Guides
Designating the driver for a traffic fine: the online procedure for companies
45-day deadline, ANTAI website procedure, leased or shared vehicles and penalties: how to designate the driver for a fine as a company.
Louise Duplaceau
Responsable Marketing & Communication
You designate the driver for a fine online on the website of ANTAI (the French agency that processes automated traffic offences), within 45 days of the notice being sent and before any payment. You enter the identity, address and driving licence details of the person who was driving, as required by article L121-6 of the French Highway Code.
Since 1 January 2017, this obligation has applied to the legal representative of any legal entity that holds the vehicle registration certificate (ANTAI). Without a designation, the company receives a non-designation notice of €675, on top of the original fine. This fixed amount rises to €1,000 when the offence is a criminal offence, which has been the case for extreme speeding since 29 December 2025 (service-public.fr). The online procedure is free, but how it works depends on the size of the fleet: one-by-one designation up to 10 vehicles, a professional account above that, and an agreement with ANTAI from 1,000 vehicles. With Fleeti’s automated ANTAI fine management, notices come in via your employer account and the designation is sent in one click, with no re-entry on the ANTAI website.
Who must designate the driver, and for which offences?
The legal representative of the legal entity that holds the registration certificate designates the driver of each vehicle caught by an automated speed camera. The obligation applies to companies, associations, local authorities and public bodies. It covers offences recorded without the vehicle being stopped, mainly speeding by more than 5 km/h and running red lights.
The registration certificate holder bears the obligation
The legal entity named on the registration certificate is responsible for the designation, even when the vehicle is assigned to an employee. The notice is sent in the company’s name, for the attention of its legal representative. ANTAI lists SAs, SARLs, SASs, EURLs, associations, local authorities and public bodies. A sole trader whose vehicle is registered in their own name is not required to designate themselves (Court of Cassation, 21 April 2020). One whose vehicle is registered in the name of their company designates the driver, including themselves (Law no. 2021-401 of 8 April 2021).
The offences concerned are those detected by automated enforcement
The notices concerned are those issued by automated speed cameras that lead to a loss of licence points: speeding by more than 5 km/h, and running red lights or level crossings (ANTAI). Law no. 2025-622 of 9 July 2025 and Decree no. 2025-1269 of 22 December 2025 made extreme speeding a criminal offence from 29 December 2025. Since then, failing to designate the driver for this offence has been punishable by the fine for class 5 petty offences (Banque des Territoires).
A company director who was driving designates themselves
A legal representative who was driving the vehicle designates themselves before paying or contesting the notice (ANTAI). Paying the fine directly does not replace this step. The designated person then receives the notice in their own name, with the consequences that come with it.
What is the deadline for designating the driver for a fine?
The designation deadline is 45 days from the date the penalty notice is sent or delivered (article L121-6 of the French Highway Code). Designation comes before any payment. After this deadline, the authorities issue a penalty notice for non-designation in the company’s name.
The starting point is the date the notice is sent
The deadline runs from the date the notice is sent or delivered, not from the date it was issued (service-public.fr). In a ruling of 9 November 2021 (no. 20-85.020), the criminal chamber of the Court of Cassation held that the non-designation offence was not established, because the report did not state when the original notice had been sent. ANTAI’s page for professionals uses the date shown on the notice. To avoid any doubt, take the earlier of the two dates as your internal deadline.
Designate before you pay
A notice for a company vehicle is not paid straight away: you first designate the driver or contest it (ANTAI, service-public.fr). In the case decided in 2021, the company had paid the fine without designating the employee. A second notice recorded the non-designation, and the company was initially ordered to pay the non-designation fine. The designated person then pays the notice issued in their name.
How do you designate the driver online on the ANTAI website?
Open the designation service at usagers.antai.gouv.fr, click “Désigner le conducteur du véhicule en ligne” (designate the vehicle’s driver online), then choose case no. 2, “Je suis un représentant légal” (I am a legal representative). Enter the driver’s identity, address and licence number. The service is free.
Information to gather before you start
Have the notice to hand, as the service asks for a copy of it. The driver is identified by their identity, contact details and driving licence details (ANTAI). This information is held in the employee’s file, so the fleet manager needs access to it on the day the notice arrives.
The online process
According to ANTAI, the process has six steps, which it does not detail on its page. You attach the copy of the notice, enter the driver’s details and confirm. The service lets you download or print an acknowledgement (service-public.fr). Keep this acknowledgement: it dates the designation and answers any non-designation notice issued by mistake.
