French General Tax Code
In forceThe decisions of the criminal courts, with the exception of those that only rule on civil interests, are subject to a fixed procedural fee payable by each convicted person.
This fee is:
1° 31 € for criminal orders in contraventional or correctional matters;
2° 31 € for other decisions of the police courts and those of the courts that do not rule on the merits;
3° 127 € for decisions of the correctional courts. However, this fee is increased to €254 if the convicted person has not appeared in person, provided that the summons was delivered in person or that it is established that the accused person was aware of the summons, unless he is judged in his absence under the conditions set out in the first and second paragraphs of article 411 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. This increase does not apply if the convicted person voluntarily pays the amount of the fixed procedural fee within a period of one month from the date on which he became aware of the decision;
4° 169 € for decisions of the appeal courts ruling on criminal and police matters;
5° 527 € for decisions of the assize courts.
It is 211 € for decisions of the Court of Cassation ruling on criminal, correctional or police matters.
When the person has been convicted of driving under the influence of substances or plants classified as narcotics pursuant to article L. 235-1 du code de la route ou du 3° des articles 221-6-1, 222-19-1 ou 222-20-1 of the Penal Code, the fixed procedural fees provided for in this article shall be increased by a sum, set by order of the Minister of Justice, equal to the amount, rounded down to the nearest ten, of the maximum compensation provided for the various toxicological analyses used to establish the presence of narcotics.
Decisions handed down on the merits are understood to mean judgments and rulings of the courts and tribunals which rule on the public prosecution and which have the effect, if no appeal is opened or exercised, of putting an end to the proceedings.
This fee is not payable when the convicted person is a minor.
This fee is recovered from each convicted person as in matters of fines and pecuniary convictions by the competent public accountants. Persons convicted of the same felony or misdemeanour are jointly and severally liable for payment of the fixed procedural fees.
This fee is also recovered, as in criminal or correctional matters, in the event of a decision to dismiss or acquit the civil party who initiated the public prosecution.
This article is applicable throughout the national territory.
