Swiss speeding fine received in France, French notice received in Switzerland: deadlines, enforcement and points

Yes, a Swiss speeding fine can follow you to France once it is final and amounts to at least 100 CHF or 70 EUR: the Paris Agreement of 9 October 2007 between France and Switzerland (Accord de Paris) provides for enforcement of road traffic fines between the two countries (article 47). Only a sum of money can be claimed, and the decision must be enforceable and not time-barred in the country that sends it.

Long before that stage, article 45 of the same agreement lets Swiss police obtain the name and address of the plate holder from the French vehicle register. That is how a Geneva or Vaud fine reaches a letterbox in Ain or Haute-Savoie. Once a request is accepted, the amount is converted into euros and enforced under French law, capped at the maximum France sets for the same offence (article 49).

If you do not pay a Swiss fixed-penalty fine within 30 days, ordinary criminal proceedings are opened against you (LAO article 7), and the criminal authority can then issue a penal order. Without a written objection within 10 days, that order has the effect of a final judgment (CPP article 354).

It is this final decision that can be sent to France for enforcement, from 100 CHF (Paris Agreement, article 47). Once the request is sent, Switzerland can only resume enforcement itself if France refuses it or cannot carry it out. French plates do not make the fine disappear: ignoring it moves the case from a fixed rate to criminal proceedings, and the final decision is the one that follows you to France.

French law applies: a French offence notice (avis de contravention) from ANTAI for a speed camera in France is paid or challenged under the French Code of Criminal Procedure, even if you live in Switzerland. You have 45 days from the date the notice was sent to pay or file a request for exemption (requête en exonération), and 15 days to pay the reduced amount, for example 90 EUR for a 4th-class offence (articles 529-2, 529-8 and R49-9).

Without payment or a request within that time, the fine is increased automatically (amende forfaitaire majorée); against the increased-fine notice, a reasoned complaint (réclamation motivée) is possible within 30 days of it being sent (article 530). If you were not driving, ANTAI lets you name the driver online. A final French fine of at least 70 EUR can be enforced in Switzerland (Paris Agreement, article 47), and your Swiss licence can only be withdrawn after a driving ban imposed in France for an offence that is medium or serious under Swiss law (LCR article 16cbis).