Faxing an insurance company
Water damage, theft, accident: the reporting deadline is ticking, and proof of sending counts.
Under the French Insurance Code, you must notify a claim within five business days of becoming aware of the event — or two business days in cases of theft. Insurers and brokers still accept faxes for claim declarations, signed joint accident reports, police report receipts, invoices and estimates. Send to the claims department's number, which appears in your policy conditions or on your customer account — never to the sales agency. In the header, include your policy number and, where a claim number has already been issued, that number as well.
Why an insurance company still accepts faxes
Insurance companies handle documents from body shops, experts, medical practices and contractors, some of whom still work by fax; the claims department then digitizes each fax to assign it to the right file.
For the policyholder, the value is dated proof: if compliance with the deadline were ever disputed, a transmission report generated the same day is a concrete argument. It's also practical for quickly sending the joint accident report countersigned by both drivers.
Where to find the valid number
- Your policy conditions, or the certificate: the claims department and its contact details are listed there.
- Your insurer's customer portal or app, under the "Claims" or "Contact" sections.
- Your broker or agent, registered with ORIAS, who can forward the documents themselves or tell you which channel to use.
What the cover sheet should say
- The recipient company, marked "Claims Management Department".
- Your policy number and, if known, the claim reference number.
- When the event occurred, and what it involves: accident, theft, water damage, fire.
- The details of the documents sent and the page count.
The proof to archive
Keep the send confirmation, the exact PDF, and any response from the insurer: this report proves the date of sending if the deadline is disputed. Faxeroo's PDF delivery receipt option adds proof of the request and then of transmission, charged only if delivery succeeds.
Other channels, sometimes preferable
Filing a claim through the customer portal
The claim reference is issued immediately and photos are accepted: almost always the fastest option.
Emergency assistance
Car stranded, home uninhabitable: the call gets assistance on the way, and the written claim will follow.
Cancellation by registered letter
Cancellation requires a registered letter with return receipt, hand delivery against a signed receipt, or a formal notice served by a bailiff: fax does not meet any of these requirements.
Other guides
- Fax speeds up the assembly of the file; signing the deed is another matter.
- Health data is on the move: getting the right number matters even more here.
- Reporting an absence on time, without revealing anything about your health condition.
- Disputed tax notice, document requested by the office: the case reference is everything.
Send to an organisation
This topic
- Faxing an organization: instructions
- Reporting an absence on time, without revealing anything about your health condition.
- Disputed tax notice, document requested by the office: the case reference is everything.
- Pension, life certificate, RIB to update: a social security number copied without a single error saves months.
Keep reading
Pages chosen to help you prepare a send, track it, or keep proof of it.