Naughty Boy

[Terry]

I have just received my second speeding ticket in two years. Two questions:

1. How long do the points last?

2. Where do the points appear. I do not have a French Driving Licence. (I drive on a EU one - not UK. I understand there is a dual points agreement between the UK and France)). But the Avis de Contravention Has a OUI in the box next to "Perte de point(s) du permis de conduire"

[Cat]

I don't know how long the points last, but the number of points depends on the your recorded speed vs the actual speed limit.. http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/1219682/ShowPost.aspx

You should be able to work it out from the above.

[Terry]

Thanks Cat. I have had a look at the other thread. I would have a problem with the change of Licence as I am not a French resident. I only spend the summer here (less than 3 months at a time) and would not want to give up my Cyprus licence as that is where I am resident.

[AnOther]

[quote user="beerdrinker"]I drive on a EU one....[/quote]What is an 'EU' licence [8-)]

 

[lostinfrance]

[quote user="ErnieY"]

[quote user="beerdrinker"]I drive on a EU one....[/quote]What is an 'EU' licence [8-)]

 

[/quote]

Have a look at

                            WWW.eulicences.com

[AnOther]

Aha, a dodgy one then, I'd heard that site had been closed down, obviously not [:-))]

Would the reason for this be in your user name I wonder [;-)]

 

[lostinfrance]

[quote user="ErnieY"]

Aha, a dodgy one then, I'd heard that site had been closed down, obviously not [:-))]

Would the reason for this be in your user name I wonder [;-)]

 

[/quote]

Je ne crois pas

[gosub]

[quote user="ErnieY"]

[quote user="beerdrinker"]I drive on a EU one....[/quote]What is an 'EU' licence [8-)]

 

[/quote]

A Republic of Cyprus licence would be valid to drive in the EU and therefore could be classed as an EU licence.

[AnOther]

I questioned it because, sceptical old git that I am, it struck me ever so slightly odd that he said "EU Licence" when he could have just as easily have said Cyprus and also I had previously come across the method of obtaining a licence described in the link so I had an idea what 'EU licence' actually referred to in this case and confirmation followed.

Clearly one does not go through those channels to obtain a licence unless something is not quite right [blink]

There is a proposal for a genuine EU driving licence but it is unlikely to be seen for several years yet.

EDIT:

There site which was closed down was http://speedlicence.com/ and was discussed here earlier

http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/1111512/ShowPost.aspx

Quite probably the new one is the same outfit going by a different name.

 

[Terry]

Yes you are an old git. My nom de plume has nothing to do with it. Being in France it could well have been Winedrinker - but taking your sign off you probably would not understand that. I am a resident of another EU country so I initially said EU licence. Cyprus joined the EU a few years ago and one can quite legally drive on a EU licence in any EU country. The chances of Brussels making a EU ldriving licence are as lilely as they are of harmonising VAT. The method of obtaining a licence when one is resident in another EU country is quite simple. You exchange your current licence for a licence of the country you are newly resident in. That is not channel hopping and it is "quite right". And if you want only one drink a day. Go ahead.

[AnOther]

I apologise for any slur and realise now that I mistakenly though it was you who'd posted the link to that site where, coincidentally, Cyprus is first on the list for the dodgy licences [:$]

 

[Chancer]

I had an amande 3 years ago which said "oui" in the perte de points section, I have not yet been asked to surrender my license.

My advice is worry about it when you have something to worry about [:)]

[Terry]

ErnieY, Apology accepted - thanks.

[AnOther]

[;-)]

To go back to your original point if you are not French resident then the question of changing your licence should not arise but following on from that if you are not then I'm a tad confused as to how they managed to send you the fine(s) in the first place, do you have a French registered car I wonder or were you perhaps in a hired one ?

 

[JMB]

You don't have to be a resident to say have a holiday home in France, or to have a French registered car. There seems to me a number of people on here take a quit unhealthy interest in other peoples affairs especially where cars are concerned. I suppose thats what being retired and at a loose end does for you.

[Russethouse]

[quote user="JMB"]You don't have to be a resident to say have a holiday home in France, or to have a French registered car. There seems to me a number of people on here take a quit unhealthy interest in other peoples affairs especially where cars are concerned. I suppose thats what being retired and at a loose end does for you.[/quote]

If people ask for help or information it is better to know the circumstances they are in, its hard to help without a full picture, perhaps you have a suspicious mind ? [:D][:D]

[Terry]

Yes I have a holiday home here (maison secondaire) and a French car (Citroen) registered in my name at my French address. That is how they got me.

