I have been resident in France since 27 May 2016. I applied to exchange my UK licence on 14 February 2019. After I sent them reminders they eventually wrote to me in March 2020 stating that I did not require an exchange licence, and they returned all my documentation, forms etc. to me. I would feel more happy with a French licence since I never visit the UK. I have now hit 70 and cannot renew the UK licence because, as Swansea states, I have no UK address. Any ideas anyone please ?
Submit a new request via ANTS.
Hello Wilfred you should have started the exchange of your licence 6 months before it expired.
You need to start this asap as you will no longer be able to drive until you receive your new French licence.
Your expired UK licence is still eligible to exchange.
Just had a text from ANTS asking for an updated copy of my DVLA sheet… have uploaded it now, so hopefully my new French licence isn’t far off 
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Apologies for resurrecting this, @kim .
I see you list a birth certificate among the documents to be uploaded when applying to exchange a UK licence for a French one.
I assume - since apparently outside Paris no translation is required for the certificate of entitlement - that no translation of the birth certificate is required either?
Or is the birth certificate only required if the name on the passport doesn’t match the name on the licence?
Hi Helen
Birth cert required for everyone these days regardless of name change or not, but especially if your nom d’usage is different from your birth name. This has been asked for more and more, so I always recommend to add it.
Translations are only required for attestation de droits (driving history) and licences, only where required, no other documents require translations unless your birth cert is in a script language.
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OK. Many thanks Kim.
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Sorry for the delay in replying Kim, long Covid. I did apply in February 2019. I have applied again.
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Did you supply the DVLA D737 certificate? If not you’ll be asked for this at some point.
Don’t apply for it now wait until you are asked for it. As your licence has expired this is the only document available to you.
Not difficult to get now, just a phone call to the DVLA and they will email it to you.
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Kim many thanks. I have a lady sorting it. When I applied in February 2019 I did everything in a totally correct way xx.
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Brief update on my application, purely in case anyone’s interested in timescales.
13th April - Submitted request online and got confirmation it had been received.
13th September - Received update to say “votre demande n° xxx est toujours en cours d’instruction.”
Received
25th September - Received request to submit a valid DVLA code
2nd December - Received following request “Merci de nous transmettre l’original de votre permis de conduire.”
Too late to get to the post office today so will do this tomorrow but am just happy I’m one step closer to receiving my French licence. 
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Scan or make a photocopy of your UK licence for you to keep, before sending the original… is my advice. 
Glad things are finally moving. 
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Excellent news. It will be about 3 weeks from posting your licence to get your new French one. You’ll get a text at some point to say your licence will be with you in 15 days.
It cost you some time not supplying the DVLA check code first time, but it’s easily missed if you don’t know where to upload it initially.
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The letter that you return your licence with, explicitly tells you to keep a copy of your licence with the attestation, temp licence, but good advice anyway.
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Considering that a DVLA check code is only valid for 21 days and its taken nearly 8 months so far, would someone at ANTS really have used the code within 21 days ?
The check code is valid for 6 months, but that’s not to say you won’t get asked for a new one as some do.
You can’t supply the actual code, you have to generate the pdf yourself from the code by sending it to print and you upload the pdf.
The 21 days is relative only to hire a car in the UK which is what this document is actually for. France agreed to accept it as it a licence attestation de droits.
The D737 certificate was more difficult to get hold of, but even that can now be emailed to you when you call the DVLA. This is required if you have lost or had your licence stolen, the check code isn’t sufficient.
That’s interesting. I didn’t realise that the pdf was basically the information that the check code could give to say a car hire place. I assumed they used some online service along with the check code. Obviously didn’t look too closely at it 
.
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