What should you do when selling your vehicle or if you no longer own it to avoid paying free-flow tolls?
Have you sold your car or are you no longer the vehicle owner? Are you worried about being charged for tolls you shouldn't have to pay? Sanef explains the steps to take, useful precautions, and your rights in case of a dispute.
1. Selling your vehicle: steps to avoid being charged
- When selling, it is mandatory to cross out the vehicle registration document (marking it "sold on…") and give it to the buyer.
- Declare the transfer of ownership on the ANTS website so that the SIV (Vehicle Registration System) is up to date.
- If you had a Sanef account with automatic payment, remove the registration linked to your bank card before the sale so that no subsequent tolls are charged to you.
These steps help limit the risk of being charged for tolls used by the new owner or subsequent user.
2. I am no longer the owner: what should I do if I receive a notice?
2.1 Why am I still being charged?
If you forgot to remove the license plate or deactivate the automatic payment service, your account may still be charged for trips taken after the sale.
Sanef recommends immediately deactivating the automatic payment service associated with your customer account.
2.2 Disputing a Payment
If you receive a payment notice for a toll you shouldn't owe (because the vehicle was no longer yours):
- Contact Sanef customer service
- Provide proof of sale or transfer (transfer certificate, ANTS proof, etc.)
- Request Cancellation of the debit or payment
3. Tips & Best practices
- Before selling, make sure your Sanef customer account no longer contains the vehicle registration or any link to your bank card.
- Keep proof of sale (certificate or ANTS document).
- If you have any doubts or are charged after the sale, act quickly to dispute the charge.
- Check your Sanef account regularly to detect unexpected payment notifications.
What should I do if my license plate is being used fraudulently?
If you are a victim of license plate theft and receive a payment notice for a toll violation on a free-flowing highway that you did not travel, file a complaint immediately with the police station or gendarmerie in your area.
With this complaint, you can contest the payment notice.
In summary, if you are selling your vehicle:
- What should I do when selling my car to avoid toll payments?
Cross out the vehicle registration document, declare the transfer of ownership to the ANTS (French National Agency for Secure Documents), and remove the license plate from your Sanef account if you had activated automatic payment. - If I receive a payment notice after the sale, what should I do?
Dispute the notice with Sanef, providing proof of the sale, to have it cancelled. - Why is my account still being debited after selling the vehicle?
You have not deactivated the link between the vehicle registration and your customer account/bank card.