Le Petomane Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 I have just been fined for speeding and been told I have 1 point on my licence. However, I have a UK licence. How will this work, if at all? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunday Driver Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 Offences involving points mean a mandatory exchange of your UK licence for a French one so that the penalty can be applied. However, it seems that this procedure is not always rigourously followed in the case of just one point. Just keep quiet and wait to see what happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardian Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 Exactly that for me and (as SD says) it was never followed through. I paid the fine promptly though and that just might have helped! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josephine79 Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 Eek, Petomane: I hope you mean you have had one point taken OFF your stock of 12. 'Cos if you only have one point on your licence you need to go VERY carefully.In France things are "back to front": everyone starts with twelve points which are then taken away if you've been a bad lad /lass.No wonder you have to exchange it in order for them to apply the penalty: otherwise the two systems would cancel each other out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naps Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 [quote user="Josephine79"]Personally I would report my British licence lost / stolen and get a duplicate!But then I'm a very naughty girl.[/quote] However, when you exchange your licence to a French one, it's my understanding that you have to send your UK licence which is then returned to DVLA who would 'suspend' it until you return and ask for it to be exchanged back from a French one - yes?Therefore your French licence would invalidate your UK one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunday Driver Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 [quote user="Josephine79"]Personally I would report my British licence lost / stolen and get a duplicate!But then I'm a very naughty girl.[/quote]There would be no point in you making a fraudulent declaration to the DVLA because they won't issue a replacement driving licence to someone resident outside the UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassis Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 Touch wood, I've had two one-point deductions, both paid promptly online, and no request from anyone to change licence. But as SD says (and as he has said before) you can be asked to change after just one point if the authorities feel like it. But the procedure for changing is no big deal and is well described (again by SD) elsewhere on the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony F Dordogne Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 And to follow on from SD's comment, if you are lying (which is what is being suggested, apart from advocating breaking the law) by suggesting that you have a UK address when you actually live in France and you get caught, be interesting to see which of your licences you manage to hang on to. Just saying that you have lost your licence when you haven't is making a false declaration and makes you subject to prosecution cos it ain't true. And if you get caught driving/committing an offence on your 'second' licence in UK when your licence has been invalidated will almost certainly mean visiting the local police station, revokes your insurance etc.If you have your UK licence pulled in France (either surrender normally, swapped after offence or suspended by Gendarmes/Prefecture) it will be returned to DVLA when your French licence is issued, with the appropriate information as to the circumstances of it being revoked. So you wont actually have a UK licence unless you're a real fool and have always got a 'spare' just in case, which begs the question as to whether you should be on the road anyway - if that's forward planning, it would say a great deal about your life style.And the idea that it is just the Prefecteur that can pull the licence and for a period of up to 3 months for serious offences isn't completely accurate. Even if you get a French licence back, if the Procureur thinks the offences are serious enough, they can go to the Court of Appeal to argue for the licence to be revoked completely pending disposal of the case. If that happens, the DVLA will be informed again and you have lost the right to drive in France AND the UK as your UK licence has already been revoked and is sitting in Swansea.Imagine not being able to drive anywhere at all .............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deimos Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 When I changed my UK old pink paper license for a photo license (whilst living in France) I kept the old one "just in case". However, I have been told that should I (have to) change to a French license, whilst I may have the old bit of paper, any police checks, etc. would identify that it was invalid/revoked or whatever - so it would not be useful.Just commenting on what I've been told about it - but not yet been asked to change to a French license.Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pancake Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 So how do these guys get away with it ?? They say its legal because of a loop hole in the legislation.http://www.euautodocs.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony F Dordogne Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 Yes they do seem to get away with it and then also say that if you're disqualified you still can't drive in England and I assume that you can't drive in France if you've been disqualified here. They challenge people to send their web site material to their local MEP so that's what I'm going to do.If I've got this right you just end up with a Lithuanian - or where ever - driving licence which you can have any class of vehicle put onto, whether you're a competant driver or not and then can then possibly change it for one in your own country of residence.But, you'll still be disqualified so if you're ever caught - and in small communities the chances are much greater as the Police/Gmen will know you, it's another offence to add to the string. And remember, in France, driving whilst disqualified almost certainly means 6 months inside - some may get lighter sentences but most, quite rightly, go away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 Tony, I have a UK photo licence but live full-time in France. I have not lied in order to keep my UK licence nor do I hide the fact I live permanently in another country. When I left the UK 3 years ago I informed DVLA that I would no longer have a UK address