Jump to content

Changing to a French driving licence


Mrs Trellis
 Share

Recommended Posts

[quote user="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]

[/quote]

Well Another posted this and it should do.

You don't have to have a titre de sejour and there is plenty of stuff you can download

to prove to the police that you don't have to have one, including on the

service-public.fr website.

We had to have Carte de Sejours and subsequently Titre de Sejours, and if we still lived in France I would have a Titre de Sejour because it is a very handy form of ID.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It seems to me ridiculous that it varies depending where you live. Surely there should be a national ruling on how to get a French driving licence rather that make it different in all departments?

Rather makes me wish I was one of the many I know who live in France but never re-register their car or complete a tax form. So much simpler, if not legal. We still have a little house in the UK so could have pretended!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My French licence took six months to come through and was only pushed through thanks to my discreet intervention with the boss.

If your Department is anything like mine, I don't know how this will play with the police, even if you do have a letter/ certificate of entitlement during the changeover period.

Were you told what documentation is needed for the licence or did you find out online? I do find it strange that you need all those extra papers that I certainly did not need, just old driving licence, passport photocopy and utility bill.

What Departement are you in, by the way, Mrs. T?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I went with friends to the prefecture in Montauban, 82, and they were given a printed 2 page sheet and I have a copy. It is headed 'Echange de permis etranger'.

It says all original docs must be accompanied by photocopies. And everyone must provide:

* 4 recent photos - passport type and not scanned

* original driving licence plus colour photo of both sides.

2 justificatifs de domicile, dated max 3 months ago

other docs may be requested!

Then under 'Etranger avec un permis etranger'

It adds:

* titre du sejour or long term visa valide par lOFII and less than 1 year.

Passport

I don't know why the two sections as the whole thing is about exchanging a foreign licence.

It's enough to make me want to go back to UK or pretend we're just here for holidays. Having said that, we have had good medical care which makes up for filling in those wretched tax forms. (Tho I know several Brits who have also benefited from the health system without bothering with tax.)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think the etranger bit might relate to non-EU citizens who are resident in France, as does the certifciate of right to a licence from your home state.

By the way, be careful with the photos; thoss from the booths in supermarkets are quite acceptable though you have to choose the option for ID fotos, bt there must be no reflection in the foto if you wear glasses.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't bother getting upset about people who don't do things properly, forget about them or shop them. Stewing is never the answer.

Not just 'rules' about paperwork that differ in France, some bills are incredibly different too for the likes of water, and both house taxes.

The pesky paperwork................... as it can be interpreted differently, they do[:-))] even from fonctionnaire to fonctionnaire[Www]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

'I think the etranger bit might relate to non-EU citizens who are resident in France, as does the certifciate of right to a licence from your home state.'

The woman at the counter must have known they were British and she pointed out the paragraph about the letter confirming the licence has not been suspended.

I wonder if we go back and ask again we'll get a different answer! But the sheet of requirements is from the prefecture so I suppose we'll get the same.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
OH is still trying after all this time, the latest is that she has received a letter requesting an Avis medical! Someone has

written her name at top of letter, which is actually for a French driver(male too) listing all of his speeding offences.

Her application is for a standard licence and not an HGV version, so why she should need a medical we cannot understand.

Had to wait until tomorrow before phoning, as they are shut on Wednesdays, you just couldn't make it up!

Johnnyboy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Mrs Trellis"]Surely there should be a national ruling on how to get a French driving licence rather that make it different in all departments? [/quote]There sort of is, it's called the law, but even there it does say that prefectures may demand translations plus they seem at liberty to bolt on their own additional requirements as they see fit.

Medicals are only required to retain groups above B but it seems that at some prefectures you have to actually specify that you do not want

those - in writing even - while at others (mine for instance) they automatically give one or

two years for the higher groups, as appropriate by their medical

renewal periods, after which they expire unless I do take the

medicals to keep them up which I don't.

