For those not lucky enough to come from a ‘swap’ state/country, the process of getting a French driving licence is difficult, time-consuming and very expensive. So are there any ways around this?
Let’s start with who actually needs a French driving licence – tourists or people paying short visits are not affected by this. Most visitors can drive in France using their licence of their home country, although some countries also require an International Driving Permit (UK, US and Canadian licences do not need this).
If, however, you move to France to live, you will likely need a French driving licence – although there are some exceptions including students, posted workers and people who already have a licence from an EU country. Full details on exactly who needs a French licence here.
If you are among those who needs one, there are two possible paths; if you’re lucky you can simply swap your existing licence for a French one; if you are unlucky you have to take a French driving test.
Whether you can swap depends on whether the country (or state/province in the case of the USA and Canada) has a bilateral swap agreement with France – full the full list here.
READ ALSO: Step-by-step: How to swap your driving licence for a French one
If you are in the unlucky group, you will have to take a French driving test in order to get your French licence.
This is more complicated than it sounds, because you have to take both a practical and a theory test (in French). It’s also expensive because you have to take mandatory driving lessons before the test – even if you have been driving for years – and in some areas there are long waiting lists for tests.
READ ALSO: How to take (and pass) the French driving test
Because of the complexity and expense of getting a French licence for people from ‘non-swap’ countries/states, there is a thriving market for ‘hacks’ that will allegedly allow you to avoid all this hassle and keep driving on your original licence.
But do any of them actually work?
Just ignore – the most common attempt is to simply ignore the requirement for a French licence. Essentially, people pretend to be tourists/visitors driving legally on a foreign licence. This requires maintaining an address in the country where the licence was issued – perhaps the home of a relative or a business address – where any motoring correspondence can be sent.
This kind of long-term deception can be complicated for people who drive regularly, especially if they own a car, so might be more common among people who drive only occasionally, using rental cars.
So does it work? Well, let’s be clear that this is not a loophole, it’s illegal. Under French law, residents in France are required to exchange their licence within a certain period (usually 12 months, but the rules are slightly different for UK and NI licence holders).
The French government is pretty clear on this one: “The exchange for a French licence is compulsory in order to be able to drive in the long-term in France.”
Driving while not having a valid licence carries a maximum penalty of a €15,000 fine and a one-year prison sentence. Since 2014, there has been a fast-track system in which people who meet certain criteria (first offence, not involved in any other traffic offences) can immediately plead guilty and take a €800 fine.Â
More seriously perhaps, if you are involved in an accident and an insurance company investigates, they will not pay out if you are driving illegally, potentially leaving you with a very large bill for damages.
International Driving Permit – some motorists claim they will simply “keep renewing their International Driving Permit”. An IDP, depending on the country of issue, usually lasts between one and three years.
They are not required for all foreign licence holders, many countries have an agreement with France where their licences are accepted on their own for driving on a short-term basis (such as on holiday), but you can get one if you want – you apply in the country that issued your driving licence.
So does it work? The International Driving Permit is not a stand-alone document, it is only valid in conjunction with a full driving licence from the country that issued the permit.Â
Therefore, the same problem applies – the IDP is only valid while you are driving in accordance with the terms of your driving licence, which includes swapping to a French licence after a certain period if applicable. Â
Other EU countries – if you have a licence from an EU country then you can drive on it in France and are not required to swap it for a French one (except in certain circumstances, such as if you have committed a motoring offence).
The EU licence is therefore something of a ‘golden ticket’ – so some people ask if it’s possible to swap your licence for that of an EU country other than France.
Different countries have different rules around swapping a licence, and because the ‘swap’ rules are all based on bilateral agreements, it may be that in, for example, Germany you would be able to swap your driving licence, rather than taking a new driving test.
So does it work? Whatever their rules and agreements on licence swapping, all EU countries require you to be resident in order to exchange your licence.
You would therefore have to move to another country, establish your residence there (with a visa if necessary), swap your licence and then move back to France.
‘No permit’ cars – France does, however, have ‘voitures sans permis‘, which, as the name suggests, can be driven without a licence.
You’ll probably have seen these around – they’re very small, have a maximum speed of 45km/h and are not allowed on major roads. Because you can drive them from the age of 14, they’re popular with teenagers as a first vehicle, but they’re also seen in cities as a little ‘runaround’, whose small size makes them practical to park.
There’s a persistent myth that they’re used by drunk drivers who have lost their licence – in fact, that is not true, you cannot drive these vehicles if your licence has been suspended by a court.
READ ALSO: Meet France’s tiny cars that you don’t need a licence to drive
So does it work? It depends on how old you are. Drivers born on or after January 1st, 1988 do, in fact, need a permit to drive these cars. The AM licence (which is still commonly called a brevet de sécurité routière or BSR) is a streamlined version of the standard licence – applicants must pass a theory exam and undertake eight hours of driving – three of which must be in traffic with an instructor. The permit costs between €150 and €400.
However, those born before January 1st 1988 do not need any kind of licence to drive these vehicles.
So in conclusion – if you’re 38 or older and you don’t need to go above 45km per hour and you are happy not to drive on motorways, A roads or bypasses, then yes, you can drive (certain vehicles) in France without a French licence.