Victim of an offence, you want to obtain justice quickly without having to wait long hours in a police station or gendarmerie brigade. In France, the digital transformation of the administration now allows you to complete a large part of these procedures directly from your computer or smartphone. Whether you reside in France or are a foreign national passing through, the official state services have modernised to facilitate the reporting of offences and the filing of complaints. This comprehensive guide details, step-by-step, how these digital platforms work, the legal framework governing them, and the steps to follow to assert your rights in just a few clicks.
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Filing a complaint (déposer plainte) is a fundamental legal act that allows a victim to report an offence (a minor offence/fine (contravention), a misdemeanor (délit), or a felony/serious crime (crime)) to the justice system and express their desire to see the perpetrator prosecuted.
In French law, the right to file a complaint is governed primarily by the Code de procédure pénale (French Code of Criminal Procedure). Article 15-3 of this code stipulates that the judicial police services are required to receive complaints filed by victims of criminal offences, even if these complaints are filed with a territorially incompetent service. In the latter case, the complaint is forwarded to the competent service.
The digitisation of procedures is part of the orientation and programming law of the Ministry of the Interior (loi d'orientation et de programmation du ministère de l'Intérieur or LOPMI) of 24 January 2023, which significantly strengthened the digital tools available to litigants to facilitate access to criminal justice.
It is crucial to respect the legal deadlines for your complaint to be admissible. Beyond these limitation periods (délais de prescription), public prosecution is extinguished, and the justice system can no longer prosecute the perpetrator. According to Articles 7, 8, and 9 of the Code de procédure pénale, these deadlines are:
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The French State has developed several distinct platforms, each specialised according to the nature of the offence observed.
This service is the oldest and most widely used. It is intended for victims of property damage or theft (theft, vandalism, fraud) or discriminatory acts, where the perpetrator is unknown.
Launched in 2022, the Thésée platform is accessible via the Service-Public.fr website. It allows you to file a complaint directly and entirely online, without having to travel, for the main types of internet scams.
The "Ma Sécurité" portal (formerly the reporting platform for sexist and sexual violence) allows you to chat live, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with a police officer or gendarme. This service is particularly suited for victims of domestic violence, street harassment, or discrimination. Recently, full online complaints have been progressively expanding to other offences thanks to secure authentication via FranceConnect.
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Here is the detailed user path to complete your pre-complaint or online complaint process with peace of mind.
Before logging on, gather all the evidence that will support your case:
1. Go to the official website: pre-plainte-en-ligne.gouv.fr or to the Thésée platform via service-public.fr.
2. Preferably log in via FranceConnect (the State's secure authentication tool that uses your credentials from impots.gouv, Ameli, or L'Identité Numérique La Poste). This is mandatory for a full complaint filing on Thésée.
The form will ask you to provide:
Once the form is validated:
1. You will receive a confirmation email containing a registration number.
2. A police or gendarmerie service (which you chose during entry) will contact you by phone or email within an average of 24 to 72 hours.
3. An appointment will be proposed to sign your complaint report (procès-verbal de plainte). Please note: the pre-complaint is not an official complaint until you have signed it in person before an officer.
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To better understand the practical application of these services, here are two common situations.
> Situation: Thomas has his electric bike, worth €1,800, stolen while it was locked on the street in Lyon. The perpetrator is unknown.
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> The Process: Thomas logs onto the online pre-complaint website. He fills out the form, describes the characteristics of his bike (brand, frame number, colour), and estimates his material loss at €1,800 for the bike, plus €80 for the cut lock. He chooses his local police station to finalise the process. The next day, he receives an SMS offering an appointment the following day at 2:00 PM. He goes there with his purchase invoice. In 10 minutes, his complaint is signed, and the receipt (récépissé) is handed to him for his insurance.
> Situation: Marie rents a mountain apartment for a week for €900 on a classified ads website. After making a bank transfer of €900, the advertiser disappears, and Marie realises the apartment does not exist.
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> The Process: Since this is an e-scam committed by a perpetrator using a fake profile, Marie logs onto Service-Public.fr and accesses the Thésée service via FranceConnect. She fills out the questionnaire dedicated to fake ads, uploads the PDF of the fake lease agreement, the screenshot of the ad, and the transfer order of €900. Because she identified herself via FranceConnect, her complaint is validated and electronically signed immediately. She instantly receives her official complaint filing receipt by email, without having to go to a police station.
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Yes, filing a complaint, whether done online or directly at a police station or gendarmerie brigade, is an entirely free public service. No administrative or processing fees can be claimed from you.
Yes. Foreign residents as well as visiting tourists can use these platforms. If you do not have FranceConnect credentials, you can still use the classic online pre-complaint system by manually entering your passport or residence permit details. During the physical appointment, the presence of an interpreter can be requested if necessary.
The average time observed to obtain a physical appointment after validating your online pre-complaint is 24 to 72 hours. This timeframe may vary depending on the workload of the selected police station or gendarmerie and the relative urgency of the facts described.
Yes, you can withdraw your complaint at any time. However, in French criminal law, withdrawing a complaint does not automatically stop the prosecution. The Procureur de la République remains the sole decision-maker on whether to prosecute: they can decide to maintain public prosecution and prosecute the perpetrator if they believe the offence is characterised and serious.
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Legal information for guidance only, not personalised legal advice. For your specific situation, ask your question free of charge on AvocatAI — answers based on French law, in your language.