The insurer will expect you to have your driving licence by the time you have lived in France for 12 months, which is when you will no longer be able to drive legally on your US licence.

 

Yeah, this is what I have read as well. But so far, any insurer I have looked at requires a French driving license to even sign up.

 

I don't know about the legalities regarding licence but I certainly know the difference between French and Spanish prices for a car!! IF you want to buy a car now but can't drive it why not buy a car in Spain? Leave it there for six months and then, if you have your licence, simply drive it back into France. You wouldn't have to pay any import or vat duty. Cars are cheaper over the border and with the saving on duty cheaper still. I have bought in Spain and the savings are tremendous. The higher 'end' of car you buy then obviously the greater the savings. Changing the registration to a French registration isn't complicated.

 

We moved from Italy in 2020 with an Italian registered car and were able to register the car in France and secure insurance using our Canadian licenses which at the time only had several months validity remaining. Have you tried Credit Agricole? They have a branch for Nord Midi-Pyrenees and offer an English language service. You don't have to live in their area to access their services and products including car insurance.

I hope your French is good. If it was me, I would be focussing on the license before I even started the new-car purchase. Getting the French license is not so straight forward and if you unfortunately fail the test, there can be a (un)reasonable delay before re-sitting the test. Months even depending on where your are and how busy they are. Good luck.

 

Have you tried Credit Agricole? They have a branch for Nord Midi-Pyrenees and offer an English language service. You don't have to live in their area to access their services and products including car insurance.

Thanks for the suggestion, we will look into them. I'm suspecting we will have to get on the phone with someone to get an accurate quote given our current situation, self-serve options all ask about a French license. We have a 2-year old to get around town when it's dumping rain, bike commuting works, but isn't ideal. I read that can't start the licensing process until I have been here for 6 months as at that point I will officially be a resident per the French government website. I'm already studying though

 

check with your bank for insurance rates. You won't need a French license but they will have it expire when your 1 year is up. I think you are correct that you have to be a resident for 6 months before you can enroll in the Ants system to be eligible to take the code.

 

For anybody that comes looking in the future. We can get insurance via AXA, but as mentioned, we must have a license by the one-year grace period. So that solves that problem for the time being, and we will be starting the process for a license in January. It is my understanding that one of the big advantages of auto école is that they have fast tracks to take both the practical and theoretical exams. Whereas, if you don't go that route, you are on a long waiting list. Can anyone confirm that?

 

Which states are changeable w/ France? I'm wondering if it'd be easier to become a South Dakota resident for a [very] little while...

 

US driver's license in France - ma French Life

This FAQ about US driver's license in France answers questions like: Can I drive in France with a US license? Can I exchange my US license?

mafrenchlife.com

 

They have faster tracks, but not necessarily 'fast' for the practical test, depends a lot on where you live. No problem for the theoretical test with an auto école.

 

I went through a very similar situation. In our case, we moved to France in February, I bought a new car the following January (within the 12 month window), then didn't drive it for a few months after my license expired in February until I passed the written and practical driving tests in July.

I had zero problem arranging for insurance -- just had to present my Oregon license and get a summary of any infractions from the Oregon Dept. of Transportation. My insurer never even asked for a copy of my French license -- perhaps they have a means for getting that information from the government themselves.

I just had my first claim with them after being rear-ended while turning left on a rural road. No problem at all -- everything was handled with very little involvement by me.