Driving Licence

[Geoff]

                  I have a British driving licence, but resident in France. I have been told on my notification of fine for speeding, points will be added to my licence. ( First offence in 47 years luck ran out). No indication that I should report anywhere. What is the normal procedure for having points added. I have not received a letter instructing me what action I must take. Any advice or suggestions please.

[Benjamin]

Pay the fine, sooner rather than later as it's cheaper to do so.

You will get a visit from the Gendarmes if they want to take it any further. Anecdotal evidence on this forum suggests that if it was just a single point and a first offence you're unlikely to hear any more about it unless you do it again.

[Clair]

http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/1241845/ShowPost.aspx

[Patf]

Here is a conundrum: Husband has a french license and has lost three points. I have an english license and although I've had one fine, no points deducted up to now.

Husband was driving my car and was caught by a speed camera, but the fine was in my name, as the car is registered in my name. (I haven't got a beard though.)

What should we have done?

What would you have done?

I'm not saying what in fact we did.  [Www]

[Benjamin]

[quote user="Patf"]

I'm not saying what in fact we did.  [Www]

[/quote]

In that case I'm not telling you.  [:P]

[Jonzjob]

I know what I would have done too![6]

[Sunday Driver]

Return the ticket, truthfully stating that it was your husband that was driving the car. That way, he loses the points (not the end of the world) but hopefully his decreased points 'capital' will temper his future driving and encourage him to take greater care when driving.

The alternative is to lie, accept the fine and take the points yourself. The downside is, the authorities are quite aggressive in punishing anyone caught trafficking in points and whilst you are unlikely to be caught out, if you are, then the local press will make sure everyone in your commune knows that you have been sent to prison.

Your choice.....[Www]

 

 

 

[Patf]

yes, it's quite a moral dilemma. I didn't know that the penalty for trading points was imprisonment .  [blink]

[AnOther]

Not to minimise the seriousness of what you suggest (or did !) but I do think the word 'potential' should preceed imprisonment [blink]

Are you really sure you have not had any points deducted though. The fact that you did not receive a demand to exchange your licence does not mean that a point has not been deducted. If you received a fine for a minor offence by post then it would have said if points are being deducted and how many and generally it seems that if it is only one then it is recorded but left to lie on file until you commit a further offence within the appropriate timeframe which I think is 12 months for 1 point.

If that is the case and you did accept the this offence and fine instead of your husband and it is less than 12 months since your fine then you could now find yourself getting a visit from the Gendarmes telling you to change your licence.

Annecdotally this can take several months to happen.

[Patf]

I'm planning to change my license in the next few weeks anyway, as my english one is due for renewal. So we'll see what lies in store for me in the way of penalty points.

Husband's 3 point loss was due to not having his seatbelt on - seems a very heavy penalty.

Apologies to Geoff for side tracking your question. Pat.

[Sunday Driver]

Details of all French driving licences are maintained on the fichier national du permis de conduire and any loss of points is automatically applied to the individual's licence record.  As you would expect, foreign driving licences are not held on the fichier, so there is no record of the licence (or the existing points capital) from which to deduct.....[;-)]

 

 

[tawny owl]

Hi can you advise? My husband needs to get a French Driving licience. While we are renovating a property in the Lot we are not believing to move as yet but unfortunatly when he was just over there seeing the builder he was arrested for being over the limit. There are complications as he is diabetic and was unstable, being taken to hospitial. Either way he has been told he needs a french licience to produce for a hearing . If he does not have one it is taken further. Big thanks as we are out of our depth.

[Sunday Driver]

[quote user="tawny owl"] Either way he has been told he needs a french licience to produce for a hearing . If he does not have one it is taken further. [/quote]

Who has told him this?

 

[tawny owl]

We have now got a friend in France to ask that question . Although my husband can speak some French the police have taken when he said he had a house in France that he was living in France. Apparently if they had not decided this he would have just had a large fine, but unfortunenatly it has now gone into their system which seems cast in stone and he has been given a date for court. We are unsure what now will happen . The police do seem to have given him very conflicting information.

[Sunday Driver]

The situation here is fairly straightforward.

Your husband has been charged with drink driving and until he is convicted by the tribunal, the nationality of his driving licence is immaterial.  It is a UK licence which is valid for driving in France, like any other EU licence.

Such an offence normally involves a substantial fine and a driving ban.  In the case of anyone holding a French driving licence, the ban is enforced by withdrawal of the licence. For foreign licence holders who are resident here, they are required to exchange their licence for a French one, which is then withdrawn in accordance with ban.  Foreign licenceholders who are not resident here have their licence confiscated and returned to the originally licencing authority.  The licence is subsequently returned to the holder who, under current rules, may continue to drive abroad, but the French driving ban remains in place.

Clearly from your husband's point of view, it would be beneficial for him to provide evidence that he is a permanent resident of the UK and that the offence was commited during a temporary visit to France.  No doubt he can produce UK employment/tax records, etc as well as ferry booking information showing the date of his arrival in France and intended return.

 

 

[Speedy]

"For foreign licence holders who are resident here, they are required to exchange their licence for a French one"

This is NOT true.

When I livedin the North of France the prefecture would NOT change my licence (assuming I am a 'good boy')

According to my (now)local prefecture (a couple of years ago , they refused to exchange my license again telling me, it would only be done in the case of an infraction)

Today on my local prefecture web site :

La personne résidant habituellement en France et titulaire d'un

permis de conduire délivré par un autre Etat membre de l'Union

européenne (UE) ou par un autre Etat partie à l'accord sur l'Espace

économique européen (EEE) peut, si elle remplit certaines conditions, :

• soit

  l'utiliser en France sans limitation de durée, en application du
  principe communautaire de la reconnaissance mutuelle des permis de
  conduire

This again confirms it is NOT necessary. Sans limitation de durée!!!!

[Clair]

[quote user="Speedy"]"For foreign licence holders who are resident here, they are required to exchange their licence for a French one"

This is NOT true.[/quote]

Speedy, you are quoting out of context.

This thread is specifically discussing a traffic offence committed in France.

It is a NOT a general discussion about foreign licence holders residing in France.

For your info and for clarification, UK licence holders can exchange their UK driving licence for a French one. They can also keep it as long as it is valid or as long as they do not commit a traffic offence which requires them to exchange it for a French licence.

[Sunday Driver]

It's a good idea to actually read what I said before leaping in to contradict me........ 

[quote user="Sunday Driver"]

For foreign licence holders who are resident here, they are required to exchange their licence for a French one, which is then withdrawn in accordance with ban. 

[/quote]

 

Or is it a case of selective quoting....  [8-)]

 

 

[Bugsy]

[quote user="Sunday Driver"] 

Or is it a case of selective quoting....  [8-)]

[/quote]

Or poor eyesight ?

[Www]