French driving license

[southernguy]

I am looking into obtaining a French Driver's License. I have a California driver's license and was wondering if that can be exchanged for a French license. I think about 10 states have reciprocity with France and since California doesn't appear to be one of them, i am wondering with all the changes going on in EU whether France has actually included California in this exchange program. Also, where do you go to do a driver's license exchange and who can one email for direct information?
Thanks

Originally Posted by southernguy

I am looking into obtaining a French Driver's License. I have a California driver's license and was wondering if that can be exchanged for a French license. I think about 10 states have reciprocity with France and since California doesn't appear to be one of them, i am wondering with all the changes going on in EU whether France has actually included California in this exchange program. Also, where do you go to do a driver's license exchange and who can one email for direct information?
Thanks

From Americans in Toulouse who are normally reliable :

It is legal to drive on your home home country driver’s licence for up to a year, after which time you must apply for a French license. Americans who have been issued a valid driver’s license from Colorado, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Florida or South Carolina, (or an EEC/European Union license), may exchange their license for a French one without passing a test, but only within the first year after the official date of entry into France. You may still retain your US driver’s license upon request.

Americans who have not been issued an EEC/European license or a valid driver’s license by one of the above-mentioned states are required to pass the French driving test if they will be residing in France for more than one year. Some Americans choose to take their chances, and continue to drive past the one-year mark with a US license from a state other than those listed above. Please be advised that, in case of a serious accident for which you are found at fault (especially one involving injuries), doing so makes you vulnerable to charges of having been driving with an invalid license.

A non-French driver’s license is valid for one year after the date of official entry into France. For people who will be residing in France for less than one year, your home country driving license is sufficient, under the following conditions:
• Must have been issued by the home country.
• Must be valid in the home country.
• Must have been obtained prior to the application for a French residency card.
• Must be written in French or accompanied by an official translation (an International License). This requirement is not usually enforced when drivers’ licences from the USA are presented to officials.
• The holder of the license must be 18 years of age, the legal French driving age.

For those who wish, or need, to get a French license, both a code de la route (written) test AND a test de conduite (driving test) must be taken. Check with your employer on whether they offer special sessions to help obtain a French driver’s license (Motorola does).

Auto école (driving schools) are located throughout Toulouse and its suburbs; they provide the opportunity to take practice tests, in French, in preparation for the final written examination. It is possible, though more difficult, to apply for a French license without being enrolled in a driving school, as a candidat libre. In this case, an examination file must be sent to the Préfecture and contain the application, photos d’identité (identity photographs) and a timbre fiscal (tax stamp). “Leftover” American passport photos should not be used for official French documents, as the format is different from French ID-photos taken in the photo booths (color or black-and-white) found in supermarkets, malls and at the Préfecture.

You are required to provide a dual-driver car on the day of the exam. You may have a translator accompany you on both test dates, however due notice of such an arrangement must be given to the Préfecture.

Welcome to French bureaucracy !

Peter

[Bevdeforges]

I've moved this to a thread of its own in hopes of attracting a few more comments.

Basically, the number of states that offer reciprocity on driving licenses with France has grown from 6 to 10 over the last 15 years. So I wouldn't hold my breath on California joining the list anytime soon. (Though sometimes things happen unexpectedly.)

If you have an exchangeable license, you go in to the prefecture to do so. Each prefecture has its own routines and procedures. Where I live, they only do license exchanges in the mornings on certain days of the week. (Like Peter said, welcome to French bureaucracy.)

To be honest about it, it isn't a bad idea to hit an auto école and take a few lessons before you go for your written and driving exam. There are a number of "interesting" driving regulations in France that tend to flummox Americans, and knowing how things are supposed to work can really help. (First on that list is "priorité à droite" which is considered a god-given right in most of Europe.)

And forget about getting information on any administrative procedure via e-mail (even in French). Most fonctionnaires don't respond to e-mail inquiries. The French government has some excellent websites on a variety of topics. Start with SERVICE PUBLIC - Particuliers and chances are you can find links to most of what you need to know - but only in French. Get used to simply going in to make queries or get information. In person visits generally yield the best results once you get to France.
Cheers,
Bev

[whitelilac]

hello bev
then i have a follow up question because i too am californian and i wanted to ask the exact question as he, did.

then what is the difference between a DL issues in California or in one of the states with whom France has an agreement? Can a person residing in one state be issued a drivers license in another state to bypass paying 1000+ euros so start over with the driving process in France??


thanks a lot!

[Bevdeforges]

Originally Posted by whitelilac

hello bev
then i have a follow up question because i too am californian and i wanted to ask the exact question as he, did.

then what is the difference between a DL issues in California or in one of the states with whom France has an agreement? Can a person residing in one state be issued a drivers license in another state to bypass paying 1000+ euros so start over with the driving process in France??


thanks a lot!

I know of people who have returned to the US to get a driver's license in a state with reciprocity in order to avoid French driving school. I suppose it depends where you'd rather spend your 1000€ - air fare and hotel bills or French driving school.

While I tried to avoid going the driving school route, ultimately, I'm glad I took the classes (in Germany, while I was living there). There's no way you'll figure out "priorité à droite" on your own, and there are some amazing subtleties in the rules of the road - like the type of paving, presence or absence of sidewalks and/or markings on the road may indicate speed limits, parking restrictions and whether or not that priorité à droite is in effect or not.

