What illegal operation covers
According to the Service Public Entreprendre page, verified on 12 August 2026, two situations come first: operating without registration on the register of VTC operators, and picking up a client without a prior booking. Hailing for fares, whether physical or electronic, is banned for VTCs, as is waiting on the public road without a recorded booking.
Making your register entry available to a third party, whether free or paid, is also prohibited. For the general framework and key dates, our article on VTC regulation in France puts these rules in perspective; this text concentrates on penalties and checks.
Law no. 2026-534 of 25 June 2026: higher penalties
According to L'Officiel des métiers, law no. 2026-534 of 25 June 2026 on combating social and tax fraud, published in the Journal officiel of 26 June 2026, raises through its article 28 the penalties for illegal taxi and VTC operation, and for using drivers without a professional card. The maximum rises from one year and 15,000 euros to three years and 45,000 euros.
Service Public lists measures applying since 27 June 2026: three years in prison and a 45,000 euro fine for an individual, with a higher ceiling for a company that the page does not detail. Additional penalties are possible, such as licence suspension, impounding or confiscation of the vehicle. The full text should be checked on Légifrance and in the Journal officiel, as dates and amounts can differ between sources.
Invalid card, missing insurance, lent registration
Other breaches carry their own penalties. According to Service Public, an invalid professional card is punished by a 1,500 euro fine, and the absence of professional liability insurance by a fine of up to 3,750 euros. These amounts are those at the date of writing (October 2026) and may change.
Lending or renting out a register entry is heavily penalised: immediate removal from the register, a ban on re-registering for up to three years, and, for the manager, a ban of up to three years on running a registered operator. The page adds that such a transfer is treated as an employment contract, with the operator presumed to be the employer.
How checks work
In a check, the driver must present proof of prior booking, on paper or electronically. It includes the operator, the client's name and phone number, the date, time and place of pick-up, the register number and the Siren number. Around a station or an airport, waiting for a booked client is limited to one hour.
L'Officiel des métiers also mentions checks in which officers reveal their status only when recording an offence, and temporary impounding of the vehicle with the prefect's agreement. For booking platforms, an administrative fine of up to 150 euros per fraudulent connection is announced, entering into force by 1 December 2027 at the latest.
Why this matters to the person booking
These penalties target professionals first, but clients benefit from knowing them. An assistant booking for an executive or a guest is entrusting a person and a schedule: it is wiser to turn to a provider who clearly presents its identity, its documents and the assigned driver. We do not state any specific legal consequence for passengers here.
An official, free service lets clients check whether a VTC card is valid. Also ask for the driver's name and the registration, and prefer a written booking with a firm quote. Depending on your needs, our page for concierge desks and hotels or our VIP chauffeur service explains how we organise a journey. Continue in the VTC section of the Journal.
