Changing to a French driving licence

[Mrs Trellis]

I am going to help a Brit friend apply for his first French driving licence. What does he need to take along? (I know, blood sample, grandma's birth certificate....)

Just wondering if there is anything we might forget.

[Patf]

Best to ring the prefecture first and ask, because they do vary.

There's definitely a form to fill in (which you can download.)  Definitely passport type photos. Both parts of the british license.

You may need to pay too.

Not sure what else.

[sid]

You don't say whether your friend has a full UK licence already, but if that is the case it is a straightforward procedure to exchange the licence. You can find the information about what to take (pièces à fournir) and links to the downloadable form here: 

http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/particuliers/F1758.xhtml

 

 

[johnnyboy]

Wifely is going through this routine at the moment, with the Limoges Prefecture. What a palava, she has had to have her Birth Cert , Marriage Cert and UK licence translated into french (€110.00) so far.

They require 2 copies of all documents btw, from a registered interpreter.

Passport.

UK licence ( both parts)

Copy of a recent  facture (edf) or similar ( less than 3 months old)

€25.00 payment.

3 Passport photos.

Application form.

However, talking to a friend yesterday who lives just in the Charente, she changed her licence last October. Went to the local prefecture, got the form, filled it in, there and then. Gave her UK licences, Passport (for a copy), an EDF bill, 3 photos and received her french licence 4 days after!

No certificates translated or asked for.

Like the tax offices, its just a lottery (at least ours is very helpful!)

Johnnyboy

[Mrs Trellis]

ooh dear! Looks like there might be more than one visit.

[Jay]

[quote user="Mrs Trellis"]ooh dear! Looks like there might be more than one visit.[/quote]

Why is that then? As Sid said it is quite straight forward. Take in the documents they require and you get your new licence within a couple of weeks. It is one of the simplest dealings with the French authorities we have ever had.

[sid]

Same experience here, Jay.

It sounds as though the prefecture mentioned is being particularly careful ( = officious) and for a married woman they want to have proof of her birth name and then proof of marriage so that they can be sure that she is who she says she is!  This hasn't been our experience at Niort. Personnel change though....!

The link I gave lists all of the things mentioned apart from the marriage certificate translation; it says that some prefectures may require a translation of the driving licence if it's in a foreign language. That part of the procedure works if the holder has a European format (plastic card) licence, because it's exactly the same as the French one. The paper-type licence is UK only.

From memory we had to do something similar when registering our car in both names. The translation for a marriage certificate was 42€.

For a birth certificate it's always best to have the full version showing parents' names and occupations rather than the shortened copy.

 

[soupagirl]

It seems as if everyone has a different experience in the exchange of licences depending upon where you live, and we were among the lucky ones. We took our dossiers to the sous-prefecture in Dax at the beginning of January and all the documents were accepted with no translation required. Nor were we asked to provide stamped envelopes. Contrary to what we had expected we did not need to hand over our UK licences,which did not expire till March, and be given a temporary attestation. We were told it would take three months before we received the new licences, and when we had not heard anything by the beginning of March and were starting to panic we went back to the sous-prefecture, where OH's new licence had arrived that morning so he handed over his UK one in exchange. As mine had not yet arrived I was given a licence number to track its progress on the internet, and a week later I was back at the sous-prefecture for my own little exchange ceremony. It was all straight-forward and stress free, unlike most encounters with beaurocracy here. Just be aware that there might be a three month wait, and plan accordingly.

[EmilyA]

We did OH's yesterday in Caen. Downloaded and filled in form, took birth certificate, passport, old licence, EDF bill (plus tax bill just in case). No translation required. Very pleasant smiley lady, no charge, new one should arrive within 12 days.

[sid]

Soupagirl, I think you've had yet another variation of the theme! Your old licence is meant to be retained by the prefecture for return to UK and you get the attestation to allow you to continue to drive, and so that you have something to show the gendarmes, for example, if you are ever stopped at a control point. The new licence arrives within a couple of weeks, but if you live in 79 expect it much quicker... ours was 4 days.

I'm not sure that the attestation is valid to drive abroad; if you're planning a trip back to UK I'd wait until you return before going for the exchange licence.

I wonder if the new format ones (credit card size) take longer to produce; maybe that's why it's taking so long?

 

[johnnyboy]

Don't think so Sid, our friend in Charente had her new one within 4 days! Just seems to be the lottery angle I suggested earlier, as to which office you are dealing with.

Johnnyboy

[Mrs Trellis]

So, having got a French licence, if someone returns to live in the UK is it a simple process to get a UK licence again? Presumably a UK resident should have a UK licence?

