Hi Kim,
Thank you for your reply, it has been extremely helpful. We will check with DVLA tomorrow.
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Hi, Kim Iām having issue with my UK licence photocard itās expired and I have done the full process of exchange with ants 4 months ago they have just come back and I have to send my birth certificate the issue is ants is telling me I canāt drive in France as my licence expired last year, Iāve contacted my insurance ( they have said in still insured because I have proved that Iāve done the necessary application with ants ) Iāve have also spoke to a lawyer that says Iām able to drive. But ants says Iām not allowed to, I am self employed and this effects my works greatly,
Any advice or help would be much appreciated, I donāt mind paying for your time and services
Ps Iām writing on here as Iāve tried to add myself to the Facebook group but have not yet been accepted.
Kind regards Matthew Parrish
Its section 11 on the back of the photocard thats the licence expiry date. The date on the front is the photocard expiry date.
Iām in a similar situation, ANTS wanted my DVLA attestation on 12 January , a week after my card expired. I sent it and have heard nothing since @kim 
Hi mark thank you for your swift response,
Effectively it is the 4b that gas expired that was last June, but the 11 column expires in 2064,
The issue Iām having is the ants basically said on the phone that if I was to get stopped they can potentially seize the vehicle,
Is there any documentation that I can get hold of or print out to prove my licence is valid to drive ?
And that itās just the card / photo that has expired ?
Kind regards matt
Am I still legally entitled to drive? I am self employed and without my car I wonāt be able to earn income,
And I donāt particularly want my car seized or loads of fines
I think its very unlikely youād have a problem with les flics if you can prove youve started the process. Thereās probably something on your ANTS pages you can use (I havenāt bothered and Iāve just leased a new car and they needed my licence and it wasnāt a problem)
Thanks, yes I think it all depends on who pulls you over, I have looked everywhere for documents on the ants pages and I canāt find nothing at all
Why donāt you pay a visit to your local gendarmerie and have a word with them about your situation. They might even be able to give you an attestation to the fact you are waiting should any of their colleagues pull you over. That is what I would do and have done in the past relating to firearms and legality, they were very helpful.
Hello Matthew
By rights legally you should have a valid photocard, 4b date, this also applies to French photocards.
However, due to how long applications can take, and you really should have applied last September 6 months at least before your card expired as applications are taking 5-7 months to be asked to send in your licence.
So due to the length of time, itās sort of understood that as long as you have an application in the system to exchange and that your insurance is valid and column 11 is valid, you can continue to drive whilst waiting.
You also have the option of going into your local gendarmerie and confirm that you can drive whilst waiting for your french licence.
So whilst technically ANTS is correct itās not quite how the real world works.
But on the other hand I have also seen fines for not exchanging licences.
Sadly there is nothing on any of the official French pages confirming this as legally you should have a valid card, no different to the UK.
Thanks you guys for all your help much appreciated,
Is there any documentation I can aquire?
I have spoken to my insurance and they state it is still valid,
Iād prefer not to open a can of worms if I donāt have to, is there anything you can do on your end, as I really need my car for work,
Worst case scenario is it just a fine ? Or can they seize vehicles ? Etc
Kind regards Matthew
Thank you soo much I will get that all over to you shortly, 1 last question
This morning they asked another document, my birth certificate.
My name was changed at birth
Are you happy with my original birth certificate and the name change deeds ? Or do I need to extrait de moin de 3 mois ? Which Iāll have to order from the UK government.
Either way my name change deeds are dated from 30 years ago wether I get the birth certificate duplicate or not I have the originals now if that helps ?
I donāt need any of your documents only the info you used when you applied.
If you have changed your name you should have included this first time around.
So yes you will have to submit your birth cert and your deed poll name change and a translation. Your birth cert doesnāt need to be less than 3 months old as UK ones never change, so your current one will do.
If you can do the translation yourself itās often accepted for deedpolls use www.deepl.com for this.
Ok thank you well, Iāll upload the name change and birth certificate this afternoon with the translations included then get you all the information over you need, thank you so much for your help Iām happy to pay for you time please let me know kinds matt
When itās convenient for you.
No charge.
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Thanks Kim, I would like to offer you something wether that is money or a bottle of a drink you like ?
I have just sent you an email please let me know if thatās everything you need, Iāll be scanning my birth cert and name change asap to upload to ants
Can you escalate my application too please @kim
Hi Mark. What extenuating circumstances do you have ?
Iām going to need to hire a car in the uk soon
Iām really sorry but Iām only able to escalate expired licences due to age or genuinely need it for work.
Call ANTS and explain that you urgently need your licence to return to the U.K. for āa good reasonā.
Be aware that you only get a temporary licence when they ask you to send in your original.
However, from posting itās about 3-4 weeks to get your new French licence.