Victim of a crime or an accident in Nice: complaint, compensation and your lawyer

Police officers and gendarmes must receive complaints from victims of offences, including when the complaint is filed at a unit that is not territorially responsible. In that case the complaint is passed on to the competent unit where necessary (article 15-3 of the code of criminal procedure). If you are only passing through, you can therefore file your complaint at any police station, then go home and have your lawyer follow the file. Ask for a copy of the complaint and keep it with your medical records and any evidence of the incident.

You do not need a lawyer to file a complaint, but a lawyer can help you describe the facts and the harm precisely. That matters later, when compensation is assessed. Our French article on assault victims explains the complaint and compensation in more detail.

If the person responsible is prosecuted, you can join the case as a civil party (partie civile) to claim damages. At the hearing before the criminal court, a victim can apply to be a civil party and claim damages, and a lawyer is not compulsory (article 418). In practice, a lawyer prepares the claim, gathers the medical and financial evidence, and pleads for you. Read our French pages on the notice to victims and on the tribunal correctionnel.

Even where the offender cannot be identified or cannot pay, victims of certain offences can ask a special commission (the CIVI) for compensation, paid by the guarantee fund. Under the code of criminal procedure (article 706-3), a person who suffered harm resulting from acts that have the material character of an offence can claim in particular when the harm caused death, permanent incapacity, or total incapacity for work of one month or more, or in the case of certain listed offences such as sexual offences. One of the conditions is that the injured person is of French nationality or that the facts took place in France. In other words, a foreign visitor attacked in Nice can be eligible. Compensation can be refused or reduced because of the victim's own fault.

The deadline is strict: three years from the offence, extended to one year after the final criminal decision in some cases, with a possible relief from the time bar (article 706-5). This procedure does not cover road accidents that fall under the law of 5 July 1985. See our French article on the CIVI and the guarantee fund.

A victim of a road accident involving a motor vehicle is in a particular regime: the insurer of the vehicle must make an offer. The insurer has three months from your claim to make a reasoned offer when liability is not disputed and the harm is fully quantified. Where a person has suffered injury, an offer must be made within a maximum of eight months of the accident. It may be provisional if the insurer was not informed of your recovery within three months, and the final offer is then due within five months of the date on which the insurer learns of your recovery. The deadline most favourable to the victim applies (article L. 211-9 of the insurance code).

An insurer's first offer can be lower than what the file justifies. A lawyer helps you obtain a medical assessment, identify each head of loss and decide whether to accept or reject an offer. Our French articles explain compensation after a road accident and the victim's role in the criminal case.

If you are a victim of domestic violence or of a sexual offence, specific protections and procedures exist. See our French pages on domestic violence and on rape. Contact us as soon as you can, in confidence.

1. File a complaint and keep a copy.
2. See a doctor and keep every medical document.
3. Keep evidence: photographs, messages, witness details, bills.
4. Do not accept a settlement or sign anything from an insurer before getting advice.
5. Note the deadlines above and contact a lawyer early.

I am a tourist. Can I be compensated if I was attacked in France?

You can claim damages from the offender as a civil party. For compensation from the guarantee fund, one condition is that the facts took place in France or that you are French, so a visitor attacked in Nice can be eligible. Other conditions apply.

Do I need to stay in France for the case?

Not necessarily. You can file a complaint, then have your lawyer follow the case. Ask us how your own case would be handled.

How long do I have to ask for compensation after an assault?

Three years from the offence, with an extension in some cases and a possible relief from the time bar.

What if I do not speak French?

Our firm works mainly in French. If you do not speak French, tell us when you contact us and we will organise interpretation.

Several articles of the code of criminal procedure are to be reorganised from 1 January 2029 by ordinance no. 2025-1091 of 19 November 2025. The article numbers above are those in force today.