Update.
Just recieved my new driving licence which is now valid for 15 years and includes AM/A1 . B/B1/BE.
No medical certificate requested and all completed online from start to finish in 24 days, now with a bit of luck I can carry on driving till I am 84.
Excellent newsā¦ you must feel so relievedā¦ 
I am in favour a driving re-tests periodically no matter what someoneās age is.
Thank you Stella, yes, after reading all the scare stories about delays and medical requests it is indeed a relief to know that the new system worked correctly for me and I must say it was a vast improvement on spending hours sat at the Perfecture with loads of paperwork and hoping that the person that you see is in a good mood.
10 out of 10 for the new online system from me.
There are (in some areas) opportunities for Seniors to ārevisitā their driving skills. Entirely voluntary, this initiative has proved a great successā¦ and I am hoping I will get the chance to āhave a goā myselfā¦ perhaps next yearā¦
I donāt think this should be age related, either you can demonstrate you are safe to hold a driving licence or you are not.
@Mat_Daviesā¦ Matā¦ this is just one aspect of many cultural ideas available for Seniorsā¦ the aim is to help older-folk keep fit and healthy and enjoy lifeā¦ thus, there is keep-fit, healthy eating, painting classes, dancing, health-checks, etc etcā¦
I thought the chance for them to ācheckā their driving skillsā¦ was a great idea. Some folk were shocked at how ābadlyā they faredā¦ and were glad of the chance to get things rightā¦ 
Letās face itā¦ most drivers fall into bad habits of one sort or anotherā¦
I would agree.
I test my driving skills every day ā¦ If I can get from A-B without deer jumping out in front of me, loose sheep bleating along the way, escaped cows (I kid you not) huge tractors taking up all the little road, the local nurse zooming around at great speed; the school bus careening around the zig zags at more than I would dare drive (well who can blame them with a crowd of screeching kids onboard) the cockrels and their harems, cats, dogs and other assorted animals not to mention madame and her assorted moustaches, well I count myself lucky and highly skilled 
Sounds like you are having a great timeā¦
We get all that lotā¦ plus horses and goatsā¦ 
I think the most daunting was when we came upon a āhugeā cow ambling in the middle of the roadā¦ overtake it Mum, says daughterā¦ how, says Iā¦ as the cow wobbled from side to sideā¦ I didnāt like the way it slowed, turned its head to look back at us, so I ground to a halt and simply waited until it had decided where it wanted to go. ~Fortunately, it did not want to retrace its steps and come in our directionā¦ but went slowly and majestically up the road and into a small cheminā¦ phewā¦
Just fought my way through the website.
If you only want Cat A & B, expiry is 15 years (ValiditƩ du permis), otherwise it is 5 years from the date it was issued - in my case 2014. But I no longer want C & D.
Expiry etc
This is my first post on this site, it seems to be a vast improvement on the last site I used !!
Hi Richard! I am in exactly your situation with driving licence renewal difficulties, getting the email requesting a medical certificate but like you, not wanting to renew categories C/D and finding no way of doing that. Iām wondering whether you found a resolution of was forced to go a head with the visit and only a 5 year renewal. If you pick up the message, would be great to hear your experience. Thanks!
Hello everyone. Just found this Q&A section - because after chatting to a friend and comparing our plastic card type driving licenses it appears that mine has expired !! Just by a few months - but Iām now worried as to whether it will be a āsimpleā task to renew (bearing in mind this is France !). If my licence has expired anyone know if I can use the on-line system without a problem to renew this. Only need the category for driving a car - none of the other categories (which expired some years ago now anyway).
As for the āseniorsā driving; OK donāt shout at me before I use the phrase āā¦in the UKā¦ā -
but in the UK we have the Institute of Advanced Motorists who do provide an assessment for older drivers, and I think ROSPA provide a similar assessment. With the IAM you can also do some refresher courses. (Speaking as a former IAM member I found the course, and test drive, very enjoyable, and did ābrush upā my driving skills).
If you are full-time resident in France you should be OK. You will still have your paper license (I presume) which will be needed to get a French exchangeā¦
Bonjour Stella - what a lovely, quick reply - how nice.
Should have made clear that it is my French plastic card driving licence which has expired (which is why Iām a bit worried). I changed my UK licence for French one shortly after we arrived in France; now find it amazing that weāve been here 15 years already, particularly when we first gave ourselves a period of about 10 years max before returning to UK !!
