Judicial suspension of driving license

Verified 14 March 2025 - Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister), Ministry of Justice

Do you need to reissue your driver's license after a judicial suspension of your driver's license? We will inform you about the suspension of the license decided by the judge and the steps to take to recover your license.

FYI  

Following a serious traffic offense, several procedures may lead to the withdrawal of a driving license: invalidation, the administrative suspension, judicial suspension and judicial annulment of the permit.

Step-by-step approach

You must return your driving license.

According to the judicial procedure, you must return your driving license on or after the day of judgment, with law enforcement.

If you wish to challenge the suspension of your driving license, consult the decision of judicial suspension which indicates the means and time limits of appeal.

The judge may decide to suspend the driving license in the following procedures:

Tableau - Main road traffic offenses which may lead to a judicial suspension of the driving license

Nature of the infringement

Infringements

Alcohol or narcotics

Driving under the influence of alcohol or obviously intoxicated

Driving after drug use

Refusal to comply with alcohol or drug testing

Speeding

Excess speed ⩾ at 30 km/h and less than 50 km/h

Excess speed over 50 km/h

Use of a radar detector

Excess speed greater than 50 km/h in recurrence

Traffic and parking

Traffic in the prohibited direction

Refusal of priority

Dangerous overtaking

Failure to stop at red light, stop or give way

Irregular crossing of a level crossing

Behavior

Driving while holding a phone

Aerobatic maneuver or maneuver not in accordance with the normal conditions of use of a vehicle on a lane open to traffic

Driving despite administrative or judicial suspension of the driving license or detention of the driving license

Unintentional injury to life or integrity of person

Refusal to comply

Hit and Run

Lack of insurance

If you refuse to surrender your driver's license, you risk 2 years in prison and €4,500 fine.

You may also additional penalties.

You must inform your insurance in case of judicial suspension of your driving license.

You must inform him by registered letter with AR: titleContent within a period of 15 days from notification withdrawal of driving licenses.

Unless the judge adjusts the sentence, suspension entails the driving ban a vehicle that requires a license to drive.

The maximum duration of the judicial suspension of the license is:

  • 5 years in the case of manslaughter or involuntary injury
  • 3 years in other cases.

These durations may be doubled, in particular in the case of hit-and-run or recurrence.

If you drive while your license is suspended, you risk 2 years in prison and €4,500 fine.

Your vehicle may be immobilized.

6 points are removed from your driving license.

You may also additional penalties.

FYI  

If the judge's decision does not apply to mopeds and light motor quadricycles, you can apply for a driving license with the only category AM (road safety certificate). The request is made online on the websiteANTS: titleContent.

You risk the additional penalties following:

  • Confiscation of the vehicle
  • Suspension permit for a maximum period of 3 years, without any possibility of adjustment outside the professional activity
  • Sentence of work of general interest
  • Sentence of fine days
  • Prohibition on driving certain vehicles, including vehicles without a license, for a period of up to 5 years
  • Obligation to perform, at your expense, a road safety awareness course
  • Cancelation of the driving license, with a ban on applying for a new license for up to 3 years.

The judicial suspension of your driving license is recorded in your criminal record.

In any case, it appears in Bulletin No. 1, which contains all your convictions.

In the event of a decision of judicial suspension before the end of the period of administrative suspension, it automatically replaces it. The two sanctions are not cumulative.

Example :

If the administrative suspension is 6 months and the judge suspends the license for 12 months, the driver's license can be recovered after 12 months.

In case of suspension of 6 months or more, you must pass a psychotechnical examination so you can get your driver's license back.

You must take the psychotechnical exam without waiting for the end of the driving prohibition period.

You must make an appointment with a registered psychologist with the prefect.

The examination lasts at least 40 minutes. It includes a personal interviewand one or more psychotechnical tests.

The average cost of the psychotechnical examination is €100 about.

The list of registered psychologists is available on the websites of the prefectures.

General case
Who shall I contact
In Paris
Who shall I contact

Please note

Check in the letter from notification suspension of the license if you need to do further medical examinations.

In case of suspension longer than 1 month, you must pass a medical examination in order to be able to recover your driving license at the end of the driving ban period.

You must pass the medical examination without waiting for the end of the driving prohibition period.

1. Make an appointment

The approach varies depending on the offense committed.

Répondez aux questions successives et les réponses s’afficheront automatiquement

Alcohol or drug related offense

You must make an appointment with the medical commission on the website of your prefecture.

It may also be, on a decision of the prefect, the medical commission of department where you committed the offense.

General case
Who shall I contact

Other Offense

You must speak to a city doctor approved by the prefect of your department.

This doctor should not be your doctor.

You can consult the list of accredited doctors on the websites of the prefectures. The list of accredited doctors is also available in the prefectures, sub-prefectures and in the town halls of certain municipalities.

FYI  

You can take the medical examination with a doctor registered in a department other than your residence. In this case, it is prudent to attach to your file the explanation of the use of a doctor other than that of your department of residence.

2. Prepare documents to provide 

On the day of the inspection, prepare the following documents:

  • Cerfa Form No. 14880 pre-filled
  • Proof of identity
  • License suspension decision and letter of decision notification of the decision
  • Results of medical examinations if requested in the letter of notification
  • Result of the psychotechnical examination in case of suspension of 6 months or more.

3. Go through medical

The medical check is on your physical fitness, cognitive and sensory to drive.

You must report with the results of requested medical examinations in the letter from notification suspension of the license.

Of additional examinations and advice from qualified healthcare professionals may be requested.

The registered doctor may also ask that you be examined by the departmental medical committee. You then have to make an appointment on your prefecture's website.

Who shall I contact

4. Pay for medical screening

The price of the medical examination is:

  • Before a licensed doctor: €36
  • Before the Medical Committee: €50.

The health insurance does not cover the costs of the check, nor any additional examinations. However, medical check-ups are free of charge for a disabled person whose recognized rate of disability is 50% or more.

5. Retain the result of the medical examination

The approach varies depending on whether the opinion is favorable or unfavorable.

Répondez aux questions successives et les réponses s’afficheront automatiquement

If the opinion is favorable

The medical opinion is given to you.

The medical opinion has a validity of 2 years.

You need this document to get your driver's license back.

If the opinion is unfavorable

A decision to be unfit to drive is notified.

The letter sets out the remedies and time limits for appeal.

The letter to you notifier the decision of the prefect following the medical examination indicates how to appeal.

You can make a contentious appeal before the administrative court.

You can also go to the medical appeal board.

Your appeal does not prevent the decision of the prefect from applying.

The committee examines you, consults the authorized doctor if necessary and sends its opinion to the prefect.

If the prefect makes an unfavorable decision again, you can request a new medical examination within 6 months of that decision or make a appeal to the administrative court.

General case

Who shall I contact

In Paris

Who shall I contact

The rules vary depending on the length of the license suspension and the offense committed.

Répondez aux questions successives et les réponses s’afficheront automatiquement

Suspension of 1 month or less

At the end of the suspension, you can get your license back to your prefecture.

Who shall I contact

Suspension greater than 1 month or suspension related to alcohol or narcotics

You can only get your license back if you have been found fit to drive as a result of the medical examination.

The application is made online on the website of theANTS: titleContent.

Driving license: application for manufacture following suspension of the driving license

Warning  

Check if your driver's license has a validity limited to 6 months or 1 year. If so, you will have to go through a medical check-up again at the end of this period.

Who can help me?

Find who can answer your questions in your region

FAQ