If a licence has expired or been lost they sometimes ask for it too, even for just group B.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This thread has run on since I last looked!. Last week we gathered all the paperwork and set off for the prefecture, only to find it shuts on Wednesday and Friday afternoons. This week OH had 3 hospital visits and the gendarme phoned again about our licences! He's not giving up. I explained and he said when we get a piece of paper from t he Prefecture that will do.

The friends I originally helped applied in May and have not received their licences yet.

The stuff from DVLA took ages and was dated 10th June, received on 18th. The same day visitors arrived for a week. The DVLA stuff said it was up to June 26 so I wonder if we'll have to do it all again..... and the stuff they sent wasn't a letter, just a list of dates and numbers related to our driving history. So not really anything to translate. I fear this will drag on, as did OH's carte vitale - which arrived after 10 months of hassle.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

There seems to be a general misunderstanding about driving livences in France. EU legislation says you can do a straight swap (though medicals may be needed for groups requiring them locally) but the different Prefectures seem to be adding on conditions whuch are not needed or even allowed, such as demanding confirmation from the home country.

My gut tells me that this has happened because there has been a lot of fraud, and a lot of licence demands from non-EU countries.

My experience is that the process was incredibly inefficient and badly managed. The licence was only expedited when I saw the big boss after a six month delay, to find that every single application was channelled through him for final checking and that he was not the fastest worker. However, he did get the thing moving immediately, asked me to fill in more forms which I didnt even know existed, and lo and behold, it was sent off to Paris for making and I got it in a couple of days.

He did ask me whether I wanted HGV and I said definitely not, so that got that out of the way.

It would be so much simpler to separate those which are simple and need no extra bits, so they could be dealt with quickly (mainly EU ones) and then working on the others later.

BUT, no, they are all put together by month and dealt with in a rigid order.

Heigh ho, France will never change until fonctionnaires are paid by output.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
Talking of inefficiency, OH finally got her new licence on tues only to find that it is only valid for 5 years. On ringing to find out the reason, she was informed that it was because she had HGV vehicle cover, she then told them that she had followed their instructions to avoid that happening, but it happened anyway. The other small point was that they could not even copy the licence number from her UK licence correctly, so now she needs to go back to Limoges to sort it all out yet again!

Wouldn't mind if it was in same town as we live, but its half an hour down the autoroute yet again!

Johnnyboy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My French licence, which I got in exchange for my UK licence in 2007, has my place of birth as Spain for some unaccountable reason.

The "Depuis le" date for motorcycles and cars is my birthday for 1997, and for HGVs etc. is the issue date of the UK licence I handed over.

It must have been so confusing to have so many things to copy. At least it has no expiry date for cars.

I carry a copy of my UK licence, just in case.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Talking of inefficiency, OH finally got her new licence on tues only to find that it is only valid for 5 years. On ringing to find out the reason, she was informed that it was because she had HGV vehicle cover,"

Oh dear, I don't think I'll tell him that! Went to prefecture yesterday (Gendarme called at our house the day before saying he was going on holiday at the weekend and we'd better sort it.)

Unlike friends who went in May, we were told we must have translations of the DVLA stuff. Managed to get it done - 30 euros each - and went back this morning.

After the usual long wait, the woman at the counter said if OH wants to tow a trailer, he needs a medical. (Friends were told only for a big trailer.) We said 'forget it, the trailer's broken anyway' but she insisted, saying we couldn't amend the licence later and it was a shame to lose the right to drive other vehicles.

So.off to the recommended doc with a very helpful receptionist. After a long wait the doc checked OH's blood pressure (slightly high which was hardly surprising), gave him an eye test (with one eye he couldn't read the letters) and gave him the medical form. 33 euros.

The woman at the prefecture was surprised to see us again the same morning and she took ages going through and questioning every piece of paper. We had to use the photo machine, 5 euros, for another set as we brought the required 4 photos and a 5th was needed. She seemed to tick all the extra possibilities though all we need is to pull a small trailer. The large one is illegal as we can't get a certificate of conformity for it.

