PDF Constat Amiable: Free Download & Step-by-Step Guide 2026

Reading time: 19 min

You have just heard the crunch of metal. Do you know exactly where your PDF constat amiable is, and whether you could fill it correctly with the other driver standing two metres away from you? Most drivers cannot.

They download a form once, forget where it went, then improvise at the roadside with adrenaline running and traffic piling up behind them. That is exactly when a missing box, a pencil instead of a pen, or an unsigned line turns a five-day payout into a five-month argument.

I spent twelve years as a senior claims consultant at NN Group, handling cross-border files from Rotterdam to Marseille. Let me be direct: the constat amiable is not a complicated document. It is a two-sided report with 15 numbered fields on the front, designed so that two drivers who share no common language can still agree on the same set of facts. What makes it dangerous is never the form. It is the moment you have to use it.

Below you get the download options that actually work in 2026, a field-by-field walkthrough of the recto, filled examples for parking, rear-end and roundabout collisions, and the current rules on the digital e-constat auto. Print it now. Keep two copies in the glovebox. Then read the rest at your kitchen table, not on a hard shoulder.

What Is a PDF Constat Amiable and Why Every Driver Needs One

To put it plainly: a constat amiable PDF is the printable version of the standard accident report that two drivers complete together, on the spot, after a collision. The French word means roughly “amicable” — the entire architecture of the document assumes cooperation rather than conflict, which is precisely why it works so well when emotions are running high.

It is the French national version of the European Accident Statement, the model form developed so that a Dutch driver and a Portuguese driver can record one single version of events without a translator. In France, the recto (front side) holds 15 rubrics to complete. The verso (back side) is your personal declaration, which you fill in separately and which nobody else signs.

The European Accident Statement Explained

The form exists because European motor insurers needed a fast, standardised way to settle cross-border claims. In France, that mechanism is the Convention IRSA, the inter-insurer agreement that lets companies reimburse each other directly based on the report instead of waiting for a court to assign blame. In practice, the boxes you tick decide which insurer pays and how quickly.

This is the part most people miss. The constat amiable is not a police record and it is not neutral paperwork. It is an evidentiary document. Once both drivers sign, it becomes a shared statement of facts, and insurers treat it as the primary basis for liability. Contradicting your own signature later is expensive, slow, and usually unsuccessful.

Paper vs Digital: Why the PDF Still Matters

The e-constat auto app is excellent when it works. It does not work when your phone is dead, when the network is down in a rural area, or when the other driver refuses to install anything. The PDF does not care about any of that.

• No dependency — no battery, no signal, no app update, no account.
• Universally accepted — every French insurer recognises the printed European Accident Statement.
• Legally useful — a signed paper original is hard to dispute, and you keep a physical copy immediately.
• Works across borders — the multilingual version functions in Germany, Spain, Italy and beyond.

In my experience across Europe, the drivers who recover their money fastest are not the ones with the best app. They are the ones who had two printed copies in the car and knew which boxes mattered. Next, let us look at where to get a reliable, current download.

Free PDF Constat Amiable Download: Official and Print-Ready Options

You can download a free PDF constat amiable from most French insurers, including AXA, Groupama, GMF, and Macif. Print it double-sided, keep two copies in your car, and complete it at the scene with the other driver. Both drivers must sign the recto for the report to be valid.

Insurer Downloads vs Independent Models

Insurer-issued forms and independent models are almost identical in layout, because they all descend from the same European template. The differences sit in the details: file quality, whether the instructions page is included, and how recently the version was refreshed. According to Groupama, its constat amiable PDF download runs to 2.6 MB (2026), which matters more than it sounds — a heavier file usually means sharper printing and legible carbon-copy fields.

Source	Format	Cost	Notes
AXA	PDF, printable	Free	Public download page, no policy number needed; clear layout with instructions.
Groupama	PDF, 2.6 MB	Free	High-resolution file, strong print quality, includes completion guidance (2026).
GMF	PDF, printable	Free	Available publicly and inside the client area.
Macif	PDF, printable	Free	Open to non-members; straightforward one-page layout.
Independent comparison sites	PDF plus written guide	Free	Useful for explanations; Reassurez-moi refreshed its guide on 09.02.2026.

