Is it possible to register for barrier-free motorway alerts in France with a UK-registered car?
Concessionaires offer alerts notifying drivers when vehicle has passed through such routes
Systems are set up to recognise plates from different countries, including the UK
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Reader Question: Can I sign up for alerts for alerts of barrier-free motorway payments if I have a car with UK plates?
Certain motorway operators including Sanef (A13/A14 and A4) and ALIAE (A79) provide sign-up services for email alerts that inform you when your vehicle’s number plate has been registered passing through the barrier-free (flux-libre) section of the motorway.
These systems are set up to recognise plates from different countries, including the UK, so this should not pose a problem.
For Sanef, for example, you should create an account at sanef.com by providing an email address and a password.
Then go into your account and next to the name of the motorway stretch you expect to use, click ‘prepare my trip’. Click to ‘add a vehicle’ to the account, and select ‘Great Britain’ and put in your numberplate. Below this, select ‘enable’ under ‘Be notified by email when tolls are pending payment.
At the ALIAE payment site, you also need to create an account and when doing so are invited directly to select your country of registration and to input your plate number. Inside your account, you can then sign up for email alerts.
Remember you still need to pay tolls even if driving a foreign-registered vehicle. Previously, Connexion staff have been able to set up accounts for this purpose for non-French vehicles.
You can pay for each passage within 72 hours, or pay in advance for future journeys. If you frequently drive in France, consider a télépéage badge.
If you experience difficulties, however, contact the customer support for the relevant motorway operator.
Note that if your main address is in France, you should register your vehicle in the country, and use a French number plate.
Therefore in most cases, vehicles with non-French plates using the road are tourists or second-home owners.
If concerned that someone may have used your number so as to use a road without paying you can also check for outstanding payments on the motorway operators’ websites by entering number plate information.