Finally got a piece of paper to show the gendarme and were told to phone and ask if the licence was ready if nothing heard after 2 months. I've a nasty feeling there will be something else they aren't happy with.

So knackered and stressed I didn't even attempt to apply for my licence.

OH has been through a lot recently with numerous hospital visits and doesn't enjoy all the travelling around. Went to the gendarmerie this afternoon and 'our' gendarme is not there till tomorrow.

PS, before someone tells me off re the eyesight test, he is getting new glasses
Link to comment
Share on other sites

What a complete and utter shambles !

At the absolute opposite extreme when I exchanged mine (voluntarily) it was between Christmas and New Year, there was no questioning of my paperwork or talk of translations, and my licence turned up about 5 days later, oh and it was free too.

OH's experience was similar.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="AnOther"]You mean your ex UK licence of course of course [:D] and it would be interesting to know in what circumstances you believe a photocopy of it might prove useful ? It was useful to help persuade my insurance company here that I had a driving licence before I reached an advanced age.  [:D]

Your higher groups lapsed if you didn't take the necessary medicals. You got it. They lapsed long ago. I couldn't be bothered to keep taking one every year for the odd time I might need them

[/quote]
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...
I don't beleeeeve it!

A couple of weeks ago (3.5 months after applying) I got a letter saying I can't have my French driving licence because I need a medical. Also I hadn't given evidence of my maiden name. And thirdly I had not given evidence of living in France for 6 months.( I gave them an edf bill in my name dated last year.)

.

The stroppy woman at the prefecture looked at all our paper work and did not say I needed a medical, nor proof of maiden name.

A week later my husband received a letter saying his licence was ready for collection. Today we trekked again to Montauban and OH could not get his licence because he hadn't got the green bit of the UK licence. (Had never replaced it in his wallet after the last visit and saw another bit of green paper and assumed.)

When I asked why I need a medical when I didn't want to pull a trailer or drive anything except a car. I was told my UK licence said I could (I didn't know that and had never asked for it) and the French one has to have the same categories. I pointed out friends had not been asked to get a medical. "The rules have changed.". How can they complain that I haven't provided something that wasn't required at the time of application?

The snotty women said, "Well then, you'll just have to keep your British licence." I grabbed my papers and left before I said something rude.

Friends who applied over 6 months ago have still heard nothing.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Mrs Trellis"]When I asked why I need a medical when I didn't want to pull a trailer or drive anything except a car. I was told my UK licence said I could (I didn't know that and had never asked for it) and the French one has to have the same categories.[/quote]I feel for you.

This particular bit is a typical misinterpretation and no rules have changed since you made your application.

It's true that when exchanging a licence they cannot take any existing entitlements away from you and in the case of a UK licence held by someone who took their test before about 98 I think (it doesn't matter and don't quote me) you will automatically be entitled to drive up to 12t.

What a licence issuing authority can do though is impose medical requirements on certain groups and in France these apply to anything beyond A and B which are the basic groups for motorcycles and private cars.

The proper (and usual) procedure is to issue the licence with all the same groups as the original but with the validity of group above A and B limited to the period which the relative medical would be valid for, in effect giving you credit as if you have taken that medicals although you shouldn't actually have to. That might be different though if the validity crossed your 70th birthday because that is when they would have expired on your UK licence.

After those periods have expired, (either one or two years) your entitlement to those higher groups expires unless you renew the medical.

Some have reported that they made some sort of declaration that they don't want the higher groups but I suspect that will have been for old licences which were issued at prefecture level and won't really work now it's centralised.

You could move to the Lot, the prefecture in Cahors is a doddle by comparison !

Bon courage !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
 i'm going to change it too

-------------

[url=http://www.coquegalaxyalpha.com][color=#8e8e97]coque galaxy alpha[/color][/url]

[url=http://www.coquegalaxyalpha.com/category-coque-samsung-galaxy-alpha-29.html][color=#8e8e97]coque samsung galaxy alpha[/color][/url]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...