How to Print and Store Your PDF Correctly

• Print double-sided. A single sheet of paper is what the form was designed for. Two loose pages get separated, and a missing verso looks like a missing declaration.
• Print at least two copies. One goes into the glovebox, one into the folder with your registration and insurance certificate.
• Add a ballpoint pen. Not a pencil, not an erasable pen, not a fountain pen. Blue or black ballpoint reproduces reliably and cannot be erased.
• Save the PDF on your phone too. A digital backup costs nothing and covers the case where the paper copy is soaked or lost.

Now that the paperwork is in your glovebox, the real question is what to write in each of those 15 boxes — and that is where most claims quietly go wrong.

How to Fill Out the Recto of the Constat Amiable: 15 Fields Explained

The recto is the shared side, and it holds 15 rubrics. According to Groupama, all 15 must be completed for the report to move smoothly through the claims process (2026). Two columns run down the page: column A for one vehicle, column B for the other. Agree out loud which car is A and which is B before anyone writes a single character.

Driver and Vehicle Information (Fields 1-6)

Fields 1 to 5 identify the people, and fields 6 to 11 identify the vehicles and the insurance behind them. These are the boxes that determine whether your policyholder record matches the vehicle registration details your insurer holds. A single transposed digit in a plate number can add a week to the file.

Use the registration document, not memory. Write the insurer’s exact legal name, not the brand you recognise from advertising. If the person driving is not the policyholder, say so plainly in field 5 — hiding it will surface later and cost you far more than it saves.

Accident Circumstances and Damage Diagram (Fields 7-15)

Field 12 is the heart of the document. It contains the numbered circumstance cases — parked vehicle, rear-end impact, reversing, door opening, roundabout entry, and so on — each with a tick box in column A and column B. Tick only what is factually true for your vehicle, and never tick a box on the other driver’s behalf without their agreement.

Field 13 is the damage diagram. Draw an arrow showing the direction of travel for each vehicle, mark the point of impact, and label the cars A and B. Field 14 holds your observations. Field 15 is where both drivers sign — and yes, both signatures are mandatory.

Field	What to Enter	Common Mistake
1	Policyholder’s surname and first name	Writing only the driver’s name when it differs from the policyholder.
2	Full postal address	Abbreviating the street or omitting the postcode.
3	Telephone number	Leaving it blank, which delays the first contact from the insurer.
4	Driving licence number and country of issue	Forgetting the country for foreign licences.
5	Name of the person actually driving, if different	Silence — later read as a misrepresentation.
6	Vehicle make and model	Using a nickname instead of the official model name.
7	Registration number	One wrong character; always copy from the registration document.
8	Country of registration	Omitted on cross-border accidents, which blocks the file abroad.
9	Insurance company name	Writing a broker or a brand rather than the insurer.
10	Policy number	Copying the client number instead of the policy number.
11	Agency, country and policy validity dates	Skipping the validity dates, which triggers a coverage check.
12	Circumstances — tick the numbered cases for each vehicle	Ticking too many boxes “for safety”; contradictions hand liability to the other side.
13	Damage diagram with direction arrows and impact points	No arrows, no A/B labels, or a sketch that contradicts box 12.
14	Observations in free text	Writing a full argument instead of factual notes.
15	Signature of both drivers	Only one signature, or a signature added later without the other driver.

The recto is done. What most drivers never realise is that the back of the sheet is a completely separate document with its own rules — and its own risks.

Completing the Verso: Individual Declaration and Sending It to Your Insurer

The verso is your personal statement. It is not signed by the other driver, it is not negotiated with them, and it can be completed after you have left the scene. This is the single most misunderstood part of the constat amiable.

What to Include in Your Personal Statement

Here is what most people miss: because the verso is filled in individually, it cannot be used against the other driver if it conflicts with the recto. Equally, whatever they write there cannot be used against you. The recto remains the binding shared version. Treat the verso as your opportunity to add context the boxes cannot hold.

Two wording examples, taken from the kind of file I used to review:

• “I was driving in the right-hand lane at approximately 30 km/h when vehicle B, parked on the kerb, opened its door into my path. I braked but could not avoid contact with the front-left wing.”
• “I was stationary at a red light, foot on the brake, when vehicle A struck the rear of my car. There was no movement of my vehicle before the impact.”

Keep it factual. Times, speeds, positions, direction of travel, weather and road surface. Do not write opinions about the other driver’s character — insurers filter that out and it adds nothing.

