:-D
Pfffffffffff Stop confusing me, I thought it was "bof"
Well it depends, my car is registered here & I am a French national BUT I have a UK licence - I get letters from the points people saying how many points I have (or dont ;-) ) If I changed to a French licence (incidentally much more complicated for me than for you as I supposedly have to get a letter from the Fr Embassy in London explaining why I was living in GB & dared pass my driving test there... dual nationality isn't a concept the sous-préfecture can cope with) I certainly wouldn't have 12 points. Pfffffffffff
I am going to reply to this but I don't know where to add my comment so here goes for pot luck!
Both me & the missus have been fined for speeding ( her 2x more than me, he he ) each time it was on a GB licence & we paid about 45 euro I think. Each time we were permanent residents & declared this. It was while ago so I'm not sure about the sum but it was about that for prompt payment. We both sent off copies of our GB licences as requested & heard no more. Since then we have changed to French licences & have been told by the prefecture that both have 12 points, ie clean. It would appear that in our instances either no records were kept, the points had expired or more likely they couldn't be bothered to do anything about it.
If you commit an offence you pay a fine, whoever you are.
If you don't live in France then you pay on the spot. If you live in France it is sent to you.
If the offence entails loss of points (statutory rate) either you have a Fr licence (or when the admin becomes international) they will do that AS WELL - with your Fr licence it is automatic & you are notified at the tome they send the fine.
You pay anyway. The amount depends on the offence not on the state that issued your licence.
I hope this clarifies things ;-)
This is what the Gendarmes told me (v nicely) the other day as they did me for 'driving with undue regard for road conditions' ie too fast.
No, Carol, you start with a "clean" license and they add points to it and you lose your license once you get to 12 - as ever, completely the opposite to France!
me too, but it's the law!
you'd be fined on the spot but wouldn't have to exchange your license as you don't live here ;-)
I'm a bit baffled by all this.......have just got a house here in France......using it as a second home.......what will happen if I was stopped for speeding or whatever? Would I be fined on the spot, with additional charges? and would I have to get a french driving license in addition to my British one?
Pedants;-)
They add them on Carol - you start with a clean slate and start panicking when you only have three left! x
IN Britain you get points rather than lose them. Guy who gave the stage I went on said that Anglo Saxons don't like getting points and Continentals don't like losing them.
If you have an English license then the points do not show, you just have to pay the fine. But if the gendarme is feeling a bit vindictive he can legally make you change your license to a French one and then take your points away. Unfortunately I speak from experience!
seagulls i believe ...!
thought it was seagulls Vic ?
I think Catharine's right you know. Unless of course you still have a UK address.
*No-one has mentioned that if you do not change your licence for a French one you are liabe for a fine of 90€ on top of the motoring offence.*
Eh?
To you Michael, you said you would get replies on your comment about tourists should pay more than residents. My theory is a tourist may not know the local situation for parking.
Surely if you're a resident you should know better?
There's your first reply ;)