Driver card: application, renewal, cost and obligations

The driver card is the personal smart card a driver inserts into the tachograph to record their activity. It is mandatory to drive any vehicle that must be fitted with a tachograph. Valid for 5 years, it is applied for and renewed online on HubProTransport in France, for €68.65 incl. VAT, paid by the employer.

This guide is for drivers and fleet managers operating in France. It covers the first application, the cost, renewal, loss or theft, day-to-day use and penalties.

What is a driver card?

It is a personal smart card, issued in France by Chronoservices, a service of IN Groupe. It identifies the driver to the tachograph, which authenticates it every time it is inserted.

It records the driver's activity on every vehicle they drive: driving, other work, availability, breaks and rest. The details it carries match those of the driving licence, but it does not replace it, says Chronoservices.

Three rules of Regulation (EU) No 165/2014 govern its use (Article 27):

• it is personal: drivers may only use their own card;
• it is unique: a driver may hold only one valid card;
• it must be in working order: using a faulty or expired card is prohibited.

What are the four tachograph cards?

A "tachograph card" means one of these four cards:

Card	Colour	Holder	Use
Driver card	White	The driver	Record their activity
Company card	Yellow	The company	Lock its data in the tachograph and download it
Workshop card	Red	The approved workshop	Install, calibrate and inspect the tachograph
Control card	Blue	Enforcement officers	Read the data during a roadside check

In France, driver and company cards are ordered on the HubProTransport portal, which replaced Chronoservices' former tool in September 2023, according to the French public works federation (FNTP).

Who needs a driver card?

Anyone who drives a vehicle that must be fitted with a tachograph:

• goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes;
• passenger vehicles with more than 9 seats, driver included;
• since 1 July 2026, light commercial vehicles over 2.5 tonnes used for international transport or cabotage, unless exempt.

Exemptions, such as own-account transport when driving is not the driver's main activity, are covered in our tachograph guide (in French).

The card is issued by the country where the driver normally lives. To get a French card, the driver must therefore live in France more than 185 days a year, according to Chronoservices' eligibility conditions.

How do you make a first application?

The application is made online, from the driver's personal space on the HubProTransport portal. There are two options:

1. Through the employer: the driver enters the employer's SIRET number and signs a delegation request. The employer then submits the application.
2. By the driver directly: the driver enters their exact postal address. The card is sent by post and handed over in person.

In both cases, a compliant ID photo is required. IN Groupe checks that no other application has been made in another EU country. The driver tracks the application from their personal space.

Regulation 165/2014 requires the card to be issued within one month of receiving a complete application (Article 26). For a new driver, the application should therefore be made at least one month before their first day on the job.

How much does a driver card cost?

The price shown by Chronoservices is €57.21 excl. VAT, or €68.65 incl. VAT, in mainland France and overseas alike. The same price applies whatever the type of card.

The employer bears this cost. Article R3313-19 of the French Transport Code places it "in all cases" on the employer, who pays directly or reimburses the employee on proof of payment, according to its reproduction by OPPBTP.

For a fleet manager, the calculation is simple: each driver costs one card every five years, plus replacements in case of loss or theft.

When and how do you renew a driver card?

The card is valid for 5 years at most (Article 26 of Regulation 165/2014). Its expiry date is printed on the card. Renewal is not automatic: it must be requested.

The timeline recommended by Chronoservices:

When	What
About 3 months before expiry	Apply on HubProTransport. Chronoservices also sends an email reminder.
Between 3 months and 1 month before	The window in which the application should arrive. The regulation sets the deadline at 15 working days before expiry (Article 28).
In the 15 days before expiry	Receipt of the new card, if the application was made early.
Before expiry	Have the employer download all the data from the old card.
The day after expiry	The new card becomes valid. Do not insert it before that date: the tachograph would treat it as invalid.
For 1 month after expiry	Keep the old card on you: it may be requested during a roadside check.

Drivers can apply themselves and pay by bank card. They can also delegate the management of their cards to their employer, from the "Mes demandes" section.

Never drive with an expired card: Chronoservices states that this counts as driving without a card.

Lost, stolen or faulty card: what should you do?