If your licence is the plastic 3 fold type with a photo - it doesnāt expire. What makes you think it has expired?
Yepā¦ Iāve got a pink, plasticised, folded French License which will last unti ātheyā demand that I get a "credit-card-sized " one done.
No expiry date on that sort of licenseā¦
Hello Graham - my French license is the plastic credit card type with my photo - not the 3 fold (which my OH has, lucky so and so).
On the bottom right-hand corner of my plastic licence there is a date which is 15 years after the date the licence was issued - XYZ/19 !! I need to renew my licenceā¦asap.
There is also my photo on the card; how does one deal with the photo side of things when renewing a licence on line ?
That doesnāt seem to stack up.
The new style licences started to be issued in 2013.
According to my arithmetic 15 + 13 makes 2028 (assuming you got one right from the start) so it seems a bit odd, to say the least.
Hereās a link to an information page which might help.
Itās a fast changing world that is totally unhelpful to anyone who canāt keep up.
Renewing a UK passport has become virtually impossible for anyone who doesnāt have a computer and credit card. But having said that, it is a reasonably uncomplicated online procedure. Renewing a French Permis de Conduire is not so simple as I recently discovered. So here is a quick guide. If you can read to the bottom without your head exploding, you are in with a chance!
Renewing a Permis de Conduire.
If you are fortunate enough to have an old style pink Permis de Conduire, treasure it. It will still be valid until 2033.
However, if you lose your licence or have it taken away because of driving offences, you may have no choice but to go plastic.
The new plastic, credit card style Permis have different rules and at most are only valid for 15 years, but in some cases only 5 years. Not quite sure why some need renewing so frequently, but the shorter validity may have something to do with the age or medical history of the driver.
An English neighbour asked us for help in renewing hers. You can still download the paper application form cerfa No. 14882, which is fairly easy to complete and post. But as I am supposed to be āgood with computersā I thought I would have a go at doing it online. The place to go is Agence Nationale des Titres SĆ©curisĆ©s (ANTS) - htpps://permisdeconduire.ants.gouv.fr
Before doing anything else you must create an ANTS account, a fairly straightforward process. You need to fill in a few personal details and choose a sufficiently secure password. The usual rules about capitals, numerals and special characters apply, so make sure you make a note of it. They will then send you a confirmatory email that includes your āidentifiantā that you will need to log in.
Next you are going to need some documentation. The most interesting part of the process is creating a photo and signature. The way to do this is to visit a specially equipped photobooth that will not only take your picture, but also has a large tablet for you to sign your name with your fingertip. The ANTS site has a helpful engine that will locate nearby places that have this facility based on your postcode. Following the instructions in the photobooth, you will get back a card with four mug shots that might come in handy if you are applying for any other documents, but the only thing you need for the present application is a 22 character code that is printed on the top right of the card. When you enter this in your online application it will give ANTS access to your picture and signature in digital form. The photo booth is a bit intimidating, because it doesnāt give you much help until you insert your 4ā¬, but if you then tell it you want photos for a driving licence, it will guide you through the process step by step and you can choose your preferred language for the instructions. You then have to wait at least 24 hours to allow time for your picture to be uploaded to the datebase. The code consists of letters and numbers and as the letters are all upper case, I hit āCaps Lockā before entering it, though that may not actually be necessary.
The other things you will need are copies of an identity document (Passport if you are English) proof of your address of residence (we used Avis dāImpots but I guess any utilities bill would do) and both sides of your old permis. Those you will need to upload as .jpeg files from your computer. I guess it is assumed that everyone had a scanner, but you might get away with good quality photos. As you go through the seven steps of completing and submitting the form, buttons at the top of the page turn pink as each stage is successfully completed. Make sure to check the box to confirm that you understand the penalties for making a false declaration before you finally submit the application.
If you get disconnected at any stage you wonāt lose everything you have already entered so donāt try to start the application over again, it wonāt let you. But you can log back in and click on Mon Permis de Conduire and continue from where you left off.
Well thatās it. I suppose it makes it easier for them because the applicant does most of the work. The main advantage for the user is that it checks you through every stage, so you are less likely to get something wrong or fail to send some vital document.
If you want to try it, think of it as a bit of fun, a computer game where, having completed all the stages successfully, you get a shiny new Permis as a reward.
Oh, I almost forgot, you are probably going to need a box of tissues when you see your new identy photo!
Bonne chance!