Charging for a UK/French license swap

[BobDee]

Have to change my UK license in the next few months. The local Prefecture website seems to say that it now costs €52. Have I got this wrong or is this just another Sarko stealth tax?

Vous devez présenter :
• Une demande d’échange de permis de conduire, remplie et signée
• Une pièce d’identité
• 2 photographies d’identité
• Le permis de conduire et sa traduction officielle
• Si vous êtes de nationalité étrangère, le titre de séjour ou de résident
• Si vous êtes français, l’attestation d’immatriculation ou de résidence délivrée par le consulat de France.
• une enveloppe affranchie au tarif ordinaire et libellée à vos nom et adresse, afin que votre permis vous soit envoyé par voie postale
• le règlement de la taxe régionale de 52 €

BobDee

[Ron Avery]

Thats right wing politicians for you  Bob!!!  However as far as I know and in my area that covers 12, 46, 81 and 82,  a straight swap of a driving license is free but you have to provide the photos and SAE etc.

Edit

That attached form is dated 11/02.  The charge for changing a license was abolished in the departments I mentioned in April 2004.

[Maricopa]

Certainly WAS free in Hérault, but who can say now![8-)]

[AnOther]

'er indoors is gearing up to exchange hers shortly so we'll see what the deal is in 46, supposed to be free AFAIK.

[Clair]

The exchange was free in 46 when I did it last year.

The fee is down to the dept. Some charge, some don't.

[AnOther]

Very glad to hear it Clair [:D]

In view of somebody else's difficulties in this respect do you know if it is strictly necessary to use the Prefecture in ones own department or can you do it at any ?

[Clair]

You have to go to the prefecture in the dept where you live.

[Bluebells]

25 euros when I did mine last month in Niort (Deux Sevres) but very quick service took 4 days to come in post

[Maricopa]

[quote user="Bluebells"]very quick service took 4 days to come in post[/quote]

I'll never tire of relating this tale.[:-))]

http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/1397735/ShowPost.aspx

[AnOther]

Thought that would probably be so although I don't really see why.

As long as you presented the necessary documents, which would of course include proof of your address wherever that happened to be in the country, why should it matter which department you applied in ?

No need to respond, just musing [;-)]

[BobDee]

And another thing........

It has been suggested that the local Marie will supply a letter of Attestation stating that you are a resident. How do they really know?

Wouldnt a copy of a tax Fonciere form be enough?

Cant believe that collecting all the papers together for what is supposed to be a simple and "free" process can take all day!!!!

 

BobD

[Bugsy]

[quote user="BobDee"]

It has been suggested that the local Marie will supply a letter of Attestation stating that you are a resident. How do they really know?

[/quote]

Well, if you introduced yourselves initially and have become an intregal part of the local community, they will know.

If you haven't done the above, and are hiding or keeping a low profile then they will still know.........................walls have ears and stuff.....[:D]

I guess if you live in a big city, it may be different.......................

.

[Clair]

[quote user="BobDee"]It has been suggested that the local Marie will supply a letter of Attestation stating that you are a resident. How do they really know? Wouldnt a copy of a tax Fonciere form be enough?[/quote]

A foreign resident with a French holiday home would also have a bill for his impôts fonciers.

A copy of your income tax bill (impôts sur les revenus) might be of more help, together with a recent utility bill.

[BobDee]

Thanks Clair,

Off to the SP Monday morning with everything,,

BobD

[Clair]

BobDee

Before you set off on your drive, make sure the SP can deal with your exchange.

Those in 46 do not and it was easier to deal with it by post.

[BobDee]

Well, went to the local Marie with all the paper work we could think of. Very helpful local lady who we know quite well. She checked all our documentation and added:

1) Letter of attestation for each of us saying we were permanent residents, the one for my wife showing maiden name which we "proved" from copy of our new French Marriage Contract taken out when we first came to France.

2) Certified copy of Cadastral records proving we lived where we said we did.

So the documentation comprised:

2 identity photos each. 

Completed "Demand de échange de Permit de Conduire" forms

2 copies of our passports, stamped and certified as true by the Marie

The certificate from Swansea for each of our licences, that comes with a French translation.  

A stamped addressed return envelope

Items 1 and 2 as above

A cheque for 52 € each, This is the standard Lot et Garonne charge for a new driving license or for changing an existing one. Moving from area to area charges are zero.

All was then placed in large brown envelope and sent off to the local Prefecture in Agen (47).

Total costs then, 2 x Swansea certificates @ £5 each plus 104 €. 

So for all those posters who say its easy and free, not for us it wasnt!

Happy Christmas

BobDee

Of course, we havnt actually received our licenses yet. There might be more excitement to come!    

 

[Sunday Driver]

[quote user="BobDee"]

So for all those posters who say its easy and free, not for us it wasnt!

[/quote]

It's easy if you actually select the correct procedure for licence exchanges - you chose the one for non-EU licences....[;-)]

EU licences don't require a translation.

 

 

[BobDee]

SD, The official site viz::

http://www.lot-et-garonne.pref.gouv.fr/1-8242-Permis-de-conduire-etrangers.php

Makes specific reference to EEC licences and asks for a translation.

The Swansea certificate comes with such, and given all the problems that various posters have had with local Prefectures, doing things the way they are asked for, seems the best course. Perhaps the L & G site is at variance with Brussels policy, but I dont think I'll go the route of pointing out the error of their ways.

BobD

[Sunday Driver]

Oops...

The L&G prefecture have made an error - they've published the incorrect information....

They've taken the details from the service-public portal - only they've copied the instructions for 'Echanger un permis de conduire hors Union européen' as applicable to all licences....

I'll send them an e-mail.  [;-)]

 

 

[BobDee]

SD,

I guess the charges aren't in error? !!

BobD

[BobDee]

An update. We received our Permis de Conduire this morning. Though not without a couple of problems.

I received a call from the Prefecture a few days after they had received all the documentation from the Marie. 

1) They didn't like the computer generated photographs I had supplied, although they were glossy and of the correct size, in fact we supplied two sizes;  they said they wouldn't scan and professional ones would, so a trip to the local photographer had to be made. 12 € for the pics, done in 5 minutes.

2) They wouldn't accept the Swansea Statements of License entitlement. I explained these were official documents and not copies, they looked at them again and accepted that they were now OK.

Anyway, all OK now and we still have our UK licences. I'm tempted to keep these whilst they are still valid. Dont know if the Prefecture tell Swansea they have issued French licences.

No doubt someone will be in touch. 

Total cost at today's exchange rate, around £120 for two licences!

BobD 

[AnOther]

Technically your UK licences are no longer valid as you have exchanged them (and that is operative term) for French ones and you are not permitted to hold more than one EU licence at a time. Eventually they should be returned to Swansea so I guess as you say someone will be in touch.