Exchange UK driving licence

[sid]

Has anyone on the forum had any experience of exchanging a UK driving licence for a French one since the new system came into force towards the end of last year ?

In mid-November I prepared the documents for a friend of ours, sent off the required pieces to Nantes, received the recorded delivery receipt and have heard nothing since. I understand there's a delay but 3 months seems ridiculous. Not only that but my friend has nothing to show the gendarmes apart from a photocopy of his old UK licence. When I changed mine 10 years ago it was done at the Prefecture, I got a certificate over the counter, and the new licence arrived within a week. The new ones are the plastic credit card things, so conceivably could take longer to produce, but 3 months and counting... ?

I'd love to hear from anyone who has had success.

I tried phoning Nantes but got absolutely nowhere, very rude !

[BritinBretagne]

Why has he only got a photocopy if his old licence? I have got the instructions from my prefecture to go with the forms and it states quite clearly that I am to send a photocopy, not the original licence, with the application. From what I’ve read on other sites three months is nothing to get worried about.

[sid]

I've checked the instructions dated 11 Sept 2017 which I received from the Deux-Sevres Prefecture in November and they clearly state that the original has to be sent. I have the PDF but can't add it to this post.

I Googled the same information this evening and as you say, it says to send a copy! The new page is dated 28 December 2017 so I have to assume that the backlogs are causing problems. They now say that the originals will be demanded in due course. I've read other forums too and people are worried about driving with no original licence, but I can't find anyone who has actually received a new licence by this method. In any case it's too late, we can't get them back and none of this answers my question, has anyone on the forum used the new postal system for exchange of UK licence, and how long does it take ?

[Gardian]

This whole business has been a complete mess!

Believe it or not, I started this process in mid-May ‘17. Applied to our Prefecture (Nimes) for a rendezvous and got a date 2 months on. Turned up - a couple of docs missing (not asked for on the website), so got them & went back. “C’est bon”, I was told.

No response. Then (after a further 6 wks) was asked to go for a medical. Did that - no problem. Re-submitted the dossier. A further 4 wks and was told that it was all being transferred to Nantes & here’s your dossier. Sent it off late-Oct.

Received a formal attestation in the post a couple of weeks ago, saying that my original UK licence needed to be sent by ‘Recommande’ for my new French licence to be issued. Attestation valid until end-May.

So .......... nine months on and I’m virtually there ! Happily-ish, I’ve alaways had an Attestation in my possession, but you never know if you run in to a stroppy Gendarme.

They’ve centralised everything and (certainly down here), they got the hump and perhaps not unreasonably, did nothing for several months. Thus a massive backlog of dossiers hitting the new Centre.

To try to answer your question, think 3 months plus for a response from Nantes. Hope this helps.

[AnOther]

Evidently you have yet to learn that what happens at one prefecture is no guide to what might happen at any other, twas ever thus !

[Hoddy]

I have deleted a post from this thread. Unfortunately the forum software decided to take the one below it too.

It was this from BritinBretagne -

My post makes perfect sense. I picked up the forms from my local prefecture and they gave me a list of things to include with the application. The list states quite clearly that I must send photocopies not original documents. What part of that don’t you understand? It could not be clearer.

On other sites I use there are several people still waiting after more than three months. There is a backlog.

[Mac]

Obviously they've changed the criteria due to the backlog. I have just printed the forms to fill in and on the list of things to send it says that if you're not French but are a citizen of another EU country you need to send- "photocopies de justificatifs de residence normal en France à la date de la demande (au moins 185 jour avec attaches personnelles et/ou professionelles"

What do they require for that? I thought a tax form but I'm confused by the 185 days bit and the attatcments ?

[nomoss]

Maybe there's a racket obtaining French licences for residents of other EU countries who have had their licences revoked.

It used to happen in the UK when people were able to get Irish licences without actually going there. - Don't ask me how I know.

[sid]

It was this from BritinBretagne -

<< Quote: My post makes perfect sense. I picked up the forms from my local prefecture and they gave me a list of things to include with the application. The list states quite clearly that I must send photocopies not original documents. What part of that don’t you understand? It could not be clearer. >>

Hmmm yes, it could not be clearer .... now, but when they move the goalposts which instructions do you take ?

There is no need to get stroppy about this, I have kept my instructions from November which quite clearly state that I must send originals. What part of that do YOU not understand ? I can provide the instruction document but not via this pathetic forum software.

All this quibbling about originals is nothing to do with my query. You clearly haven't used the licence system and are not qualified to reply other than an opinion which I didn't ask for. Let's stick to facts.

Kindly keep your hair on.

Thank you to the others who have replied and it appears that there is still some time to wait.

[Harnser]

My application has been in since mid september last year.

I had an email enquiry from them in January asking if I was resident.

This despite having sent in, with all the rest of the stuff they want, a photocopy of my Titre de Sejour card, to obtain which you have to prove that you have been resident for 5 years +

More staff training needed at Nantes methinks.

[sid]

Wow! Thanks, it's getting worse.

I hope you'll let us know when you licence eventually arrives, and I'll do the same.

Agreed, more training, and probably more staff required.

[woolybanana]

In the Vendée mine took more than six months; the delay was down to staffing and method of processing applications.

