Is your contrôle technique due during confinement? Don’t panic. 

We have received enquiries from people worried that the contrôle technique on their car is due during this period of confinement and wondering what to do. The simple answer (not often you can say that with French admin!) is nothing. The French government has issued an extension for contrôle technique’s due on light vehicles during the confinement period.

The contrôle technique (CT) is the French equivalent of an MOT. All cars over four years of age must be checked every two years in order to make sure that they are safe and roadworthy according to 132 strictly monitored criteria. Any problems uncovered are highlighted as minor, major or critical. Major faults must be fixed within two months and critical ones within 24 hours and the car must be checked again in a contre-visite once any problems have been rectified.

In 2020 the Minister for Ecological Transition, Elisabeth Borne, and the Secretary of State for Transport, Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, issued a statement to say that an automatic three month extension will be granted for non-commercial vehicles during confinement.

Whilst garages and CT centres are authorised to stay open during lockdown, many have closed due to staff shortages and/or for sanitary reasons. In order to reduce the number of vehicles on the road and requiring a CT while quarantine is being respected the government is allowing a three month grace period for the CT to be carried out for light vehicles i.e. vehicles under 3.5 tonnes, which would include all cars. The extension also applies to the contre-visite.

Heavy goods vehicles however, will only benefit from a grace period of 15 days.