Designation by registered letter
The exemption request form, the blue sheet enclosed with the notice, can also be used to designate. Tick case no. 2, then the “prêté” (lent) or “loué” (rented) box. Enter the driver’s identity and contact details, enclose the original notice, then date and sign the form. Send it by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt to the public prosecutor’s officer whose address appears on the notice. This procedure requires neither payment nor a deposit of the fine amount (ANTAI).
Designate your drivers without going through the ANTAI website
In a demo, an advisor shows you how notices are retrieved via your ANTAI employer account, how the driver is identified through telematics and how designation is done in one click.
One-by-one designation, professional account or agreement: the method depends on fleet size
ANTAI distinguishes three arrangements depending on fleet size. Up to 10 vehicles, designation is done one notice at a time, online or by post. Above 10 vehicles, a professional account groups the designations of several drivers. Above 1,000 vehicles, an agreement automates the exchange of information.
Up to 10 vehicles: one-by-one designation
Each notice requires an individual entry on the online service or a registered letter, with supporting documents when an exemption is requested (ANTAI). This route suits a fleet that receives few notices per month.
More than 10 vehicles: the fleet manager account
A professional account lets you designate several drivers at once, modify or delete a designation and keep a history (ANTAI). Creating the account requires a penalty notice sent to the legal entity less than a month earlier and a Kbis extract, or a certificate of registration with the trade and companies register. The legal representative also provides a declaration for use of the service.
More than 1,000 vehicles: the agreement with ANTAI
For very large fleets, ANTAI offers an agreement that sets up an automated exchange of the information needed for designation. The penalty notice is then sent directly to the driver. The company first creates a dedicated account (ANTAI).
Shared, leased or stolen vehicle: designating without an identified driver
A shared vehicle does not exempt you from designating: the designation must be based on conclusive evidence of who was driving (Court of Cassation, 6 June 2023). A leased vehicle is designated with the name of the lessee. Theft, number plate cloning or force majeure must be proven with supporting documents, within the same deadline.
Pool vehicle: proof through an assignment log
On 6 June 2023 (no. 22-87.212), the criminal chamber of the Court of Cassation overturned the acquittal of a company that had designated an employee with full contact details, even though the employee denied having driven and the company kept no driver log. The obligation is only met if the designated person, who was actually driving, is identified on the basis of conclusive evidence. A time-stamped log of vehicle pick-ups is this type of evidence.
Rented or long-term leased vehicle: designate the lessee company
When a vehicle registered in a company’s name is rented to another legal entity, the registration holder who does not know who was driving can only be exempted by identifying, under the same conditions, the legal entity that rented the vehicle (Court of Cassation, 1 September 2020, no. 19-85.465). Keep the rental agreement and the handover date for each vehicle, as these documents are the basis for this identification.
Theft, number plate cloning and force majeure: supporting documents
The obligation to designate does not apply in the event of theft, number plate cloning or another case of force majeure, provided this is established (article L121-6). Supporting documents must be sent within the same deadline: receipt for a police report in the event of theft, receipt for acceptance of the vehicle for scrapping, copy of the vehicle transfer declaration or any other relevant document (ANTAI). They are sent online, via “Contester mon amende en ligne” (contest my fine online), or by registered letter.
Effects of designation: notice in the driver’s name and loss of points
Once the designation is recorded, the notice is issued in the name of the designated driver. Payment and any loss of licence points apply to them (ANTAI). The company does not have to pay this fine, provided it designated the driver within the 45-day deadline.
The designated driver receives the notice in their name
The designated person can pay the fine on amendes.gouv.fr, through the amendes.gouv app or by phone on 0806 20 30 40 (ANTAI). Inform the employee before sending the designation, since the notice will then arrive in their name.
The loss of points follows the designated person
Licence points are deducted from the identified driver, not from the company, which has no licence. A company that chooses not to designate in order to protect an employee’s licence is in return exposed to the penalties described below.
What are the penalties if the company does not designate the driver?
A company that designates no one receives a fixed non-designation notice, increased to €1,875. The police court can impose up to €3,750, and the legal representative personally faces up to €750. A criminal offence carries higher amounts, detailed in the table below.
