Thank you x
If you lose your licence or have it stolen you will immediately put an application for exchange as a lost/stolen criteria.
You cannot report a lost licence to the Gendarmerie only a stolen one. The lost you do a sur l’honneur declaration.
Do not apply for a replacement in the U.K.
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Normal service will resume on Monday. Please ensure you answer all the joint questions and if you are not sure if your public profile shows you live in France, there can be a big difference, then message me on FB once you have made an application to join.
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Thanks for clearing that up …
Theft= one tells the Gendarmes
Loss = one does an attestation…
(I had thought losses needed to be reported to the Gendarmes but obviously I’d misunderstood…)
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Many people were going to the Gendarmerie and trying to report lost licences to frequently be told go away we don’t give a report.
ANTS were at one point asking for an out of date form from your Mairie who was glazing over when this was requested, some never actually heard of it.
I have recommended to everyone coming through my group that they included the sur l’honneur letter and this has been accepted by all those that I know of and there are quite a few.
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Thanks again… for making this bit clear…
Not Resident in UK = Not to ask UK for replacement license.
Folk have been verbally scurrying back and forth… oh yes you can… oh no you can’t…
and for the life of me I couldn’t see how truly one “could” if one is Resident in France…
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Just for full clarification for you.
It is an offence to renew a UK driving licence if you are no longer a UK resident, there is no such thing as an “address”, your licence is issued by the country you are resident/domiciled in and you can only be resident/domiciled in one country for a licence.
You will be making a false statement on a legal document that you are resident in the UK when you are clearly a resident in France. Tax residency is irrelevant, you can be a tax resident in as many countries as you like but resident in only one country at a time for a licence.
You can hold a UK and French licence at the same time now but you will need to take the two part driving test in France. However you will not be able to renew the UK one when it expires, generally card 4b or 70 with an original UK paper licence.
I hope this helps.
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Thanks for your reply.
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Useful link… using the simulator… folk from Royaume Uni can now change their UK License… although it still points out that if they passed their test before 2021, they don’t have to …
… if one holds a UK DL and passed the UK Driving Test before 2021… the UK DL is still OK until it reaches expiry date…
I seem to recall that some folk were anxious to exchange their license… and were thinking of ways to "speed up the process… "
Seems now is the time to get the exchange under way… without any funny business 
… hurrah.
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It has been the case for some time that people could change permits delivered before 2021. The issue was/is with people approaching their 70th birthday the ANTS service were refusing to accept applications until 6 months before the expiry date. And the process was taking longer than 6 months. I believe it has now speeded up.
There was a massive backlog, so good if this is now resolved.
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My partner’s licence expires well before his 70th birthday for some reason (perhaps it’s the photocard?) Anyway, we’ve been waiting for the 6month marker before applying so perhaps he could have a go now 
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that’s how I read it… have a go… nothing to lose …
and you can report back and let us know…
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So as suspected at the time, it was all about queue management by the French DVLA
What would be interesting to understand is if/when we’re all compelled to swap licences. Understand that we’re ok currently with UK licences, but guess at some point that will change.
If you commit an infraction that gets you points, if you lose your licence, that sort of thing.
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As the official link site states… those who passed their test before 2021 can use their UK license until it expires… unless, as Jane says… one commits an infraction …
(and, of course, one would need to apply just before the expiry date…)
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The exchange criteria although it doesn’t state it, is still 6 months before expiry unless you meet one of the other criteria’s listed.
The wait times for UK exchanges providing you supply all documentation first time, many miss the attestation de droits, as there is no section for it if you don’t know, is approximately 2 months and many times much less.
ANTS/CERT/CREPIC do not want a deluge of UK exchanges, only when they come to the natural exchange.
Some have got through and those will be delighted to tell you they applied 10 years before their licence expired. 
If you passed your test from 01/01/2021 you have absolutely no choice but to exchange as you passed your test in a non-EU country and the same exchange rules apply.
Any queries, just shout.
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If you hold a photocard it’s the 4b date that is the expiry date. If it’s the original UK paper green or pink licence then it’s your 70th birthday, however France would much prefer if you exchanged this, they don’t like them much.
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