Deadlines and Delivery Methods

Send both sides to your insurer as soon as possible. French insurance contracts typically set a short window — often five working days, sometimes less — and the default framework in the Insurance Code points the same way. Check your own policy wording; it overrides any general rule.

Most insurers now accept a clear scan or a high-quality photograph through their app or client area. If you use the app, keep the paper original. Upload, then store the scan in a folder named with the date and the other vehicle’s plate number. If I were filing this claim myself, that folder would exist before I called anyone.

Paper is not the only route any more, though. The digital version has grown up fast, and in 2026 the choice between them is a real decision rather than a formality.

e-Constat Auto vs Paper PDF: Which Should You Use in 2026?

The e-constat auto is the smartphone version of the same document, built by insurers and offered free of charge. It is legally valid for material damage when both drivers agree to use it and sign on screen. It is not a replacement for the paper form in every situation — and treating it as one is how people end up with an unclaimable file.

When the App Wins

The app wins when the accident is simple, both drivers are calm, both phones have battery and signal, and nobody is injured. It geolocates the scene, timestamps the report, attaches photographs automatically, and transmits everything to both insurers within minutes. Groupama’s own e-constat guidance points to exactly these advantages.

There is one condition that trips people up: BOTH drivers must complete and sign the report in the app. If only one of you has it installed, you are back to paper.

When the Paper PDF Is Still Essential

Paper remains essential when there are injuries, when the other driver will not cooperate, when you are outside your home country, or when technology fails at the worst possible moment. A dead battery should never cost you a liability decision.

Criteria	Paper PDF	e-Constat Auto
Legal validity	Recognised everywhere in the EU	Valid for material damage when both drivers sign in the app
Injury cases	Can be completed, with injuries noted	Not designed for injuries; use emergency services and paper
Battery and network	Not required	Both required at the scene
Cross-border use	Universal, multilingual template	Coverage varies by country and insurer
Signature method	Handwritten, both drivers	On-screen, both drivers
Photographic evidence	You take the photos yourself	Integrated, timestamped and geolocated

Whichever route you take, the same handful of human errors derail more claims than any technical limitation. Let us name them.

Common Mistakes, Refusals, and Legal Validity After an Accident

Is a constat amiable legally mandatory? No. No European country compels you to complete one. But it is strongly recommended, because it is the document your insurer will use to assess liability and to trigger indemnification. Without it, you fall back on photographs, witness statements and possibly a police report — a slower, weaker position.

Top 7 Errors That Delay Claims

• Writing in pencil or erasable pen. Insurers treat it as unreliable, and the carbon copy fades.
• Leaving boxes blank. A dash or an empty rubric creates ambiguity, and ambiguity in a shared report is resolved against the party who left it empty.
• Crossing out without initialling. Corrections need both drivers’ initials next to them.
• Only one signature. An unsigned recto is a disputed recto.
• Vague location. “Car park, city centre” is not a location. Street name, number and town, every time.
• No damage diagram or unlabelled vehicles. Adjusters need direction arrows and impact points.
• No witness details. A neutral third party’s name and phone number can decide a contested file.

I have seen this go wrong too many times: a driver ticks an extra circumstance box “just to be safe”, the two columns contradict each other, and the file sits in review for weeks. Adjusters look for internal consistency first. If your boxes, your diagram and your observations tell the same story, the claim moves.

What to Do If the Other Driver Refuses to Cooperate

It happens more often than the official guidance admits. Someone is uninsured, driving a company car they should not be in, or simply in a hurry. You cannot force a signature, and you should not try.

In injury cases the protocol changes. Call emergency services first. Complete the constat only if it is safe and appropriate, note the injuries in field 14, and expect the claim to follow a separate personal-injury track. A signed report does not settle injury compensation.

Rules and reflexes change depending on the scenario, so let us walk through the four situations that generate the most claims questions.

Real-Life Scenarios and Filled Examples: Parking, Rear-End, Roundabout, and Abroad

A constat amiable rempli correctly looks boring. There are no long speeches, no accusations, just clean facts in the right boxes. Here is how that plays out in the situations you are most likely to meet.

Parking Lot and No-Driver Present

If the other driver is present, use the form normally: tick the box for a parked vehicle in the column of the car that was stationary, and note the exact position, row and space number in field 14. If the other driver is absent, there is no shared recto to sign — so the evidence and the police report carry the load.