Regulation 165/2014 (Article 29) and Chronoservices set out the steps:

Situation	What to do
Loss	Report the card as lost on the portal. If it is found, return it to IN Groupe.
Theft	Report the theft to the authorities of the country where it happened, then attach the receipt to the application.
Faulty card	Return the card with the form. Replacement is free if the fault is attributable to IN Groupe.
Card stuck in the tachograph	The workshop fills in and signs the "incident information" section of the form.

In every case, the replacement must be requested within 7 calendar days (Article 29). Beyond that, it is a 5th-class offence in France (Article R3315-11 of the Transport Code). The regulation sets a maximum issuing time of 8 working days; IN Groupe announces 5 working days after receiving a complete application, on its replacement page.

In the meantime, the driver may drive without a card for up to 15 calendar days, if they can show that they were unable to produce or use it (Article 29). They then print the data at the start and end of each journey, sign the printouts and complete them by hand (Article 35).

How do you use the driver card day to day?

• Insert the card every driving day, as soon as you take over the vehicle (Article 34).
• Enter manually any activities carried out away from the vehicle, using the tachograph's manual entry function.
• Be able to show the records for the current day and the previous 56 days at a roadside check, as trans.info points out.
• Let the employer download the card at least every 28 days (Regulation 581/2010).

The card is personal: it stays with the driver when they change employer. The former employer downloads the data before the driver leaves; the new employer then downloads it in turn.

What are the penalties in France?

Offence	Maximum penalty	Legal basis
Driving without a card inserted, with a non-compliant card or with someone else's card	6 months' imprisonment and a €3,750 fine	Art. L3315-5 of the Transport Code
Falsifying data or tampering with the tachograph	1 year's imprisonment and a €30,000 fine, vehicle immobilised	Art. L3315-4
Not requesting a replacement within 7 days	5th-class offence	Art. R3315-11
Not being able to show the records for the current day and the previous 56 days	5th-class offence, up to €1,500	Art. R3315-11

For driving without a card or with a non-compliant card, proceedings can be settled with a fixed fine of €800 (€640 reduced, €1,600 increased).

How Dadycar helps

An expired driver card takes a driver off the road. Dadycar flags deadlines before they fall due:

• Reminders and due dates: dated reminders, for example three months before each driver card expires, and recurring reminder templates for downloading cards every 28 days. See reminders and due dates.
• Documents: each driver's licence and documents, attached to their profile and flagged before they expire. See document management.
• Employees and sites: each driver is linked to their site and vehicles. See employee management.

Dadycar does not download card data: it keeps the schedule around it. These features are included in the Fleet plan, at €6 excl. VAT per vehicle per month, with a 15-day free trial. The free account covers up to 50 vehicles. Request a demo or see pricing.

Driver card FAQ

How much does a driver card cost?

€68.65 incl. VAT, or €57.21 excl. VAT, according to the price shown by Chronoservices. The same price applies to all tachograph cards. The cost is always borne by the employer, who pays directly or reimburses the driver.

How long does it take to get a driver card?

The EU regulation requires the card to be issued within one month of receiving a complete application. For a renewal, Chronoservices recommends applying about three months before expiry.

Can you drive with an expired driver card?

No. Driving with an expired card counts as driving without a card, punishable by six months' imprisonment and a €3,750 fine. The new card becomes valid the day after the old one expires.

What should you do if you lose your driver card?

Report the loss and apply for a replacement card within 7 calendar days. In the meantime, the driver may drive for up to 15 days, printing their data at the start and end of each journey.

How do you renew a driver card on HubProTransport?

From their personal space, the driver requests the renewal and pays by bank card. They can also delegate the application to their employer. The application must arrive no later than 15 working days before expiry.

Do you need a driver card to drive a van?

Only if the van must be fitted with a tachograph: since 1 July 2026, this applies above 2.5 tonnes for international transport or cabotage, unless exempt. For domestic transport, a van of 3.5 tonnes or less does not need one.

Further reading

• Tachograph
• Table of driving and rest times
• EC Regulation 561/2006
• Fleet management for transport and logistics

Sources

• Chronoservices, the driver card, eligibility, renewal, replacement and price (in French)
• EUR-Lex, Regulation (EU) No 165/2014 on tachographs, Articles 26 to 29, 34 and 35
• EUR-Lex, Regulation (EU) No 581/2010, maximum download periods
• FNTP, the new HubProTransport portal (September 2023, in French)
• OPPBTP, Article R3313-19 of the Transport Code, Article L3315-4 and Article L3315-5 (in French)