Thank you Kim, Mark and Angela for your reassuring comments regarding the potential turnaround time for receiving a French licence.
I will update this thread if/when I receive the license, and the impact on my planned UK trip in September.
Interestingly Copilot has now completely changed its tune, when asked the identical question on driving in the UK when a UK licence is in the midst of being swapped for a French licence. This is AI for you!
It is now saying that unlike France, you cannot in the UK post the police a copy of your licence. UK law apparently requires possession of a physical license, whether shown on the spot if stopped by police, or within 7 days if produced subsequently at a (UK) police station. Tricky if you live in France only on a short trip to the UK! It suggested that if (hopefully hypothetically) stopped, I would have to show paperwork (eg attestation etc) proving my French license was genuinely ‘in the works’, but there would be no guarantee that approach would be acceptable to a UK police officer. Have to hope my licence arrives in time…!
When I get my licence, I will also show Kim my appreciation more concretely, in the approved DIFFLA manner…
Either I was wrongly convicted or that was not the case way back. I distinctly remember turning up at the police station on the 7th day thinking that the period was one week rather than 5 days.
ETA: Hopefully your French licence will arrive in time and render the problem moot.
But given that the odds of even seeing a police car let alone being stopped by one in the UK are very low, I think if it doesn’t arrive before your trip I would be taking a photocopy of my UK licence plus all the various French bumph that shows you have applied for a swap, and then driving well within the speed limits! I doubt you will get stopped!
But on the other hand do not rely on the level of intelligence of the police officers who might pop up and stop you.
I mentioned long ago of when I was stopped in Cornwall and the police officer initially refused to accept my French licence as genuine. He said all people who drove in England must have an English licence.
It was only when I pointed out that in summer the system in 2 countries simply could not cope with all the licences changed back and forth every fortnight, that I could almost see the cogs clicking over in his brain as he slowly saw the point.
I still think the chances of being stopped are very low, unless you are speeding or there is something visibly wrong with your car, like non-working lights, obscured numberplates or 28 items of furniture strapped to the roof.
In the last 40+ years I have only had two interactions with the police on the road - once when I was stopped after being radar-gunned in a 30 mile an hour zone, and once when I came out of a newsagents in Birmingham to find a police motorcycle cop examining the Yoshimura 4-into-1 exhaust system on my Honda CB550.
He wanted to know what I thought of it as he was considering getting one for his own (non-police) bike.
I agree. This is my Plan B if my French DL doesn’t appear in time. Copilot rather grandly suggested hiring a chauffeur and a car to whisk me around the UK, as an alternative!
I do have a very nice, official looking French attestation to drive in France, photocopies of both sides of the surrendered license, Embassy press release (to help police who’ve never heard of the UK/French arrangements), my actual previous license, hard copy of (current) DVLA check code showing clean, valid UK license etc etc. I also gather that the DVLA doesn’t issue an attestation equivalent for people surrendering French licenses for a UK one, advising that the DVLA check code is sufficient. It’s the best I can realistically do.
As a v minor aside, I find it hard to believe that the no doubt very clever French & UK government minds who came up with the arrangements intended people to be “license-less” during this exchange process, if they happen to need to drive in the country that issued the licence originally. A dual attestation would perhaps be more logical. That said, I’m genuinely very grateful that there is a UK/France license deal and a huge amount of thought and effort has clearly gone into it.
I was speeding, 65 with a little Teardrop trailer, never knew that the limit for that combination in UK was 60, but they alleged I was doing 80. A speed I have never achieved in my life outside of the odd plane ride.
It dawned on us both at the same time, due to my vigorous protestations, that just as I passed under the bridge that they were sitting on, I was overtaken by a really fast sports car.
Anyway, after an entertaining (not) half hour I was on my way, unsullied by any bits of paper.
I find it hard to believe that the no doubt very clever French & UK government minds who came up with the arrangements intended people to be “license-less” during this exchange process,
So do I, but a passport renewal while I was still working for an international haulier which was estimated to take weeks made working impossible. The lady at the Embassy said ‘can’t you ask the boss not to send you abroad?’ Err, the clue is in the word ‘international’. I got round it by arranging a weeks holiday while we organised a physical handover of the passports in Peterborough.
Brief update. @kim@AngelaR and @Mark were correct in predicting that I would receive my French licence shortly after posting my UK licence to CERT. It arrived today, well flagged by the authorities, who’d kindly sent a link to an online La Poste tracker, pre-configured with my details in advance, so I could follow the licence’s stately progress across France.
I owe Kim a huge debt of gratitude for her brilliant, outstanding guides which covered every scenario that cropped up, accurately predicted, word for word every single comms from the authorities and even their exact timing.
Entertainingly I still apparently have a UK driving license today, according to the DVLA ,though they will presumably cancel it before too long.
Kim, I have made a more concrete gesture of my appreciation this evening…..
And I also get to drive in the UK this coming weekend without fear of being stopped for driving without a physical license!
OH posted her license off LRAR and it arrived in two days. It wasn’t acknowledged as received until another six days and then she got an email four days later saying it would be with her within fifteen days. Not as fast as with @George1 .
As an aside, after briefly repatriating to the UK in 2011 but keeping French 2nd home, in our ignorance we used our French-based van to transport some stuff. Afterwards discovering that as UK residents, we could have had said van confiscated and destroyed for driving it in the UK. I often wonder how many other rules of which I am/was/will be unaware.
It involves HMRC as it is tax and duty matter. Prior to Brexit the EC had ruled on it as follows -
Article 56 EC must be interpreted as meaning that it precludes legislation of a Member State which requires residents who have borrowed a vehicle registered in another Member State from a resident of that State to pay, on first use of that vehicle on the national road network, the full amount of a taxnormally due on registration of a vehicle in the first Member State, without taking account of the duration of the use of that vehicle on that road network and without that person being able to invoke a right to exemption or reimbursement where that vehicle is neither intended to be used essentially in the first Member State on a permanent basis nor, in fact, used in that way.
A speed I have never achieved in my life outside of the odd plane ride.
