Right! There is no problem driving in France if your documents are with the prefecture, but I wouldn't fancy explaining that to the police anywhere else.
Mike - Your advice about exchanging when approaching 70 is well-founded. I'd merely add that one shouldn't wait until the dreaded seven-zero is really close. My wife was going to be 70 last November and we started getting the documents together the previous May. Not soon enough, at least for our préfecture (Ain). The documents, sworn translations and all, were submitted in June 2013 & she finally got her French license halfway through January 2014. I'm sure that the Swiss police would not have approved each time she drove into Geneva once her birthday had passed & her UK license had expired!
At least her shiny new French license doesn't need regular medical certificates, so long as she remains healthy enough for driving, so there's actually a big plus in comparison with the UK.
Yes, I guess stopping them from driving a proper car is bad enough. Stopping them from boozing would amount to a cruel and unusual punishment.....!
Mike,you forgot the most important reason for the voiture sans permis. How are all the banned piss heads gonna get to the bistro without one?
It's a bit unfair, because older drivers have less accidents - well, less serious ones. Though a local lady did manage to write-off her car in the main street where no other vehicle was involved!
Most oldies are aware of their limitations and drive accordingly. But I guess we are just easy targets for legislators who need to appear to be doing something.
Along with bunches of bare wires poking out of the plasterwork, the sans-permis were one of my biggest surprises when I first came to France. But over time all becomes clear. They are so slow and noisy, there is plenty of time for pedestrians to take evasive action!
I didn't doubt it. Actually, I wasn't living there. I had a look at my licence and thought about it. I had to go back to examine a postgraduate who had asked me to be the internal examiner before I left in 2009. I went there in October 2010. I renewed my licence, forgetting to tell them I had moved, and received a 10 year photocard. I looked, had a look at the regulations before you posted and am amazed. As for the every four years bit, oof. I also have a German licence because during the years I had permanent residence although I was never more than one third of any year there, it was too long for a foreign licence to be valid. It was originally forever, now has to be renewed every 10 years with medicals each time. Anyway, looking at the rules, I noticed that it is discretionary whether European licences be renewed every 10 or 15 years and the 70 is flexible since 13 January 2013. So perhaps there is a slow move that is done but not 'publicised' toward issuing full 10 years or even less, for instance if an applicant is 66 or over. Whatever the odds, even with the European licences here in France the 'forever' is going to stop here and much the same process, medicals and regular renewals. Well, given the 90 odd year olds who crawl along at 30 in 90 zones... Anyway, there is still the blasted sans permis mess to resolve (or get one when the time comes).
Where did you get that from? Mine is valid until 2020, two years beyond my 70th. Since we were living in Swansea when it was issued, I went to the place to renew. Either way, I'm eventually going to trade in anyway because of the UK address partly and because I can't see the point of applying to the UK when I no longer live there.
As I understand it, a UK licence expires when you are 70 and you have to make a declaration that you are still fit to drive and apply for a new one.
But DVLA will only issue a licence to a UK address, so you could find yourself with a problem.
I suspect the French authorities might not accept an expired UK licence for exchange, so I advise anyone approaching 70 to go to the prefecture and exchange theirs for a French licence, which has no expiry date.
Having to go back to "Go" and take the test in France doesn't bear thinking about!
Watch it Nick! I'm 77 and have been "Gatsoed" a couple of times - a bit frisky, these new-fangled motors.......!
Living and working in France for some years, got caught quite a few times, paid the fine and always promissed I'd change my licence but didn't until one gendarme followed it up to see if I'd exchanged it. There's no requirement to exchange for a french licence whilst living in France UNTIL you commit a driving offence and then the law (French) states that you must change so they can take the relevant points away (you start with 12 and lose your licence when there aren't any left)
Andrew
Too true I guess. Were you living in France and the Gendamerie called you in based on your address or did you have to swap following an 'infraction'?
I got away with it for years but eventually got called in to the gendarmerie and made to exchange mine for a french one! what's the saying, you can run but you can't hide...!
Not always (tee-hee-hee) as somebody found out whilst discovering the new radars, only didn't expect somebody with a hand held a couple of hundred metres on where people all speed up again. In fact, they only glanced at the licence, gave it back and took details, well gave a bit of paper back in exchange for the dosh.
I have waited two years and a bit without any nasty letters.
and as soon as you commit an offence you are duty bound to exchange your licence for a French one so they can remove the points :-(
Simon
Appreciate the response. I had a little chuckle about the thought of them speeding (they are the other side of 70).
all UK licenses ie photo card meet standard European regulations, meaning that you can drive any car any where in Europe.
the only down side is that you will get an on the spot fine for most motoring offenses if caught ie speeding. there is no treaty between the UK and france for adding points or checking your license.