

"F" for France

The problem with this practice, which is so common it's rarely penalised, lies with the placement of the sticker. According to article R317-8 of the French Highway Code, the blue strip on the left of the number plate must display the European symbol and the letter “F” for France, as Demotivateur explains. Theoretically, drivers are allowed to decorate the other side of the plate.

However, according to the Agence nationale des titres sécurisés (ANTS), any external additions, whatever they may be, make the number plate non-compliant.

(MH with Raphaël Liset – Source: Demotivateur – Illustration: ©Unsplash)