Definition · FFGR Worldwide
What is grande remise?
Grande remise is the historic French legal category of chauffeur-driven prestige vehicles, created in 1955 and licensed by the préfecture until 2009, when the activity was absorbed into the VTC framework. The term now designates the highest standard of private chauffeured transport in France: a certified professional chauffeur, a luxury vehicle, and service reserved in advance for the duration of an engagement.
A legal category born in 1955
Under the French regime established in 1955, grande remise operators held a licence issued by the préfecture, drivers carried a professional aptitude card, and vehicles had to meet defined standards of comfort and presentation. Service was strictly on prior reservation — the vehicle left from a garage, the "remise", and could never be hailed in the street. The law of 22 July 2009 abolished the category and folded its activity into the new status of "voiture de tourisme avec chauffeur" (VTC), yet the profession kept the name as its standard of excellence.
Grande remise, taxi, VTC — three distinct professions
The taxi is the only profession authorised to pick up passengers in the street or at ranks, and the only one to use a taximeter. The VTC, a status created in 2009, operates exclusively on prior booking, often dispatched by application, ride by ride. Grande remise is the luxury tradition within pre-booked transport: the chauffeur is engaged for a mission — a day, an evening, a tour — not for a single ride, and the service is defined by protocol, discretion and continuity.
A heritage older than the automobile
The word "remise" designates the coach houses of the Ancien Régime where carriages for hire were kept. From the seventeenth century, Parisian "voitures de remise" served an exacting clientele on reservation — a service already distinct from the fiacres hailed in the street. The separation between hailed transport and reserved transport is therefore more than three centuries old; grande remise is its modern heir.
Grande remise today
Although the licence no longer exists in law, grande remise survives as a professional charter upheld by federations and maisons: experienced chauffeurs trained in protocol, prestige vehicles owned or long-leased by the operator, confidentiality agreements, and engagement over the full duration of an assignment. It is this standard that separates a chauffeured service from a simple pre-booked ride.
Frequently asked questions
Does the grande remise licence still exist in France?
No. The prefectoral licence disappeared with the law of 22 July 2009; operators now work under VTC registration. "Grande remise" survives as a professional standard and a tradition, upheld by federations and specialised maisons.
What is the equivalent of grande remise outside France?
The closest international equivalent is the chauffeured limousine service or "executive chauffeur" tradition. Grande remise is the specifically French lineage, with its own legal history and codes of protocol.
How do I recognise a genuine grande remise service?
By its structure: reservation in advance, a chauffeur engaged for the duration of the mission, a prestige vehicle operated by the company itself, verifiable VTC registration and insurance, and an explicit culture of discretion and protocol.
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