but could I give them my French one - they said no, I had to keep the old address on the licence. I volunteered my parents' UK address but they said no, if I wasn't going to live there. I pointed out that someone else would shortly be moving into my old UK address, and they said no problem, that is how the system works. This seems stupid given that a UK licence is a pretty good form of ID and proof of residence. As I understand it my UK licence, as an EU licence, is perfectly valid here in France, until I commit an offence, when I may be required to change it in order to deduct the points. Am I correct? I was planning on changing to a french licence in a few years when mine expires but maybe I should do it sooner rather than later?Jane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerdesal Posted November 25, 2006 Share Posted November 25, 2006 [quote user="Jane and Danny"]Tony, I have a UK photo licence but live full-time in France. I have not lied in order to keep my UK licence nor do I hide the fact I live permanently in another country. When I left the UK 3 years ago I informed DVLA that I would no longer have a UK address but could I give them my French one - they said no, I had to keep the old address on the licence. I volunteered my parents' UK address but they said no, if I wasn't going to live there. I pointed out that someone else would shortly be moving into my old UK address, and they said no problem, that is how the system works. This seems stupid given that a UK licence is a pretty good form of ID and proof of residence. As I understand it my UK licence, as an EU licence, is perfectly valid here in France, until I commit an offence, when I may be required to change it in order to deduct the points. Am I correct? I was planning on changing to a french licence in a few years when mine expires but maybe I should do it sooner rather than later?Jane [/quote]As I understand it you are perfectly correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony F Dordogne Posted November 25, 2006 Share Posted November 25, 2006 JaneWe've been round this surrender of licence/not surrender so many times, we all agree that you can drive on your UK licence until you get caught doing something wrong.My comments were aimed as Josephine - interesting that her mention of making a fraudulent claim for a lost driving licence has disappeared from her message in this thread tho it does appear on a couple of the following messages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunday Driver Posted November 25, 2006 Share Posted November 25, 2006 Josephine has also declared her preference for making fraudulent claims on another (unnamed) forum which happily doesn't have the facility to edit posts. Good job we captured her comments here in a quote, then....Regarding Jane's point about a photocard licence being good ID. This still holds true even though it shows an obsolete UK address. That's because it's purely for proof of identity, not address. In France, if you change address you are not even required to update your driving licence or identity card (optional). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josephine79 Posted November 25, 2006 Share Posted November 25, 2006 Ok, ok maybe it wasn't a smart idea, I have now withdrawn the remark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunday Driver Posted November 25, 2006 Share Posted November 25, 2006 OK. Enough said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deimos Posted November 26, 2006 Share Posted November 26, 2006 When I changed my old UK license for a photo one (whilst living in France) I made a fraudulent claim about having lost my old paper license. When applying for the photo card replacement (at a UK Post Office) they tried to send my old paper one in with the application. Although I had never been asked for my license in France I did not fancy the prospect of explaining that it was with DLVA for an "unknown period" whilst my new license was being prepared. I explained this to the UK Post Office Assistant who explained that the only way round this was to say the paper license was lost (ticking a box on the application form) and then they did not have to send in the old one. At least that way, had French police asked for it I would have had something to show them. and thus I now have the two UK licenses, though I guess the paper one is actually useless as it must have been "voided" by DVLA.Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunday Driver Posted November 26, 2006 Share Posted November 26, 2006 [quote user="Deimos"] I made a fraudulent claim about having lost my old paper license..... [/quote]Ian, you do not have to say anthing - but it may harm your defence..........[;-)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deimos Posted November 26, 2006 Share Posted November 26, 2006 [quote user="Sunday Driver"][quote user="Deimos"] I made a fraudulent claim about having lost my old paper license..... [/quote]Ian, you do not have to say anthing - but it may harm your defence..........[;-)][/quote]Well, in truth it was the person in the Post Office who ticked the "Lost" box as they handed me back my "lost" paper license. So I suppose I did nothing wrong but "the authorities" might have something to explain when the "fit hits the shan".Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony F Dordogne Posted November 26, 2006 Share Posted November 26, 2006 Problem is Ian that you would have signed the certification para which says that everything that you said is true and that in the event of there being an offence committed, it's down to you.I don't think that the defence of 'a big boy/girl who works in the post office did it and ran away' would hold a great deal of water in front of the magistrates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunday Driver Posted November 27, 2006 Share Posted November 27, 2006 Just take the Fifth, Ian.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo Posted February 7, 2007 Share Posted February 7, 2007 Is there a legal way of changing your Uk licence for a French one when you move permanently to France? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pancake Posted February 7, 2007 Share Posted February 7, 2007 HiThis will answer it for you...http://www.frenchentree.com/fe-lavie/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=134: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Avery Posted February 7, 2007 Share Posted February 7, 2007 Yes there is, but has been said over and over and over and over again, you don't have to unless told to by the French Police. A UK license with an out of date UK address is quite legal in France. Do a search, there are 100's of posts about this topic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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