But I've also heard that getting a driver's license in the States has gotten a bit more difficult. You may need to "prove" residence in the state in order to get a license now.
Cheers,
Bev

[Coton90]

Originally Posted by Bevdeforges

I know of people who have returned to the US to get a driver's license in a state with reciprocity in order to avoid French driving school. I suppose it depends where you'd rather spend your 1000€ - air fare and hotel bills or French driving school.

While I tried to avoid going the driving school route, ultimately, I'm glad I took the classes (in Germany, while I was living there). There's no way you'll figure out "priorité à droite" on your own, and there are some amazing subtleties in the rules of the road - like the type of paving, presence or absence of sidewalks and/or markings on the road may indicate speed limits, parking restrictions and whether or not that priorité à droite is in effect or not.

But I've also heard that getting a driver's license in the States has gotten a bit more difficult. You may need to "prove" residence in the state in order to get a license now.
Cheers,
Bev

To all those that have never driven in Europe before, you seriously need to look at Appendix B of this manual, European Road Signs.

Army in Europe Pamphlet 190-34

If you do need to take your driver's test in France, most if not all the information in this manual applies to France and you can use this as a study guide. I hope this helps.

Bon Chance - Jeff

[yeehoo]

I don't think it's matter of logic - as in some states have driving laws similar to those of France. I imagine it is more a question of which states have bothered to try to have a reciprocity agreement. Why would a state in the u.s. go around the world and get reciprocity agreements. If we had a national driver's license in the u.s. then our diplomats in france would have tried to get a reciprocity agreement and we'd have one. But states don't have foreign diplomats or embassies and so on.

Anyway it's not that easy to pass the driving test. You'll have to go to a school and it'll take a couple of months at least before you get to where you can pass the written exam. The rules here are so different, not just priorité à droite but thousands of things (and also you have to know how to tell when an intersection is priorité à droite or not), i think we americans really should go to a school and learn the rules here.

As for cost it's not that bad. I think i paid about 300 euros for the driving school - all the class time you needed to get to where you can pass the written, and then a few driving lessons to learn how to pass that part. Maybe another hundred or so for the test and license. It took me about 2-3 months (i work full time) to get to where i could pass the written test. Then you wait awhile for the test. Then it's another month before you can take a driving test.

I was really reluctant to go to a school and all but in the end i am glad i did - i was really ignorant. I have a friend here who's american and has been here 14 years - driving all the while - who is just now studying for her driver's license. She's been stopped many times by cops and always managed to talk her way out of any trouble. I guess mostly they're not too up on the rules for international drivers. Sometimes she'd pretend to be new here and that she didn't speak french and then her kids would pipe up from the back seat, speaking in french, "Maman, blah blah ...". Ha ha.

Not sure how she got the insurance company to go along with her not having a valid license all those years.

[Asterix]

We were lucky because we had a vacation condo in FL, and had spent enough time there to qualify for driver's licenses. All I can say is that I was strongly advised to do my best to get exchangeable licenses to save $$ and

[whitelilac]

OK thanks!

But you know I as most Americans drive an automatic!
I never drove a stick-shift (manual)!

So can I learn the 'code de la route' myself on the internet, then have my bf teach me to drive a car with the stick shift, then what do I do about getting a double boxed car? Can I rent it will it be cheaper than going through a Auto ecole?


thankss!!

Originally Posted by yeehoo

I don't think it's matter of logic - as in some states have driving laws similar to those of France. I imagine it is more a question of which states have bothered to try to have a reciprocity agreement. Why would a state in the u.s. go around the world and get reciprocity agreements. If we had a national driver's license in the u.s. then our diplomats in france would have tried to get a reciprocity agreement and we'd have one. But states don't have foreign diplomats or embassies and so on.

Anyway it's not that easy to pass the driving test. You'll have to go to a school and it'll take a couple of months at least before you get to where you can pass the written exam. The rules here are so different, not just priorité à droite but thousands of things (and also you have to know how to tell when an intersection is priorité à droite or not), i think we americans really should go to a school and learn the rules here.

As for cost it's not that bad. I think i paid about 300 euros for the driving school - all the class time you needed to get to where you can pass the written, and then a few driving lessons to learn how to pass that part. Maybe another hundred or so for the test and license. It took me about 2-3 months (i work full time) to get to where i could pass the written test. Then you wait awhile for the test. Then it's another month before you can take a driving test.

I was really reluctant to go to a school and all but in the end i am glad i did - i was really ignorant. I have a friend here who's american and has been here 14 years - driving all the while - who is just now studying for her driver's license. She's been stopped many times by cops and always managed to talk her way out of any trouble. I guess mostly they're not too up on the rules for international drivers. Sometimes she'd pretend to be new here and that she didn't speak french and then her kids would pipe up from the back seat, speaking in french, "Maman, blah blah ...". Ha ha.

Not sure how she got the insurance company to go along with her not having a valid license all those years.

[whitelilac]

And when I pass they put a sign DONNE?
and if failed EN GREVE?

to funny
I have been driving since 17y/o.

Moving to a different country often means starting over again, things I learned way back.