gwenn Posted March 2, 2006 Share Posted March 2, 2006 As France is now my main home do I have to change from my UK to a French driving licence? Is there anything I should be aware of? e.g. are the conditions the same on the French as the UK licence with regard to towing a caravan/trailer?Thanks :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted March 2, 2006 Share Posted March 2, 2006 If you have a European one then you don’t have to change it unless you commit an offence.I was stopped for speeding and then had to change mine for a French one.Regards to towing a caravan/trailer if you do decide to change the licence then you will need to have a medical, or you had to in our dept, not saying all depts are the same though without this you cant tow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaBucherie Posted March 2, 2006 Share Posted March 2, 2006 [quote user="Alan"]Regards to towing a caravan/trailer if you do decide to change the licence then you will need to have a medical, or you had to in our dept, not saying all depts are the same though without this you cant tow[/quote]No you don't! The classes in France are the same as the UK. If you have a normal car licence (B), you can tow a caravan/trailer within certain limits. Quote from DVLA website " Motor vehicles with a MAM not exceeding 3500kg having not more than 8 passenger seats with a trailer up to 750kg. Combinations of towing vehicles in category B and a trailer, where the MAM of the combination does not exceed 3500kg and the MAM of the trailer does not exceed the unladen mass of the towing vehicle." This covers most units except very large caravans and/or large 4x4 towcars.If your unit falls outside these limits, you need B+E which, in France, I believe does require a medical. This is nothing to do with which dept you are in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted March 2, 2006 Share Posted March 2, 2006 So be it, but unless i had a medical they would not give me one that would allow to tow plain and simple.I had a choice get a medical and be allowed to tow or no medical and no towing allowed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaBucherie Posted March 2, 2006 Share Posted March 2, 2006 Alan:My point is that you can tow (within the restrictions mentioned) on an ordinary class B licence. If this is what you were applying for, the question about towing should not have arisen. There is no facility that I know of for prohibiting a B licence holder from towing They could refuse to issue the licence itself without a satisfactory medical but that is nothing to do with placing a ban on towing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwenn Posted March 2, 2006 Author Share Posted March 2, 2006 Thanks for the info., think I'll stay with my UK licence for the moment at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted March 2, 2006 Share Posted March 2, 2006 On my English licence I had B ,C1, D1 ,BE ,C1E, D1E.So what is the difference between B and BE ? I was told that to tow a trailer or caravan on the French driving licence I would need category E B, which I was told is the same as the English BE.At this point i said that i would never tow a caravan but could i tow a small trailer and was told no not unless i had BE category as the same was required As I do not normally tow anything I decided not to go for the medical, mainly for the time factor as I only had 5 days to provide the police with the French Permis when I received the French Permis The categories on my french licence are A1 B1 , B.Now ok B states 3500kg plus 8 people with a car shown next to it. EB shows the car and caravan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaBucherie Posted March 2, 2006 Share Posted March 2, 2006 The French put the classes in a different manner, but the result is the same. You can tow a trailer with a class B licence provided that it is not in the E(B) category. ie either the trailer is less than 750kg OR if the weight of the vehicle plus the trailer do not exceed 3500kg together, provided that the trailer is not heavier than the vehicle. In the UK, anyone who passed their test before, I think, January 1997 automatically got the BE class on their licence. After that you just got B. The pictures on the licence are misleading. You were misinformed when you exchanged your licence.From the Orne Prefecture website http://www.orne.pref.gouv.fr/index2.jsp?pg=17&r=262"CATEGORIE B Véhicules automobiles ayant un poids total autorisé en charge (PTAC) <= 3500 kg, affectés au transport de personnes et comportant outre le siège du conducteur huit places assises au maximum, ou affectés au transport de marchandises, ainsi que les véhicules qui peuvent être assimilés aux véhicules précédents et dont la liste est fixée par arrêté du ministre chargé des transports.Remorque : OUI dès lors qu'elle n'entraîne pas leur classement dans la catégorie E (B)CATEGORIE E (B) Véhicules relevant de la catégorie B attelés d'une remorque dont le PTAC excède 750 Kg lorsque le PTAC de la remorque est supérieur au poids à vide du véhicule tracteur ou lorsque le poids total en charge de l'ensemble (tracteur + remorque) est supérieur à 3500 Kg"I have removed the duplication of the phrase "dont le PTAC excède 750 Kg" for clarity.I hope that this helps.RegardsDavid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted March 3, 2006 Share Posted March 3, 2006 Thanks David that has cleared matters up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Briank Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 I have just found this information when searching for towing limits in France. At the side of the picture showing a towed caravan Cat EB it says jusqu'au 01/01/2005 70 GB followed by a red stamp. Does this mean that I am unable to tow a caravan now or can I tow if I have had a medical? Do I have the medical and then take it and my driving licence to the prefecture? Not quite sure why this date has been given.Brian (86 Vienne) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunday Driver Posted December 7, 2006 Share Posted December 7, 2006 The date is when your EB towing entitlement needs to be renewed with a medical. Up to age 60, it needs to be renewed every five years. Between 60 and 75, it's every two years and then annually after that. The medical must be undertaken by an approved doctor and you must submit the report to your prefecture to renew the licence.The 70GB is merely the original issuing country code for an exchange licence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Briank Posted December 7, 2006 Share Posted December 7, 2006 Thank you for your advice. The fact that it wasn't renewed in 2005 because I wasn't towing then, will this delay be a problem once I have passed the medical? Do I need to get a list of approved doctors from the sous prefecture?Brian (86 Vienne) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunday Driver Posted December 7, 2006 Share Posted December 7, 2006 The delay is no problem - you are just reinstating your lapsed entitlement. Your prefecture will supply you with a list of approved doctors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Telerhythmman Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 My UK licence was issued in 1997 and allows me to drive vehicles in groups A and E. So where does that leave me with regards the French equivalent? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugsy Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 This might be of help............................[IMG]http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p211/Bugbear2/DrivingLicenceCategories.gif[/IMG] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Telerhythmman Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 Thanks Bugbear, that's most useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pommier Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 When my husband changed his license (after getting a point for speeding) it came back with every category. Maybe I should look out for bus or lorry driver jobs for him? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooperlola Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 This happened to some friends of mine who live locally. They changed their licences to French ones and now find they are allowed to drive all kinds of vehicles which they couldn't before! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunday Driver Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 Don't anyone rush out and buy a 44 ton artic quite yet....When you exchange your UK licence for a French one, only your existing UK entitlements are transferred. For example, if you have (E)B for towing a large trailer with a car, then you will get the French (E)B category. If you passed your UK motorcycle test for a 125cc, you will get the French category A1 which is restricted to 125cc as well. And so on....However, and this is where it becomes slightly confusing.If you have UK category C1 (light trucks up to 7,500kg) there is no equivalent French C1category - instead you get a full category C (big trucks) but with a 7,500kg weight restriction code added.Same applies to UK category D1 for minibuses. You get a full French category D (big coach) entitlement but with a 17 seat restriction code applied. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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