Back to the question. How long do the points last (3 years as in England?)

Thanks

[Terry]

JR gn,

 

Thanks for that advise. I will wait and see what happens.

[AnOther]

Alas, as with many so much else in France it's not quite that simple [:)]

To recover your lost points:

If the offence leads to the loss of a single point, this point is reinstated 12 months later provided no other offence has been committed during the 12-month period.

• If another offence is committed during that same 12-month period, you lose whatever points the new offence demands and your single point is not reinstated at the end of the period.

At that stage,

• either you do not commit any offence during a 3-year period , at the end of which your full 12 points are re-instated
  

• or you enrol for a course, which will help you recover up to 4 points, to the max limit of 12 points (if you have only lost 2 points, you cannot get 14 points by taking the course, you'll get back to the max of 12 points). The course option is only available to the driver once every two years.
  

• or you do not commit any offence for 10 years and do not lose your licence during that period and your 12 points will be re-instated, if they have not been re-instated already.

There is a thread HERE with more info and several links to further reading if you feel so inclined. To save wading through the lot the last couple of pages are probably the most useful.

[gosub]

You can check your points here. I seem to remember that if you have only lost one point in a year then after 12 months it's returned to your licence.

As you are not a french resident, at this time your foreign licence can not show any french points but that may not stop the gendarms knocking on your door one day.

[Tancrède]

I do not dispute any information which has been given concerning the processing and duration of points which have been applied to an extant French licence.

However, I acquired a small number of these blots whilst driving in France on a UK licence. 

In due course, entirely voluntarily, and for reasons quite unassociated with these points, I decided to obtain a French licence. 

Whereas I understand that there is no machinery for attributing a French point to a UK licence, I was fully expecting these points to appear on the French one.  Intriguingly, they did not. 

I now the possesor of only one point  -  acquired after the change of licence.

[AnOther]

I guess it depends on what you mean by 'blots and how you acquired them.

If it was by being stopped in a UK regged car and with a UK licence and fined on the spot then no, there would be no record to carry forward to a subsequent French licence.

If it was in a French vehicle registered to you at your French address then I too would have expected any points to be deducted when changing but as this doesn't seem to have happened then maybe there are holes in the system [:D]

You mean of course that you are now the possesor of 11 points [;-)]

 

[Tancrède]

[quote user="ErnieY"]If it was in a French vehicle registered to you at your French address then I too would have expected any points to be deducted when changing but as this doesn't seem to have happened then maybe there are holes in the system[/quote]

Thank you.  I omitted this material detail from the narrative.  It was precisely a French vehicle registered to me at my French address  -  hence my surprise.  There are holes in the system, and happily my points fell into one of them. 

[quote user="ErnieY"]You mean of course that you are now the possesor of 11 points [/quote]

My collection of points (now purged by my change of licence) was a modestly impressive one  -  but not ostentatious.

[AnOther]

[quote user="JMB"]You don't have to be a resident to say have a holiday home in France, or to have a French registered car. There seems to me a number of people on here take a quit unhealthy interest in other peoples affairs especially where cars are concerned. I suppose thats what being retired and at a loose end does for you.[/quote]

I don't know about it being an unhealthy interest but cars are a subject which frequently arises because it's somewhat 'in yer face' when you see so many folks still sporting UK plates when you know full well thay shouldn't be whereas peoples other affairs, such as tax and residential status etc. etc. are usually rather more private.

I simply made the enquiry in this instance because without getting physically stopped, being on legitimate French plates, or in a hire care traceable back to you, I cannot immediately see how the OP has received his fines although he has now been kind enough to explain.

 

 

[Chancer]

But I thought that the points were not physically recorded on the license as in the UK but attributed to it (best word I could think of in my diminishing english vocab).

Hence you may well have indeed had points deducted against your new license, best to check on the website although I did read one newspaper article warning people not to do this as the enquiries are tracked. I have to admit I was mistified as to why one should beware but perhaps there really are great holes in the system and people who knew or thought that they had lost all 12 points had not had their licenses taken away.

I personally would like to check mne but as I still have a UK license and an amende that says "oui" I dont know if I would actually get any info or perhaps trigger the vist from the G men.