Driving Licences 2021 Onwards
Click the link here to access the Facebook group - Applying for a French Driving Licence
UK* LICENCE EXCHANGE AGREEMENT 25.06.2021
Applications resumed on Monday 28 June 2021 for UK* exchanges.
The date of 31.12.2021 is no longer relevant, the new agreement below overrides this date.
Licence Issue Date – the agreement refers to this date, the French regard the date you passed your test as the date your licence was issued NOT the date your photocard/licence was issued.
UK* - UK, Northern Ireland, Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey & Isle of Man
___________________________________________________________________________
UK* Licences or Photocards, DRIVING TEST passed BEFORE 01.01.2021
Original UK paper licences or photocard, driving test passed, column 10, before 01.01.2021, continue to be recognised as legal and will be eligible for exchange either:
-
6 months before expiration or your photocard (4b) or old original paper licence.
-
or you commit an infraction resulting in points to be taken.
-
or lost or stolen
-
or new category to be added to your licence
-
or deterioration/tatty original paper licence.
Expired UK* licence and photocard driving test passed before 01.01.2021, continue to be eligible for exchange.
ALL UK LICENCE CATEGORIES ARE EXCHANGEABLE
Apart from f G H k l M n - these do NOT exist in France.
___________________________________________________________________________
UK* Photocard DRIVING TEST passed FROM 01.01.2021
Driving test passed (column 10) from 01.01.2021, will have 12 months from either validation of your visa by OFII or issue of your first CdS, whichever is achieved first.
If you hold EU nationality you will require official dated evidence of arrival in France, you must be in France for 6 months before you can apply and then have 12 months to start your application.
___________________________________________________________________________
Licence Dates
4a = start date of photocard
4b = expiry date of photocard
Column 10 (back of card) = start of licence entitlement
Column 11 (back of card) = expiry of licence
Original UK paper licence expires age 70
___________________________________________________________________________
DRIVING LICENCES ISSUED IN BIRTH NAME
It is French law that your Permis de Conduire is issued in your birth name. When you eventually get a CdS if you haven’t got one, that will have both names on it, until then carry a copy of your marriage certificate in your passport.
___________________________________________________________________________
The paper counterpart to the photocard
This is no longer legal since 2015 and the advice is to destroy it, NOT to be confused with the original UK paper licence which continues to be legal and exchangeable.
www.gov.uk/government/news/driving-licence-changes
NB: If you are resident in France you are no longer legally entitled to renew your licence in the UK.
___________________________________________________________________________
UK* Licence - Address
If you are unable to exchange your licence due to the current criteria, or you are waiting for a your French application to be processed, your UK/Irish licence is valid in France regardless of the address, providing your licence (column 11) is still valid or you are not yet 70 with the original paper licence (not photocard counterpart)
French licences do not have an address on them, therefore the address is irrelevant It is not a condition to exchange your licence.
It is only an offence not to change your address if you are a UK or Irish resident it’s NOT an offence if you have moved away from the UK.
___________________________________________________________________________
UK Gov Living in France - Driving Licences
Living in France - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
French Government - Official Criteria
ANTS - Agence Nationale des Titres Sécurisés
Facebook Group
Applying for a French Driving Licence | Facebook