speed fine but do i get points on uk licence? when i am resident in france

[chirpy]

LAST MONTH DID 97 IN 90 KPH AREA AND RECEIVED IN POST DEMAND FOR 90 EURO.

SINCE I STILL AM USING MY UK LECENSE DO THE FRECH ADD POINTS WHENEVER I CHANGE TO A FRENCH LICENSE AS I AM SURE THEY WILL NOW HAVE A RECORD  ON THEIR COMPUTER.

PAID FINE BUT NO REQUEST 1 MONTH LATER FOR LICENSE.

[Babnik]

Now that you have a point on your licence, and you are resident in France, you MUST change to a French licence. Having said that I have no idea how this is checked, but I don't know what would happen next time you are stopped!!

 

Steve

[Miki]

The law is a rather grey area as to whether you MUST change your licence. It is widely thought that you would be asked to do so in cases where penalty points are needed to be "put on" your driving licence but we know a couple who have retained their UK licences (as they are legally entitled to of course) where the chap got nabbed speeding and they have not been asked, that was last Xmas.

To find out how many points you have been "done" you can either see it on your penalty notice ( it is where I have always found mine!!)or you can go down to your sous prefecture or prefecture and ask at the right dept, as to how many points you have left (you start in France with 12 points and then it reduces by so many points with each infraction). The points are not actually physically placed on your licence but held on computer.

 

[Babnik]

I have to agree with Miki, that the law is a grey area where licences are concerned. I suppose it doesn't really matter, if you reach 12, you'll have your licence revoked be it British or French! For what it's worth, I have been caught speeding in France, while in the possession of a British Licence, and have been 'awarded' 2 points. I have since changed to a French licence, and as Miki stated the points do not appear on the licence, but they are there somewhere in the system. I'm not intending to get to 12 to find out what happens!

Steve

[moon]

I read recently that a reciprical agreement had been made between france and UK for points accrued in france to be transferred to UK licences, and vice versa.

Maybe a letter from UK Licensing authority is in the post to I assume an incorrect UK address.

Bob :<)

[Miki]

I'm not intending to get to 12 to find out what happens!

Steve,

I am ashamed to say I once got down to 2 points and oh boy, does it make you concentrate from then on. I am now sitting with 9 lovely points and driving impeccably. Fingers crosed it stays like that as well, I was getting paranoid thinking that I was being followed by les flics, as it once seemed that everytime I went just a little bit too fast, I was nabbed !

The speeding penalty points come off (or rather get put back on) the "licence" after 3 years.

Here is the list of penalties for any infraction, they are pretty draconian now as well, perhaps for the better.

http://www.code-route.com/infractions.htm

[Pucette<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Pucette<FONT><P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">"Qui ne connaît pas la campagne lhiver, ne connaît pas la campagne et ne connaît pas]

http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/particuliers/F1757.html?n=Transports&l=N18&n=Automobiles%20et%20deux-roues&l=N529&n=Permis%20de%20conduire&l=N530

The information on the service-public site about driving licenses has been updated fairly recently but still states clearly that changing to a French licence is obligatory if you lose points.

It is possible that it is out of date; does anyone have a reference for the change mentioned above?

[Miki]

Pucette I have seen that page before and to my knowledge it is up to date but like so many rules & regs here, who is supposed to follow this kind of thing through ? I doubt 5% of the Brits living here, even know of the excellent Service-Public.fr pages, let alone the rules concerning licences, once one has had points awarded against you.

As I say, our friend had a speeding infraction and was informed of his penalty that it was a 3 points penalty, he heard no more. I think that as someone else suggested, if he is caught out again and the police decide to clarify his licence for any reason, he may well have his collar felt if the flic is up to speed on the law on these matters.

Good ruling though, it ought to be more easily implemented don't you think?

 

 

[Pucette<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Pucette<FONT><P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">"Qui ne connaît pas la campagne lhiver, ne connaît pas la campagne et ne connaît pas]

I think that if anyone were to implement it it would have to be the gendarmes... and as you say they would only do so if he came to their attention again, and possibly not even then... perhaps it's at the root of the confusion some gendarmes in some departments apparently have (according to other postings on this forum), if it is true that they tell non-points-losing Brits that they should change their licenses...

I don't know what's desirable any more, I'm getting quite used to the idea that legislation is there to be used with discretion when someone gets on someone else's nerves, but should be ignored the rest of the time...