Situation | Legal entity | Legal representative | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
Petty offence, fixed fine | €675 | ANTAI | |
Petty offence, increased fixed fine | €1,875 | ANTAI | |
Petty offence, maximum before the police court | €3,750 | €750 | ANTAI |
Criminal offence, fixed fine | €1,000 | service-public.fr | |
Criminal offence, maximum before the court | €7,500 | €1,500 | service-public.fr |
These amounts come on top of the original fine
These penalties are added to the fine for the offence recorded by the speed camera. If no designation is made, the legal representative pays this original fine out of their own pocket (ANTAI, articles L121-2 and L121-3 of the French Highway Code). The cost of an ignored notice therefore far exceeds that of designation, which costs the company nothing.
Extreme speeding falls under class 5
A legal entity holding the registration certificate that does not name the driver who committed a criminal offence faces the fine for class 5 petty offences, under article L121-6 as updated on 31 December 2025. The amounts for a criminal offence in the table above apply to this case (service-public.fr, page checked on 29 December 2025).
Internal organisation: time-stamped assignment log and mail handling process
Designating on time relies on a time-stamped assignment log and on a mail handling process that flags each notice on the day it is received. The log meets the standard of proof set by the Court of Cassation in 2023. The mail process protects the designation deadline.
An assignment log accurate to the minute
The log links each vehicle to a driver for precise time slots: named assignment for a company car, booking or identification at start-up for a pool vehicle. A schedule updated at the end of the week leaves time slots with no identified driver. For vehicles provided as a benefit, the guide on service vehicles, company cars and private use sets out the allocation rules.
A mail process that protects the deadline
The notice often arrives at head office before reaching the fleet manager, and every day in transit eats into the deadline. Set a rule for everyone who opens the mail: scan the notice, note the date it was sent and alert the fleet manager the same day. Set up an internal alert 30 days after the sending date.
Worked example: a notice sent on 3 March 2027
A notice is sent on 3 March 2027 to a company with 60 vehicles. The 45-day deadline falls on 17 April 2027 (calculated in calendar days from the sending date). Received at head office on 8 March, the notice reaches the fleet manager on 12 March with a weekly batch, leaving 36 days, or on 8 March if forwarded the same day, leaving 40. The internal 30-day alert falls on 2 April. Without a designation by then, the company is exposed to a non-designation notice from 18 April.
Designating without going through the ANTAI website: automated fine management
Fleeti connects to ANTAI via your employer account: notices come into the platform, the driver is identified by cross-referencing telematics data and the designation is sent in one click, with no data entry on the portal. An alert warns you 7 days before the 45-day deadline, and the platform also works with the API agreement reserved for very large fleets.
Identifying the driver through telematics
The platform cross-references the time stamp of the offence with the RFID badge, Dallas key or assignment schedule. For a vehicle without an identification system, Fleeti suggests the most likely driver based on usage history, which the fleet manager approves before sending. Each vehicle’s assignment is managed in the driver management module.
Deadline alert and proof of sending
Each submission keeps time-stamped proof, archived in line with the GDPR. These features are covered on the page about fleet regulatory compliance.
Contesting fines and rented vehicles from the platform
A fine can be contested from the Fleeti interface, without going through the ANTAI portal: the platform guides you through building the file and submits the request within the legal deadlines. For rental companies, the time stamp of the offence is automatically matched to the active rental agreement. Post-parking charges are also covered.
Frequently asked questions about driver designation
Can you pay the fine and then designate the driver?
No, designation comes before any payment. A company that pays the fine without designating the employee is exposed to a second notice for non-designation. Designate first, then let the designated person pay the notice issued in their name.
What if nobody knows who was driving the vehicle?
The company is still required to designate, except in proven cases of theft, number plate cloning or force majeure. The Court of Cassation requires a designation based on conclusive evidence, such as a time-stamped assignment log. For a shared vehicle, this log must exist before the offence.
Does a sole trader have to designate themselves?
Not when the vehicle is registered in their own name. If it is registered in the name of their company, the director designates the driver, including themselves.
Can you designate a driver without using the ANTAI website?
Yes, by registered letter using the form enclosed with the notice, or through fleet management software connected to the ANTAI employer account. Very large fleets can also sign an agreement with ANTAI, which automates the exchange of information.
To retrieve your notices, identify the driver and designate in one click without going through the ANTAI website, book a Fleeti demo.
How do you designate the driver for a fine on a company vehicle?
The legal representative designates the driver online at usagers.antai.gouv.fr, within 45 days of the notice being sent and before any payment, entering the identity, address and driving licence details of the person who was driving (article L121-6 of the French Highway Code).
