Mandatory prior appeal (RAPO) against a post-parking charge (France)
Published byDocMuse
This document is in French
The PDF you download is in French — that is the language it has to be filed in, so it is not translated. Everything on this page is here to tell you what it says.
For challenging a post-parking charge (forfait post-stationnement, FPS) in France, the appeal required before the parking court. It goes to the body named on the payment notice, within a month of its notification; many offer a free form, online or to print, that you can use instead of this letter. The letter, sent by the registered keeper, gives the notice, the chosen ground (parking paid, vehicle sold, plates stolen, special rate, mistake), the explanation and the enclosures. Sent by registered post with proof of receipt. In French.
- Made for use in France
- Last updated October 13, 2026
When to use this document
- You received a post-parking charge in France even though you had paid for parking.
- You got a parking charge for a car you had already sold or whose plates were stolen.
- Your resident or special parking rate was not applied and you were charged the full amount.
- You want to contest a forfait post-stationnement by registered letter.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Registered keeper of the vehicle
- Keeper's address
- Body named on the payment notice (municipality, grouping or contractor)
- Address for appeals given on the notice
- City
- Date
- Number of the post-parking charge notice
- Registration plate
- Date the notice was served
- Date, time and place of the parking
- Amount of the post-parking charge
- Ground for the challenge
- Explanation and supporting documents
- Attachments
Preview
This document is produced for you. Your answers are typed into it and the finished PDF is yours to keep.
Common questions
- How long do you have to challenge a post-parking charge in France?
- The mandatory prior appeal is made within a month of the notification of the payment notice, to the body named on the notice: the municipality, its grouping or the contractor running parking for them. Send it without waiting for the end of the month. With no answer within a month, the appeal is rejected; you can then take the case to the parking court (tribunal du stationnement payant) within a month of the rejection.
- Must the post-parking charge be paid before it is challenged?
- The prior appeal does not require payment, but it does not suspend the time to pay stated on the notice: once that has passed, an increased charge is issued. So you can pay and then challenge; if the appeal succeeds, what you paid is refunded, which the letter asks for. For any next step before the parking court, follow what the rejection decision says.
- Can the appeal be made online instead of by letter?
- Yes, if the payment notice gives an online procedure: it is free and counts as the appeal; some municipalities also offer a form to print. By post, the appeal must go by registered letter with proof of receipt to the address on the notice, or it is inadmissible (article R. 2333-120-13 of the French General Local Authorities Code). In every case enclose a copy of the payment notice, not just the slip left on the windscreen, of the registration certificate or the sale declaration, and the evidence: ticket, app payment, police receipt, parking permit.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
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