# Motorbike - Driving Licence exchange rules



## aka-Spyke

Hello all

I am a resident of France with my CDS and I currently have my UK driving licence which doesnt expire for another year or two so I can continue to use it in France with no problems. However I would like to know, If I now take my motorcycle licence in the UK can I buy and ride motorbikes in France with that licence (as motorbikes and cars both share the same licence card)?
Also when I come to exchange my licence after mine expires in a year or two will the motorcycle part of the licence exchange too, so I will have a french bike and car licence? Once exchanged will my french licence allow me to do everything my Uk licence would allow me to do (will ALL categories transfer, especially the motorcycle category) even though I acquired the Motorcycle category in the Uk after December 2021 Brexit deadline.

Thanks you in advance

Ryann


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## rynd2it

aka-Spyke said:


> Hello all
> 
> I am a resident of France with my CDS and I currently have my UK driving licence which doesnt expire for another year or two so I can continue to use it in France with no problems. However I would like to know, If I now take my motorcycle licence in the UK can I buy and ride motorbikes in France with that licence (as motorbikes and cars both share the same licence card)?
> Also when I come to exchange my licence after mine expires in a year or two will the motorcycle part of the licence exchange too, so I will have a french bike and car licence? Once exchanged will my french licence allow me to do everything my Uk licence would allow me to do (will ALL categories transfer, especially the motorcycle category) even though I acquired the Motorcycle category in the Uk after December 2021 Brexit deadline.
> 
> Thanks you in advance
> 
> Ryann


As usual I suggest taking a look at this group:






Facebook







www.facebook.com





All the information you need (and help if you need it) is there, note that the admin closes the group on weekends, it will reopen today at 14:00. Just a heads up, the ANTS exchange system is currently having problems with retaining categories, again all the info is there


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## Crabtree

I have not understood the part that says "If I now take my motorcycle licence in the UK"
Do you mean that you want to take the motor cycle test in the UK or apply for a motorcycle licence in the UK
As a resident of France I believe that you cannot do either in the UK


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## Befuddled

I was thinking just that.


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## aka-Spyke

I currently own a UK car licence, I am wanting to get my motorcycle licence too so that I have the motorbike category added to my licence. I am however wanting to do that in the UK and not France as its just far less complicated for me. I will be exchanging my licence here in france in just less than two years from now. When I exchange it will I then get the french motorcycle and car licence categories? I hope this clears things up?


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## aka-Spyke

rynd2it said:


> As usual I suggest taking a look at this group:
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> Facebook
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> www.facebook.com
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> All the information you need (and help if you need it) is there, note that the admin closes the group on weekends, it will reopen today at 14:00. Just a heads up, the ANTS exchange system is currently having problems with retaining categories, again all the info is there


Sorry the link is not working for me, what is the name of the group? thanks


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## rynd2it

aka-Spyke said:


> Sorry the link is not working for me, what is the name of the group? thanks


Applying for a French Driving Licence. If you are resident in France it's a criminal offence to apply for a licence in the UK.


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## aka-Spyke

rynd2it said:


> Applying for a French Driving Licence. If you are resident in France it's a criminal offence to apply for a licence in the UK.


Thanks for your reply, I am aware of that but it doesn’t answer my question. Will France still accept it?


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## Crabtree

Well you will not be able to get it because you are not UK resident are you? So the rest is irrelevant.


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## aka-Spyke

Crabtree said:


> Well you will not be able to get it because you are not UK resident are you? So the rest is irrelevant.


Yes it’s still possible to get it. Legally no but illegally yes. I see I’m not going to get my answer here!


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## rynd2it

aka-Spyke said:


> Thanks for your reply, I am aware of that but it doesn’t answer my question. Will France still accept it?


Possible problems in that ANTS is checking the issue date against your residency date, they could refuse to exchange in which case you'll be without a license at all. Check the files on the FB group and all the dialogue of people who have been caught. If the issue date of your UK licence is after 31/12/2020 you have to exchange within 1 year of establishing residency.

