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Exchanging UK driving licence for French one


Araucaria
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Up till now, I have had no bad experiences with French bureaucracy. In fact the officials I've met have always gone out of their way to be helpful.

Today at the Prefecture in Aurillac I tried to exchange my UK photocard driving licence for a French one. I had all the papers I thought I'd need. But no.

First, the government form I'd completed on the internet (Cerfa No 11247*02) was the wrong form. I should have used the Cantal's own version.

Then, I had to give her a photocopy of my passport: the original wouldn't do (luckily I had both the passport and a photocopy of it: in the past, though, when an official wanted a photocopy of my passport, they did it themself on the office photocopier).

Then she said that I needed to provide an official translation of the driving licence. The Cantal's form says that the pieces a joindre include "Si besoin, une traduction officielle du permis a échanger". Since my UK licence is the modern-style EU type, I rather thought there was no need for a translation (don't the codes etc all correspond throughout the EU?): I could understand it if it had been a Russian one, for example.

Then she said that as my UK licence was time-limited (it expires when I reach 70 in nine years time) I would have to have a medical examination. When I said I thought that was unnecessary if all I wanted was the permis for light vehicles, she said I should tell the doctor that the examination was only for category B. This was on the basis that point 9 on the list of pieces a joindre was "Eventuellement, certificat de visite médicale passée en Commission Médicale Préfectorale s'il y a une validité sur le permis." She then handed me a list of approved doctors, told me to make an appointment with one of them, and good-bye. It goes without saying that my own doctor isn't on the list.

I rather think I'll give up at this point. I'd hoped to get my wife's licence done at the same time, but she has the old-style one green paper version. There are a lot more words on it to be translated than on my own (I assumed I'd get away with just translating my own photocard licence, rather than also the long paper sheet that goes with it).

Can anyone suggest any way of getting around an official like this? And where would I find a sufficiently official translator?

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[quote user="Mac"]Why do you need to change your licence for a french one? I thought that a UK driving licence was valid in France.[/quote]

Because I'll need to get a new licence at age 70 if I stick with the UK one, while I believe the French one is permanently valid if all you do is drive private cars or motorcycles. Getting a new UK licence is something of a chore too.

And if one day I get points on my licence - and of course I don't ever mean to break the law - I'll have to get a French one then.

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It seems French local authorities create their own rules regarding the exchange of driving licences .

I changed my Dutch licence (valid for 6 more months ) for a French without any problem. Some Dutch even report that they were able to change an expired licence without any question while others face similar problems as you have just depending on the mood of the person on the other side of the desk.

Try again when someone else  is at the desk or try the sous-prefecture.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Araucaria said "And if one day I get points on my licence - and of course I don't ever mean to break the law - I'll have to get a French one then."

I have often read this on forums and having recently fallen foul of a camera, paid the fine and exchanged my UK licence (in Morbihan, at the Prefecture, free, easily) for a French one.

However in a discussion with a Parisien friend who is close to having his licence lifted, he said that I didn't need to have done so, because the points are not recorded on one's licence, just centrally, and when you exceed the maximum they contact you to hand your licence in.

Is this what happens? any experiences?

Steve
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[quote user="Sc"]Araucaria said "And if one day I get points on my licence - and of course I don't ever mean to break the law - I'll have to get a French one then."

I have often read this on forums and having recently fallen foul of a camera, paid the fine and exchanged my UK licence (in Morbihan, at the Prefecture, free, easily) for a French one.

However in a discussion with a Parisien friend who is close to having his licence lifted, he said that I didn't need to have done so, because the points are not recorded on one's licence, just centrally, and when you exceed the maximum they contact you to hand your licence in.

Is this what happens? any experiences?

Steve[/quote]

Although the points are recorded centrally, they need a reference under which to record them, and that needs to be a French driving licence number at present - the system does not at present seem capable of storing point losses against foreign licences. Hence as a French resident, once you lose points, these need to be recorded on a French licence and therefore exchange of your foreign licence for a French licence is required.

Regards

Pickles

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"on a French licence" or against a French licence number/name/address? Do they mark the points on the licence as in the UK?

This could be a bit like "previous convictions" and influence a wavering gendarme.....

Steve
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[quote user="Sc"]"on a French licence" or against a French licence number/name/address? Do they mark the points on the licence as in the UK?

This could be a bit like "previous convictions" and influence a wavering gendarme.....

Steve[/quote]

Sorry, I meant "against a French licence" (which essentially means on a computer record referenced by a French driving licence number). The points are not physically recorded on the document that you hold.

Regards

Pickles

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I'm not contradicting what you say Pickles, but we spent an evening with two British friends last weekend and they told me that they had received and paid promptly, three speeding fines dating back four years and although the Avis de Contravention showed retrait des points they have never heard from the service responsible, the FNPC, and never been told to change their licence for a French one.

Its possible that everything isn't joined up - do you know anyone who has been told to change their licence?

Steve
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[quote user="Sc"]I'm not contradicting what you say Pickles, but we spent an evening with two British friends last weekend and they told me that they had received and paid promptly, three speeding fines dating back four years and although the Avis de Contravention showed retrait des points they have never heard from the service responsible, the FNPC, and never been told to change their licence for a French one.

Its possible that everything isn't joined up - do you know anyone who has been told to change their licence?

Steve[/quote]

You will see from the following links that the legal position on being required to exchange one's licence is pretty clear. You will also see from the same links that the application of the requirement in practice is - to say the least - arbitrary and haphazard. If your friends have not been required to exchange their licences then they have been lucky, but not unusually so!.

http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/1869650/ShowPost.aspx

http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/2/1762102/ShowPost.aspx#1762102

http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/1693781/ShowPost.aspx

http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/2/1139037/ShowPost.aspx#1139037

http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/3/1121900/ShowPost.aspx#1121900

http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/983083/ShowPost.aspx

Regards

Pickles

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Sc - husband had to change his licence. I think it was after he got -3points for not wearing his seat belt, on top of a previous speeding fine.

We had a phone call from the police telling him to change it, I think they visited our house first when we were out. It was a few years ago.

He did change it, after a few months, though they never chased him up about it.

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  • 2 weeks later...
The posts have gone slightly off track, however my experience will hopefully cheer you up. There might still be hope yet.

I exchanged my licence at Vannes a month ago & it could not have been simpler. On the Friday I filled in the application form which was a piece of cake (I downloaded it from the internet - it was a generic form - I had just Googled something like "exchange UK/FR driving licences" & got the link to the French site), provided proof of ID and surrendered both parts of my UK licence, and on the Wednesday my French licence arrived. No malarky about translations. Sounds like you were just unlucky enough to have been dealt with by a complete tool.

One thing for sure, you do not need anything translated. The process is totally straightforward.
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I'm in Herault and requested the forms from the Prefecture at Montpellier. Upon arrival I saw that one had to enclose proof of address, old UK licence (both parts) and a translation of same.

I was advised by others not to bother with the translation bit and therefore duly sent the application off. The new licence was returned within 2 weeks from the Lodeve Sous Prefecture, no problem or hassle.

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Yes, do check with your OWN prefecture.  Ours wanted a form from the tax man which even the tax man had not heard of.  I pointed out that there was no mention of this on the form which I downloaded from the internet, but they pointed out that the Sarthe website had its own form (different from the national one) which did mention it.  A google and a bit of research revealed what this magic form was and when I explained to the impots they realised what I was talking about - although they still didn't know it by the number quoted on the prefecture's form.[:-))]

On the plus side, no translations were needed.

Save yourself some back and forth by phoning your prefecture first rather than relying on the government website, which may not conform with what your local fonctionaires decide is appropriate.

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