I’m not being rude. I just haven’t got a clue why you are trying to confuse things when they are so clear. You questioned me, I explained why you were wrong but you came back again with the same thing. What am I supposed to do? Ignore your false interpretation of simple English or point out that you are wrong? If you think that pointing out that you are wrong is being effing rude I suggest you grow up.
Believe me if you were spreading false information and I was in the same room and you behaved as you have behaved this evening I would tell you the same to your face. EXACTLY the same.
As you can’t stop with the snide comments I guess you must get a kick out of it.
No need to reply…
No Tim, I just don’t suffer fools.
The French site they you pointed out simply says “specific and reciprocal provisions will later specify the terms of exchange”, unless my french is as bad as it was when I was in school. 
As long as the application is the “deadline” then I am happy.
However, my wife is hitting her 70th shortly (well within the time it normally takes for a french burocrat to get this kind of thing done. Her application for exchange is in, we are waiting, but what happens when the expiry of herUK permis arrives? She will be then unable to drive on her UK licence, but if a French one is issued, it will be fine for 15 years.
Roger, friends of ours went through the same dilemma more than a year ago. The lady is the only driver at present and had a UK licence but as she was 69 decided to swap for a French licence, the application was completed and she duly received an attestation quite quickly. Being the only driver and with a second home in the UK which they visit several times a year she thought she’d better check with her usual car hire company that they would accept the French attestation as proof of driving eligibility, they won’t. Legally or not she has renewed her UK licence at 70 as she still hasn’t received her French one.
If you can prove that the application is in I don’t see a problem even when your wife gets to 70.
Age 70 is not a cut-off point in France… if her UK licence is in the French exchange-system… your wife is entitled to a French DL… and it will come… meanwhile, the “powers that be” are well aware of the blockage/delay…
If your wife drives with paperwork in her handbag, showing “she is/was a UK holder now in the throes of exchanging” … here in France… all will be well.
You are worried that the UK Permit will expire before the French one is issued… but as the Exchange was started while the UK DL was still in-date… it will be OK…
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Regarding time it takes to get FR license : I got my license today. I applied some 14 months ago.
In my case might have been delayed due to the fact that apparently I applied also for C and D. I have never driven a bus, so they wanted medical examination, I settled for A,B, BE. 
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I dont understand all this bullshit anxiety here. The laws in the various EU countries all say more or less the same. If the holder is a registered resident of that country, they must exchange their UK licence for one applicable in the country of resisdence within a specific time frame. So i read from all the above postings, that a lot of posters are driving illegally. mmmm The time frame involved is normally between 6 and 12 months after taking up official residence. So why all the above who ha, it is very straight forward.
Not true in France Thomas.
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It’s not “who ha”, but a frustrating process. Presumably you exhanged yours some time ago when the process could be done at a sous-prefecture.
Up until now the French have said you can exhange your licence, not that you must. It is another french idiosyncracy, similar to the French not requiring EU foreigners to register unlike other countries. So no need to rudely tell people they are expressing “bullshit anxiety”.
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Exactly Jane. My photo card becomes invalid in May. I send my dossier to Nantes in March 20q8-so 13 months ago. I received the avis a couple of days later-so I know they got my dossier-since then nothing. Emails just get a standard reply. Phone calls don’t get answered. And now Nantes are returning ALL dossiers sent to them after Dec last year because they are snowed under.
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It does appear that Nantes are keeping to the advertised procedure - my wife and I sent our UK licences off in January - hers has been returned but not mine, because it expires this year so is in the category they say they are processing.
Cotes d’Armor have also stopped processing all UK-citizen-French-resident carte de sejour applications until the brexit mist clears - funny thing is, UK government advice I believe remains to get both French driving licences and cartes de sejour before brexit date (whenever that might be) - so the UK and French governments’ advice is directly at odds!
Mine’s only been 12 minutes months so far… But my international driving permit arrived today, so at least I can drive in other countries with confidence.
We sent our UK licences off in October last year. Got an email asking if we wanted to maintain some groups that needed a medical, (but said we’d drop the groups), in January.
Shortly after we got lettes asking for the orginal UK licences together with the “authorisation to drive” note, (I delayed sending mine as I was due in the UK and wanted to hire a car - thought there’d be fewer problems with a “real” licence) and in march received an email to say “votre demande d’échange de permis de conduire étranger a été validée par nos services. La production de votre permis français a été demandée à l’ANTS ce jour.”
My wife’s arrived after 10 days, mine too two and a half weeks.
We are notw the proud possesors of brexit-proof permis.
I think that the most likely explanation is that this a local decision rather one from national government.
One thing that has become obvious in all of this is the totally differing attitudes different Prefectures to these applications.
It is odd that Nantes also seem to be inconsistent, despite being a centralised service, so I wonder if there is some variation in the interpretation each officer uses.
But yes as to CdS process. I think there’s a big difference if you live somewhere where there are a huge number of UK people so they are overloaded. Ours was as easy as can be - turned up on spec, had a 20 minute wait, and all done and dusted. Went back a couple of weeks later to collect them which took less than 5 minutes, so now have permanent cards that one day maybe we will have to exchange for non-EU ones.
Let’s hope not.
Or we may be issued with green cards by the EU.
It does feel quite arbitrary but has nothing to do with the Prefectures, all applications are dealt with by the one agency, in Nantes.
It may come down to the decision of individual processing officers, or a roll of dice…
Jackie and I posted our applications on the same day, same post box. In December Jackie received an email asking about class C entitlement. In January she received a request for her UK license and in March her shiney new French Permis de Comduire.
I have heard nothing about mine 
I got caught by a speed camera a few weeks ago, received the penalty noti e and paid the fine. The notice stated that one point would be deducted from my license, instructions would follow payment of the fine. Again, nothing heard from the license centre. Win some, lose some I guess?
I agree Martin. Finally-last week - got my attestation and sent off UK licence. After 13 months!. However they asked for nothing else. I have heard of others -with far shorter wait periods-being asked for new bills or photos because the ones sent were ‘out if date’. It’s a lucky dip as to what happens I think.