Hi I hope Kim can help me with this. We came to France on 21/9/2025 on a VLS-TS which expires on 24/8/2026. CDS just applied for. Wife lost here Driving licence and had to renew it with UK address 6/1/2026. It now expires on 15/3/2029. Bike and car tests passed back in the 1970’s When does she have to swap to french licence?
My licence expires on 16/8/2026 as I am 70. When do exchance mine? or do I have to renew it in Uk?
I don’t think your wife should have replaced her licence. When she sought a replacement I guess they would have asked her to confirm she is a UK resident - which she wasn’t by then.
So on one hand you have confirmed to UK authorities you are resident there, and then in applying for a CdS you have said you are resident here. I believe she should have sought to transfer then.
I hope they don’t join the dots,
As a French resident you cannot renew in UK and must apply to transfer to a French licence 6 months before expiry as I recall, ie now!
I have tried creating an Ants account but cannot see how to do it.
If you struggle to do it go to your nearest France Services
https://permisdeconduire.ants.gouv.fr/demarches-en-ligne/echanger-un-permis-etranger
Talk to your local France Services - they are wonderful. We have spent this morning doing exactly that. Or rather the woman in France Services has done it for us.
I have sussed it. On the ants page you select france connect, then click the box identify with france connect. Then logon on to Assurance maladie with your SS number and then you go to the ANTS site.
That would have been prior to 06/01/2026 Paul 
I hope your ANTS endeavours go well, I don’t think they’ll be interested in your wife’s renewal until she’s on the cusp of her current one running out, that’s what they said to my wife. Mine which had only about six months to run whizzed through the system, and that was just after they had set up and were a lot more all over the place than I hear they are today.
The chance of ANTS ever joining any dots is slim IMHO Jane. They can’t join their own internal dots, let alone interdepartmental ones
Unfortunately as a French resident your wife wasn’t eligible to replace her licence in the UK, she’s made a false declaration as to her residence, sadly the myth of an address in the UK is still spread about.
It also wasn’t necessary a lost/stolen licence is a criteria for exchange.
You should have submitted your exchange as soon as you arrived to guarantee receiving your new French licence before your current one expires as UK exchanges are taking 6-8 months. So you need to submit this now. No you absolutely do not renew it in the UK.
Creating an account on ANTS is very easy, just scroll down the log in page and you will find create a simple account, you don’t need FC to access ANTS.
Technically your wife is now not eligible to exchange her licence until 12 months before the 4b date of her photocard. However, it depends who stops her and thinks that holding a photocard with a start date of 2021 should be exchanged within 12 months of arrival in France.
Ensure you have the DVLA attestation to upload in the additional documents to support your application and either a medical or a letter to renounce your grandfather rights.
You’d be surprised how many licence applications are rejected due to the licence being issued after you arrived in France so yes it does work. However, not so much with a UK licence.
Sorry to be a numpty what DVLA attestation? Also as my licence will probably expire before receiving my french one how do I continue driving or visit UK? The create Ants account doesnt work it just returns you to the logon page. I had to pay FAB to sort the immatriculation of the car because you cannot create an Ants account until you have been here quite a while.
As you go through the renewal processI recall they point you to the process to get a check code
And no once you hit 70 and your licence expires you can’t drive until you get to the point in the exchange process where you get a letter to carry with you showing you have a french licence in process. Fingers crossed you will get there before your birthday but you have left it very late.
If you are struggling with ANTS no need to pay, just visit France Services.
If your licence expires due to age you cannot drive and importantly will have no insurance.
To be honest as your licence will expire during the process you need to call the DVLA and ask for the D737 Certificate, they will email this to you, it’s to show your driving rights and that you aren’t banned from driving.
Licences and car registration are two different levels of security you don’t need a FC account to make a licence application.
Edit: ANTS have changed their procedure. Scroll down the page and select demander un identifiant France Titres.
Try this link.
The check code won’t be suitable as his licence will expire during the process, you need the D737 Certificate.
Great… long time since I did it so just know he can get this online.
Can you get this online? I read you have to phone them.
Yes, it’s the old story of one lie leading to another, “Oh! What a tangled web we weave, / When first we practice to deceive!”. I’ve never had the memory for deception myself
I arrived in France in August 2020 from the UK , uncertain if I would stay. I still had UK property so renewed my licence in October 2020 in the UK. I applied for residency in France in November 2020. I have never driven here or anywhere since, but now I think I might need to drive again. Do I need to get a French licence or will my UK one suffice.
If you passed your test pre 2021 and your 4a date is before 2021 then no, you can continue to use it and will submit your exchange 12 months before the 4b date expires.
As noted in my comment you must call them for the D737 Certificate and they will email it to you.
If your licence, not photocard, is likely to expire during the exchange then you need the D737. If only your photocard is expiring then you can submit the DVLA check code pdf, but if your card expires during the process you will need the D737.
Also those that live in Paris with a UK licence must have the DVLA attestation translated. Get the D737 it’s only one page to translate, the check code is three.