If someone is over 70, is it more difficult to get a UK licence again. (Just a thought as I haven't yet got a French licence, am not yet 70 and have no plans to leave France, but you never know.)

[sid]

Johnnyboy, We're in 79 and we have friends in Charente (16) and we know that both of these départements work quickly. I think you're right, the usual "interpretation of the rules" angle (call it Lottery if you wish [:)] ). It is annoying, but there's always the opportunity to use another sub-prefecture once you hear that there are problems at a particular office.

I'm surprised that they can produce a plastic card licence in 4 days, I don't think the UK can match that, so well done 16... Angouleme presumably?

 

[AnOther]

[quote user="Mrs Trellis"]Presumably a UK resident should have a UK licence?[/quote]Not necessarily.

You can drive in Great Britain on your full,

valid driving licence until you’re 70, or for 3 years after becoming

resident in Great Britain, whichever is longer.

[url]https://www.gov.uk/driving-nongb-licence[/url]

[Mrs Trellis]

Well, we went along this morning, and were given a printed sheet listing the requirements - one of which is that the driver must get an attestation from DVLA to state they are not banned from driving. And it must be translated into French. Then there is proof the person has lived in France for at least 6 months, the 4 photos etc. So it isn't going to be quick!

[idun]

I exchanged my french licence to a UK licence a while ago. As I had exchanged my original UK licence for a french one, it was a simple process and free.

When and if my husband exchanges his, he will have to pay to get a UK licence as he passed his test in France.

[AnOther]

[quote user="Mrs Trellis"]an attestation from DVLA to state they are not

banned from driving.[/quote]

If that is the actual wording then you

could be in big trouble because DVLA have no mechanism to provide such a document, nor are they obliged to, their letter of entitlement - in English because all it does is show your groups and their validity dates - should be all any foreign licence authority should need.

You have to wonder who, if anybody, actually trains these foncs, it there is any training it certainly doesn't seem to by any central body !

For those who haven't seen one this is a Letter of Entitlement. Although it doesn't say it on the document itself the accompanying letter states that it is only valid for 3 months and I fail to see on what grounds a prefecture would reject this as proof of entitlement to your UK licence, especially if it's presented within days of the issuing date.

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/M1xFEgI.jpg[/IMG]

[idun]

If nothing else the fonctionnaires are used to things that last 3 months as a french birth certificate is only valid for three months.

[Mrs Trellis]

It's ridiculous as previously this was not demanded. If someone's licence was suspended surely they would not have it any more? Or it would have been endorsed with that fact. Some else has just attempted to get a French licence and says the DVLA aren't really interested in replying!

I think we might just hand on to our UK ones but our friends hoped to change as they live here and their licences are coming up to the date for changing (and one is over 70).

[AnOther]

[quote user="Mrs Trellis"] If someone's licence was suspended surely they would not have it any more? Or it would have been endorsed with that fact.[/quote]

No and that is the whole point, you could get banned in UK but if don't live there and failed to surrender your licence, or perhaps applied for a duplicate in anticipation of having yours taken off you (a very common ploy), you could be driving in France on an completely invalid licence and nobody would be any the wiser !

Also there are people who have obtained a dodgy licence through one of the eastern European outfits which offer to 'acquire' one for you.

[freddy]

I am going through this now and one of the documents they have asked for is a titre de sejour. Now I haven't got one of those as it is no longer a requirement.

Does anyone else have any experience of what else is acceptable? I am going to try turning up with copies of:

- a piece of paper from the notaire showing I own a house.

- an income tax receipt

- the registration for my business

- tax fonciere sheet

Prefecture is in Draguignan.

[freddy]

Update - went down there with all that and they didn't want any of it, saying the passport alone was fine, along with a utility bill.

[idun]

But I don't think that you were wrong taking all those other papers with you, best to have them and them not want them than them be at home and for us at least it would be have a long drive wasted.

[AnOther]

So who exactly told you you needed a titre de sejour then ?

[Mrs Trellis]

I started this thread as I went with friends to help them but unfortunately we were pulled over by the gendarmes last week. They set up a speed trap on a very empty road with no buildings on. It must have been just after the town sign.

So now OH has to go through the circus of getting a French licence. I have a copy of the info friends were given by the prefecture and it says 'attestation recente (moins d'un mois) des autorites etrangeres precisant que le titulaire ne fait pas l'objet sur le territoire......... mesure de suspension, de retrait ou d'annulations...' and it must be translated in French!

It also says if you have a foreign licence a titre de sejour is required. How do we get that?

Maybe we should move to a more tolerant department.

What was really silly was that one of the gendarmes looked at the UK licence and said 'Why have you got a licence from the Ukraine?' Must be new on the job!