However, if ANTS accept your licence they then inform the DVLA of the cancellation of your UK licence and the issue of a French one - DVLA then knows you have committed a crime.


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## rynd2it

aka-Spyke said:


> Yes it’s still possible to get it. Legally no but illegally yes. I see I’m not going to get my answer here!


You've had the answer - you just don't like it.


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## Bevdeforges

Don't know how they apply it wrt the WA and all, but we've had several folks here on the forum run up against that little requirement that you have held your relevant foreign (exchangeable) license for at least a year or so prior to your date of residence here in France. Again, maybe they don't check it that carefully if it's a license class added subsequent to the issuing of the original license - but it's something to consider when trying to make the "exchange."


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## rynd2it

Bevdeforges said:


> Don't know how they apply it wrt the WA and all, but we've had several folks here on the forum run up against that little requirement that you have held your relevant foreign (exchangeable) license for at least a year or so prior to your date of residence here in France. Again, maybe they don't check it that carefully if it's a license class added subsequent to the issuing of the original license - but it's something to consider when trying to make the "exchange."


With a UK licence, if you arrive and take up residence before 31/12/2020 then you can continue to drive on your UK licence until it expires. Six months before that date you apply to exchange it but not before.

If you arrive after 31/12/2020 then you licence is only valid for 1 year *regardless of the dates* on the licence and you must apply to exchange it six months before the deadline.

The rules are different for other non-EU countries so the 1 year might apply then, I believe it does if its a USA licence


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## BackinFrance

rynd2it said:


> With a UK licence, if you arrive and take up residence before 31/12/2020 then you can continue to drive on your UK licence until it expires. Six months before that date you apply to exchange it but not before.
> 
> If you arrive after 31/12/2020 then you licence is only valid for 1 year *regardless of the dates* on the licence and you must apply to exchange it six months before the deadline.
> 
> The rules are different for other non-EU countries so the 1 year might apply then, I believe it does if its a USA licence


EU licences are valid in France and do not have to be exchanged. Well that of course would be subject to the EU country in question not exiting the EU.

For non EU countries that have exchange agreements you can drive on your foreign licence for 12 months from your verifiable move date, but as always you must submit your exchange application not less than 2 months before your 12 months is up. In any case, France will not necessarily include on your French licence all of the categories you had on your foreign licence because testing régimes vary significantly. 

I agree that the OP does not like the answer he has received and note that it is not général practice on this forum to suggest/recommend illegal processes.


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## aka-Spyke

rynd2it said:


> Possible problems in that ANTS is checking the issue date against your residency date, they could refuse to exchange in which case you'll be without a license at all. Check the files on the FB group and all the dialogue of people who have been caught. If the issue date of your UK licence is after 31/12/2020 you have to exchange within 1 year of establishing residency.
> 
> However, if ANTS accept your licence they then inform the DVLA of the cancellation of your UK licence and the issue of a French one - DVLA then knows you have committed a crime.


thank you.
What is the name of the Facebook group please?


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## rynd2it

rynd2it said:


> Applying for a French Driving Licence.


Note that the group is paused so you might not be able to find it - try later today.


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## bhamham

rynd2it said:


> With a UK licence, if you arrive and take up residence before 31/12/2020 then you can continue to drive on your UK licence until it expires. Six months before that date you apply to exchange it but not before.
> 
> If you arrive after 31/12/2020 then you licence is only valid for 1 year *regardless of the dates* on the licence and you must apply to exchange it six months before the deadline.
> 
> The rules are different for other non-EU countries so the 1 year might apply then, I believe it does if its a USA licence


I thought it was when the British driver's license was issued i.e. if issued before 1 Jan 2021 allows you to continue driving until the license expires. Those licenses issued after 1 Jan 2021 is only valid for a year. Do I have it wrong?