Rear-End, Roundabout, and Multi-Vehicle Collisions

In a rear-end collision the driver behind is presumed liable in the overwhelming majority of cases. Tick the circumstance box for a vehicle struck from behind, and make sure the diagram shows your vehicle already stationary or braking. If you had to brake suddenly, say so factually — it does not automatically shift liability to you, but hiding it damages your credibility.

Roundabouts are messier. Vehicles already circulating generally have priority over those entering, but liability inside the ring depends on lane position, signalling and the direction boxes you tick. Mark your entry point, your lane and your exit on the diagram. In a multi-vehicle collision, complete one form per pair of vehicles — you do not need a single sheet for five cars.

Cross-Border Accidents

Can you use a constat amiable abroad? Yes — in its constat amiable europeen form, the multilingual European Accident Statement, it is recognised across the EU. Complete it in duplicate, ensure both drivers sign each copy, take one copy with you, and send it to your insurer as soon as you are home.

Add the country of registration in field 8 for both vehicles, and note the foreign plate and insurer precisely. Claims then travel between national insurers’ bureaux, which is efficient when the paperwork is clean and painfully slow when it is not.

Scenario	Key Evidence	Liability Tip
Parking, driver absent	Photos, CCTV, police report with date	No signed recto available; the report and photos carry the claim
Rear-end	Diagram showing stationary or braking vehicle, impact point	The driver behind is presumed liable in most cases
Roundabout	Entry point, lane position, exit direction, indicator use	Circulating vehicles generally have priority; the boxes decide inside the ring
Cross-border	Multilingual form in duplicate, country of registration, plates	Clean foreign details avoid weeks of bureau-to-bureau correspondence

You now know what to write and where. The last step is making sure nothing is missing before the envelope or the upload button closes the file.

Final Checklist and FAQ Before You Send Your Constat Amiable PDF

Printable Checklist

Quick Answers Before You Send

If you are unsure whether you are still inside the deadline, do not wait to find out. Call your insurer, state the date of the accident and confirm whether they have received the documents. A two-minute call prevents a coverage dispute.

Frequently asked questions

Is a constat amiable PDF legally mandatory?

No, it is not legally mandatory, but it is strongly recommended. Insurers may accept other evidence, but the signed form is what speeds up liability assessment and indemnification. Without it, your file depends on photographs, witnesses and possibly a police report.

Where can I download a free constat amiable PDF?

Most French insurers, including AXA, Groupama, GMF and Macif, offer free PDF downloads. Independent comparison sites also publish printable models. Always check that the version is current before you print it.

Can I fill out a constat amiable after leaving the accident scene?

The recto should ideally be completed at the scene with the other driver present. If that is impossible, complete it as soon as you can — but expect the other driver or their insurer to question the delay. The verso can always be completed later.

What happens if the other driver refuses to sign the constat amiable?

Do not force a signature. Record their insurance details, photograph everything, note witnesses, and file a police report if needed. Inform your insurer immediately, even without a signed form.

Is an e-constat auto as valid as a paper PDF?

Yes, for material damage with no injuries, the e-constat auto is valid when both drivers complete and sign it in the app. The paper PDF remains more universal, especially abroad or if a phone fails.

Can I use a French constat amiable PDF abroad?

Yes. The European Accident Statement is recognised across the EU. Complete it in duplicate, ensure both drivers sign each copy, and send it to your insurer as soon as you return.

How long do I have to send the constat amiable to my insurer?

Send it as soon as possible. Many policies set a short deadline, often five working days or less, so check your contract or call your insurer immediately after the accident.

The Form You Print Today Is the Claim You Settle Fast Tomorrow

The reality is straightforward. Four actions decide how painless your next claim will be. Download a current PDF and store two printed copies in the car. Fill the recto at the scene with both drivers, in ballpoint pen, signing every required field. Complete the verso, send both sides to your insurer quickly, and keep a copy for your own records. And use the e-constat auto only for material damage when both drivers agree — paper remains essential abroad.

None of this takes long, and none of it requires legal knowledge. It requires preparation, and preparation is the one part of an accident you fully control.

So here is the question worth asking yourself tonight: if the crunch of metal came tomorrow morning, would you be reaching confidently into the glovebox — or scrolling through your phone while the other driver waits? Print your constat amiable PDF today, because the minutes after an accident are not the time to go searching for a form.