If…there is no deal, then UK driving licences will NOT be valid after 29th March.
The only way round this (given the timescale) would be to return to the UK, go to a Post Office and get an international driving licence ( cost £5.50 plus passport style photos) as you cannot do this online.
Or wait until you get stopped and the gendarmes realise that this is an even easier revenue raising stream than speeding fines.
Apologies for being the voice of doom but forewarned is forearmed…
Or order one online from the French ANTs site. And its free. Strangely enough if you are resident here, but with UK licence they will give you one. Apparently takes several weeks, but we sent in our requests about 6 weeks ago and have yet to receive them. Bit we do have an attestation of the request which is more than we have for the exchange of licence that was sent in nearly a year ago!
Look at item number 3…
Hi Catharine,
Gov.uk says that drivers 'may need a different International Driving Permit. The French Government website just says that 'the recognition of your British licence will depend on the measures to be adopted by the French Government. It doesn’t say it will no longer be valid. It goes on to say, ‘that if you want to settle in France, your British drivers licence will be valid for one year, but you must apply for the exchange to obtain a French driver’s licence during this period.’ Currently, the only requirement to change is if you commit an infraction that loses you points.
The way I read that is up to now, no decision has been made. It may be similar to the situation elsewhere in that we don’t currently need an International permit to drive in the USA or South Africa (and many other places besides, but those are places where I have hired a car).
Paul
Will french licences be valid in uk or use an international licence?
Think I need a bigger card purse!
They will be valid for a set period deal or no deal as agreed by the french government exactly the same as any TCN licence is. You will gave a set period in which to change them. It’s illegal to have a UK IDP with a UK licence while resident in another county.
Frankly, if someone lives in France permanently, it makes sense to get the French licence… and it is easy peasy…
I really cannot see why anyone would dither about changing … (especially if the existing licence is UK 
)
Perhaps I am missing something staring me in the face… in which case… please be gentle as you put me straight. 
I think for some it’s part of the ‘British is best’ mentality, have to admit we’ve still got UK licences although we have made the decision to change.
@Stella. Except it’s not ‘easy peasy’. It’s a year since I sent in the application to change my licence, and I am still waiting… simple as that. And then there’s the medical to keep some of the categories.
And since you get no acknowledgement of the application then having an IDP is at least something recognisably legal.
Which is why I am talking about a French IDP with my UK licence, which is legal.
Jane… how did you apply a year ago… by what method??
You have to print the firms from the internet, fill them in and send them to Nantes-it can’t be done at your local prefecture anymore. A year since I sent our dossier as well. I know it’s probably not going to help but I’m sending a second application as my UK card runs out in May this year. I thought that sending the original application in March 2018 would have given plenty of time but apparently not!!
Yes it took nearly a year for James’s to come through!
That’s really useful info - thanks for posting!
Well the ‘may’s’ are sprinkled liberally throughout that site so I am basing my information and actions on the analysis (available in any newspaper near you!) on what is likely to occur in the event of no deal. Basically, whatever the UK govt might be saying , if there is no deal then there will be massive impact on all kinds of everyday life from pet transport to currency exchange.
Whether there will be no deal or not is quite another matter…!!
Hi Sue…
It is always a worry to me, when I send off official stuff. so, I do it "Lettre recommandée avec avis de réception "
did you send your package that way… or by ordinary post ?
Both went by recommendée. So I do have proof they received the dossiers -but even so a year us a long time to wait hence the second application.
Phew… well done… at least they got there…
I really cannot see why they took this away from the Prefectures…
This makes interesting reading…
I think it’s a case of don’t panic and wait and see. Only 31 days now.
Standard method via Nantes… a neighbour who is Moroccan (so not an EU licence exchange) has been waiting about 15 months now. He needs it for work so is getting quite desperate but all his appeals have fallen on deaf ears.
They tell you to send it suivi, not recommendée, so that’s what I did. It’s got there.
And it was taken away from prefectures to standardise and save money I imagine. They weren’t to know there would be a deluge of UK immigrants making applications all in one year or so.