Permis de conduire : un accord mutuel entre la France et le Royaume-Uni


Vous êtes titulaire d'un permis de conduire britannique et vous résidez en France ? Depuis le 28 juin 2021, un accord relatif à la continuité de la reconnaissance mutuelle des permis de conduire entre la France et le Royaume-Uni a été mis en place. Les personnes détentrices de permis...




www.service-public.fr


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## rynd2it

bhamham said:


> I thought it was when the British driver's license was issued i.e. if issued before 1 Jan 2021 allows you to continue driving until the license expires. Those licenses issued after 1 Jan 2021 is only valid for a year. Do I have it wrong?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Permis de conduire : un accord mutuel entre la France et le Royaume-Uni
> 
> 
> Vous êtes titulaire d'un permis de conduire britannique et vous résidez en France ? Depuis le 28 juin 2021, un accord relatif à la continuité de la reconnaissance mutuelle des permis de conduire entre la France et le Royaume-Uni a été mis en place. Les personnes détentrices de permis...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.service-public.fr


You are correct but it also depends on your date of residence


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## Bevdeforges

One other consideration here - in France, when you add a "new" category to a driver's license, you actually get a new license - with a new issue date (and these days, an expiration date in 15 years). For someone to return back to the UK to add a motorcycle category to a standard passenger car license means (at least to the French mind) that the "new" updated license was issued as of the date of the additional category. My husband added a category to his driver's license and this is how it worked.

The French tend to treat foreign documents as if they were French issued ones - so you may find your UK license is considered to be issued after 31 December 2020 and thus not eligible for exchange.


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## bhamham

rynd2it said:


> You are correct but it also depends on your date of residence


This is the only portion of accord that speaks to residency that I could find. That if you have a British license issued after 1 Jan 2021 you have one year after your arrival where you must exchange it for a French one.

_Vous résidez en France et vous êtes titulaire d'un permis de conduire britannique délivré après le 1er janvier 2021. Votre permis britannique est valable durant un an à compter de votre installation en France. Durant ce délai vous devez demander l'échange de votre permis britannique contre un permis français sur le site de l'Agence nationale des titres sécurisés (ANTS) . Passé ce délai, si vous n'avez pas demandé l'échange, vous devrez repasser l'examen français du permis de conduire. En cas d'expiration, perte, vol ou détérioration, vous devez faire une demande d'échange sur le site de l'ANTS._

I arrived after 1 Jan 2021 but my British license was issued before that date, so if I understand the accord correctly I can drive with it in France until it expires.


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## rynd2it

bhamham said:


> This is the only portion of accord that speaks to residency that I could find. That if you have a British license issued after 1 Jan 2021 you have one year after your arrival where you must exchange it for a French one.
> 
> _Vous résidez en France et vous êtes titulaire d'un permis de conduire britannique délivré après le 1er janvier 2021. Votre permis britannique est valable durant un an à compter de votre installation en France. Durant ce délai vous devez demander l'échange de votre permis britannique contre un permis français sur le site de l'Agence nationale des titres sécurisés (ANTS) . Passé ce délai, si vous n'avez pas demandé l'échange, vous devrez repasser l'examen français du permis de conduire. En cas d'expiration, perte, vol ou détérioration, vous devez faire une demande d'échange sur le site de l'ANTS._
> 
> I arrived after 1 Jan 2021 but my British license was issued before that date, so if I understand the accord correctly I can drive with it in France until it expires.


I'll refer you to the FB group where all the relevant documents are available


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## bhamham

rynd2it said:


> I'll refer you to the FB group where all the relevant documents are available


I know the FB group and I posted the relevant document. Your statement above does not address the issue date of the license, maybe you should revisit the group and review the relevant documents.


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## rynd2it

bhamham said:


> I know the FB group and I posted the relevant document. Your statement above does not address the issue date of the license, maybe you should revisit the group and review the relevant documents.


I have all the relevant documents on my computer having been processing my licence exchange. The issue date of a licence is a factor but only in conjunction with your residency date. If you arrived before 31/12/2020 but your licence date is after that you have committed a criminal offence.


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