hstraf Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 My wife and I just moved to Corsica for at least a year. We have purchased a car, and now have our carte gris and all necessary insurance (I hope!).However, I have been unable to find out any information on whether we should get French driver's licenses. We're currently justusing our Canadian driver's licenses...Any advice?Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tourangelle Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 I wonder if you are in the same situation as an Australian guy I used to work with? He had to change his licence to a French one, but not immediately, I think he had a 6 or 12 month period of grace. You should go and ask at the prefeture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BJSLIV Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 For a non EU citizen the norm is that the foreign licence must be exchanged within 12 months of residence being taken up (Deemed to be when the carte de sejour is issued). If you hold a French passport I guess the twelve month period would start from day one. Beyond that date you cannot swop for a French licence, and would presumably have to take a French test. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hstraf Posted September 26, 2005 Author Share Posted September 26, 2005 Does anyone know if a test is involved if I just want to "swap" a Canadian license for a French license?While I don't have a problem driving or anything, it's been about 15 years since I got my license in Canada... I don't know if my bad habits might cause me to fail a French test.Anywhere I can find out this info? (ie: Point me to a french site, and I'll try to decode/translate it using google language system..)Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tourangelle Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 I've just looked this up for you on the site Lori suggested on another thread. You can just swap it if Canada has a reciprocal agreement with France.http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/particuliers/F1460.xhtmlI see from the other thread you are French. You also mention your wife. Have you looked into getting a livret de famille? They are really useful as ID for all sorts of things and as you are French they are going to ask you at some stage why you don't have one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tourangelle Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 Sorry, the link's in French. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hstraf Posted September 26, 2005 Author Share Posted September 26, 2005 [quote]Sorry, the link's in French.[/quote]Yes, I got my "livre de famille" before I left Canada. It took a while, because I had to write to various places in France to get a copy of my father's birth, etc... but eventually I was able to prove the family tree.. and then I got my book of the family and registered my marriage in it.So now I have used that to apply for a "carte d'identity", which will hopefully be the final "step" to "proving" that I'm actually french, etc. heh. Not an easy task when you don't speak French.But we're learning!No worries about the link being in French, as I can try to use Google's translation feature to figure out what it's saying. (That and my handy french<->english dictionary.)Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hstraf Posted September 26, 2005 Author Share Posted September 26, 2005 On a side note.. do you think it's needed for us to get French driver's licenses? Is there a benefit? (ie: It doesn't seem to be actually "required"..)What do you think? Would it make things easier, etc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamedup Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 So you'll have to sign up for national service then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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