perhaps your OH should write to whichever Government Minister is involved in this mess… 
Thanks Stella. My employer’s supposed to be sorting this out with the Foreign Ministry so let’s see. Several staff members are in the same boat.
In the meantime he has an EU citizenship application pending. If that comes through and he gets an EU passport, he’ll be able to renew his French licence.
re the inablity to renew driving licence via ANTS… I’d be writing to the Transport Minister or whoever …
Is the hiccup meaning he can’t drive??
His photocard has expired. Technically his right to drive never expires (apparently).
The problem with international orgs is they’re sticklers for protocol and you’re always in danger of stepping on someone’s toes!
There seems to be some fundamental problem with issuing French licences to holders of the special TdS. But when he did the swap originally, the UK was still an EU member so he was never asked to produce a copy of his titre de séjour.
fundamental problems need to be dealt with… obviously this has been cast aside/overlooked for some years… it needs correcting and needs the correct person to be made aware of this … .
toes can be stomped on if necessary…
No doubt this is a known problem, but the best person to advise is @kim (Kim Cranston) who is expert on licences and well connected.
1 Like
And definitely doesn’t need her toes stomped on. 
1 Like
Hello Helenochka
When your husband exchanged his licence did he actually hold a TdSS at that time, regardless that the UK was still in the EU?
absolutely Sue
1 Like
But if you hold a TdSS you cannot exchange your licence.
@kim as most people are aware… I wouldn’t “stomp” on anyone…
I was merely (perhaps mischievously) echoing her own words and egging @Helenochka to contact someone else… rather than wait (perhaps fruitlessly) for the outcome of her Employer’s efforts…
1 Like
I know, just teasing
1 Like
but he has already exchanged his licence… so we’ve been told…
but now his photocard is out of date… ???..
this plot is getting complicated and I think I’ll watch from the sidelines…
my braain is quite possibly on the blink…
I read it that he had already exchanged, rightly or wrongly, and was now in a pickle as he can’t renew.
I know when my licence got nicked with my wallet, I renewed with DVLA since I have a TDSS.
Yes that’s what I read but I asked the OP to clarify if he had a TdSS when he applied.
You followed the correct procedure to replace your licence, it’s one of the few reasons you can replace/renew your licence in country of issue as a holder of a TdSS.
Apologies, have been out and about today.
Yes, my husband held a TdSS at the time when he swapped his UK licence for a French one. This was in 2019.
After Brexit, arrangements were rather fluid and there were a couple of windows when it was possible to exchange a UK licence fairly easily.
His ancient UK paper licence was literally falling to bits and there was no possibility of swapping it for a new UK photo card licence because we were not resident in the UK. And had no links anymore to our former address in England.
So he took the opportunity to exchange it for a French one. He wasn’t asked about his titre de séjour.
That was 5 years ago. I was just about to go online to ANTS to renew his French licence around Christmas when a colleague told me her British husband (also a TdSS holder) had tried and failed because when he uploaded the scan of the TdSS, ANTS rejected it. He contacted them and they referred him to the local Prefecture. Who in turn referred him back to ANTS.
It then transpired that other British colleagues have all run into the same issue. ANTS won’t recognise the TdSS as « valable ».
We personally have held off trying to renew until the problem gets sorted. In the meantime, his licence has expired.
1 Like
Hi Helen, unfortunately even back then he wasn’t eligible to exchange his licence the fact that he didn’t supply his TdSS was why the exchange was accepted.
He actually could have renewed in the UK if he had an address that he could use. The document I have with regard to the TdSS card is dated 2012.
However it’s done. Now I can try and find out how your husband can proceed. But I will need some further information from you, if you would like to email me on
I can ask how this can be resolved. I have a direct line into the French authorities who deal with exchanges.
Kim
2 Likes
Thanks Kim.
We had no reason to think back in 2019 that holding a TdSS made him ineligible. He just followed the French procedure available at the time. ANTS didn’t ask about his TdS.
He had no UK address in 2019. having been resident in France for 20 years.
I’ll email you - thanks a million.
1 Like
I can guarantee you’re not the only one unfortunately.
It’s extremely kind of you to offer to help.
I’ll email you later.
2 Likes