[mint]

[quote user="Mac"]Obviously they've changed the criteria due to the backlog. I have just printed the forms to fill in and on the list of things to send it says that if you're not French but are a citizen of another EU country you need to send- "photocopies de justificatifs de residence normal en France à la date de la demande (au moins 185 jour avec attaches personnelles et/ou professionelles"

What do they require for that? I thought a tax form but I'm confused by the 185 days bit and the attatcments ?[/quote]

Justificatifs de résidence usually means utility bills, that is, water, phone, electricity, etc.  The 185 days bit merely means RECENT bills, that is less than 6 months old.

[Mac]

That's what I thought originally but in the list of items to be provided-the one before my query says:- photocopie de Jusificatif de domicile ( facture de four issuers, d'electricity, d'eau,de telephone) I assumed that was the utility bill so not sure what the second one is..

[sid]

[quote user="woolybanana"]In the Vendée mine took more than six months; the delay was down to staffing and method of processing applications.[/quote]

Wooly, the new system only started in September didn't it, so it's not been running for 6 months yet ? Did you apply under the old system ?

[woolybanana]

Not sure, Sid, it was a couple of years ago but I got the new style French licence.

[sid]

OK Wooly, understood, but this post is about the new national system administered from Nantes; most regular tasks can only be carried out online now, like registering vehicles and applying for new licences. The awkward one is exchange of "foreign" licences for French ones which has to be done by post and it's this procedure that I'm questioning with regard to how long it takes.

[Mac]

If someone has filled in the forms can I ask a couple of questions. On the grid where you fill in the catagories the centre 3 boxes say above them:- Code Departmental. Against the catago rise on the back of the card there is a code number but some are 2 digit (01) some are 5 digit (01-107) one is 8 ( 01-101-110)-which do you use? And when it asks for "Date d' obtention" does that mean the date you originally got your license or the date the card licence was issued?

[sid]

Mac, The one I did was a plastic-type licence; on the back are listed the categories, I simply copied the "from" and "to" dates (dates in 1975-2021) for the appropriate categories and left the "code département" blank.

For the "date d'obtention" we weren't sure as the valid dates of the licence were different (2004-2014) so we put the same date as for the categories, being the date the test was passed.

I can't tell you whether this is correct as we haven't heard anything, as you'll guess from this thread !

Good luck, and I hope you're patient.

[Gardian]

Sid .......

From the looks of it, your pal’s dossier went in 3-4 weeks after mine. That would suggest that you’ll get something back within the next few weeks. That of course is assuming that the backlog hasn’t got worse!

I’ll re-post when I get the actual licence - expected soon, but I’m not holding my breath.

The Gendarmerie will be aware of these delays (they don’t just affect licence exchange people), so unless you get a particularly dopey / difficult one + of course the remote possibility that he gets stopped, then he should be OK. The only issue is whether his UK licence has by now expired - that could well make things more difficult.

[Mac]

Thanks Sid-and everyone else. They don't make it easy do they!!

[sid]

Gardian, thanks I'll keep a lookout here.

The photo licence had expired but from previous experience this doesn't matter for an exchange, as the actual "entitlement to drive" doesn't expire until much later (shown on the green counterpart), just the photo card. A previous application I did for another person (i'm not doing any more !) came through with no problem.

[AnOther]

I don't think the French know or care about the counterpart (which has been abolished anyway) and since it does not even list the groups a person is entitled to drive in terms of demonstrating that you are qualified to be driving is about as much use page 3 of the Sun!

I certainly wouldn't want to be stopped by the fuzz in France or anywhere with nothing more than that between me and a seat in the back of of their car or possibly a cell!

Even if a licence is in date the defining document is the Certificate of Entitlement (CoE) which DVLA will issue on demand and although the exchange procedure may not ask for it under the system introduced in Jan 2013 licencing authorities have a duty to confirm that a person applying for a licence is genuinely entitled to hold one (not banned in the UK for instance abd failed to surrender it) which they do by themselves requesting the CoE so I suspect that exchange of information may be where some of the holdups are occurring.

My advice to anyone applying has always been to obtain the CoE and submit it whether requested or not and I reiterate it now, unfortunately for those already 'in process' that advice probably comes too late.

As a matter of interest I wonder whom (if any) amongst those still waiting did include that, if not then in part at least you will likely have been instrumental in generating the delay.

[sid]

Point taken ANO, and no I didn't think about a CoE as it wasn't on the list of required documents. Certainly good advice for any future applicants ! I'm sure the French HAVE seen it before because previous applicants will have sent (or taken) it in, as I did with mine 10 years ago.

Will the DVLA issue a CoE to an address in France ?

We only have photocopies now of everything but we know they're not acceptable to the police, and my friend has stopped driving because of the worry!

I included the Counterpart because it did at one time constitute part of the licence and usually it's useful to include the complete set if you have it. I wonder how many ex-pats are even aware that it's redundant now, and so would still include it, as I did?

If it's causing a delay one would reasonably expect a request for more information, not a complete shutdown. Email addresses were provided; how long would it take to bang out a quick demand, for heaven's sake!

[Gardian]

ANO is absolutely right about the COE. However, in my case, it was a document that Nimes asked for quite early in my lengthy procedure and so it was in the dossier that went off to Nantes in October.

Incidentally, the one that you can get online wasn’t sufficient for them (Nimes) and I had to telephone the DVLA who were very helpful. Document mailed to our French home within a matter of days!

Of course, none of this means that Nantes will insist on it, but you can see the logic and sense of that being a requirement. Not making it clear in the online instructions is just a little additional admin hoop to navigate!

Bon courage to your friend Sid - probably the only comfort to him / her is the knowledge that he’s not alone!