Procès-verbal

Procès-verbal (French procès, process, Late Latin verbalis, from verbum, word) is a legal term with a number of meanings:

In law

• in Francophone countries, such as France, the term "procès-verbal" is frequently mentioned as "P.V." (pronounced "pay vay"), and most commonly means a ticket or a fine issued by a Police or other law enforcement officer. Despite the use of "verbal" in the term, a P.V. is often a paper ticket or citation; in this case "verbal" comes from the original Latin, where it means "word", and simply indicates the incident has been officially documented or written down.
• in French, Belgian and Dutch law (proces-verbal, proces verbaal), a detailed authenticated account drawn up by a magistrate, police officer, or other person having authority of acts or proceedings done in the exercise of his duty.
• in a criminal charge, a procès-verbal is a statement of the facts of the case
• the written minutes of a meeting or assembly
• In Canada, un procès verbal d'infraction is the French Canadian translation of a misdemeanor police citation, or ticket

In international law and diplomacy

• in international law and diplomacy, a procès-verbal is the process of adopting corrections to the text of a treaty, by mutual agreement of the parties. As such it is a process of amendment, but is reserved for minor and non-controversial technical corrections that do not change the substance of the treaty.

See also

• Travaux préparatoires
• Land registry of Bertier de Sauvigny