# Exchanging a driver's license



## lewisthesamteenth

Bonjour à tous,

I have a question regarding the exchange of an American driver's license in France. I understand that the exchange must be effectuated within the FIRST year of one's residence in France, and that in order to exchange an American license, it must come from a state with which France has an accord as to its equivalence with the French license.

Unfortunately, the people at the sous-préfecture in Aix-en-Provence told me the EXACT OPPOSITE (that is, that I would be able to exchange my license AFTER the first year of my visa), and thus I waited like an idiot for a year until i learned at the OFII during another visit that I would have had to have done it during the first year. Dommage, because I have a license from the state of Connecticut, which is valid for an exchange in France. So for now, that's a moot point.

However, this is where things get interesting : my wife and I will be returning to the States this summer for an extended period (at least 6 months), during which my carte de séjour will expire (in October 2017, to be precise). We do intend, however, to return to France to live here sometime in 2018, should all go well. Thus, I will be required to apply through the Consulate in New York for a VLS-TS, mention vie privée et familiale.

My question then becomes : upon returning to France in 2018, would I be able then to exchange my US driver's license for a French one, seeing as I will have put an end to my residency in France by letting the carte de séjour expire, thus I wonder if my new VLS-TS would be treated like a first one, or will they take into account my previous residency ? All of the regulation states that a demande d'échange must be submitted during the first year of one's residency in France, but I am unsure as to how fluid the concept of residency is.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated on this matter. Thanks so much !


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## Bevdeforges

Hey, it's always worthwhile to pursue the bureaucratic mindset in France! Actually, the way things work, since you will be starting all over with a new visa, chances are you will be "re-setting the clock" on the license exchange thing (particularly if you change prefectures on your return to France).

The one "catch" though could be the requirement in some prefectures to show that you were resident in the state from which you have your license for a year or so before your entry into France to take up residence. Basically, they are trying to confirm that you were actually resident in the state of your license (rather than just popping into the state to pick up an exchangeable license) but different prefectures interpret this requirement in different ways. 
Cheers,
Bev


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## lewisthesamteenth

Thanks so much for the reply. Indeed, the wording in all of the documents from the préfectures states that the demand must be made during the FIRST year of residency in France, and there's nothing about the case of a "discontinuous" residency. Very classic French bureaucracy : precise enough to make things excruciating, but vague enough to give enough leeway to the fonctionnaires to make things even more excruciating.

I was thinking similarly to you, in the sense that re-applying for a residency permit (in my case, as the spouse of a French national, a VLS-TS mention vie privée et familiale) would give me a new visa number and a new "dossier" for the préfecture of my residence and thus would be equivalent to a "first" visa.

My license was issued by the state of CT in April 2016, so I would imagine that that would be sufficient if I were to apply for the exchange in 2018. But I'll keep some documentation au cas où. Thanks for the tip.

I'd also be curious to know if any Americans have gone through this process, and if so, how they went about acquiring the letter from their State attesting to their right to drive, that their license is not suspended, etc. For example, one préfecture asks for :

"L’attestation originale, (avec la traduction le cas échéant rédigée par un traducteur agréé auprès d’une cour d’appel française), établie par les autorités administratives étrangères ayant délivré le titre de conduite mentionnant le numéro du permis, le lieu d’obtention, les dates d’examen des catégories obtenues, la validité des droits à conduire ainsi que l’absence de mesures de restriction, de suspension ou d’annulation des droits à conduire." 

I'm curious as to how to go about acquiring something like this in the States. I would imagine that one would address the DMV for something like this, but I can't find any application of formulaire de demande through the CT DMV. Perhaps it is necessary to address oneself to the Department of Transportation ? Ugh, living in France has forced me to expend so much mental energy trying to accomplish administrative tasks.

Thanks again.


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## Bevdeforges

You may want to scour the US Consulate website to see if they have any information about this document. While the consulate won't be able to issue it, they should be able to advise you which state agency you should apply to.
Cheers,
Bev


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## lewisthesamteenth

Thanks again.

I guess the over-arching question that makes me nervous, still, is whether applying for a visa after having been a resident for nearly two years in France will count as a "premier visa" or "premier titre de séjour." The official regulation states

I. ― Tout titulaire d'un permis de conduire délivré régulièrement au nom d'un Etat n'appartenant ni à l'Union européenne, ni à l'Espace économique européen doit obligatoirement demander l'échange de ce titre contre un permis de conduire français dans le délai d'un an qui suit l'acquisition de sa résidence normale en France.
II. - Pour les ressortissants étrangers non- ressortissants de l'Union européenne, la date d'acquisition de la résidence normale est celle du début de validité du premier titre de séjour.
A. ― Pour les ressortissants étrangers bénéficiant d'un visa long séjour, la date d'acquisition de la résidence normale est celle de la vignette apposée par l'Office français de l'immigration et de l'intégration sur le premier visa long séjour.

Logically, I want to believe that re-establishing my residency in the United States will put an end to my residency in France, and thus I would be obliged to start from zero to return to France. For example, let's say I had come to France on a one-year visitor's visa in 1990 and did not exchange my driver's license because it was going to be valid for one year and it wouldn't have been worth the effort. Let's say I came back to the US after that visit and there remained for 20 or so years.Then I decide to go back to France (to retire, say). I can't imagine that my driver's license would remain invalidated as a result of having resided one year in France a long long time ago. It would seem to me that I would be again obliged to apply for a premier visa de long séjour, even if technically it wasn't the very "premier visa" I ever applied for. The idea of "first" is what I'm hung up on.

Any ideas would be quite welcome. Thanks again !


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## RayRay

lewisthesamteenth said:


> Thanks again.
> 
> I guess the over-arching question that makes me nervous, still, is whether applying for a visa after having been a resident for nearly two years in France will count as a "premier visa" or "premier titre de séjour." The official regulation states
> 
> I. ― Tout titulaire d'un permis de conduire délivré régulièrement au nom d'un Etat n'appartenant ni à l'Union européenne, ni à l'Espace économique européen doit obligatoirement demander l'échange de ce titre contre un permis de conduire français dans le délai d'un an qui suit l'acquisition de sa résidence normale en France.
> II. - Pour les ressortissants étrangers non- ressortissants de l'Union européenne, la date d'acquisition de la résidence normale est celle du début de validité du premier titre de séjour.
> A. ― Pour les ressortissants étrangers bénéficiant d'un visa long séjour, la date d'acquisition de la résidence normale est celle de la vignette apposée par l'Office français de l'immigration et de l'intégration sur le premier visa long séjour.
> 
> Logically, I want to believe that re-establishing my residency in the United States will put an end to my residency in France, and thus I would be obliged to start from zero to return to France. For example, let's say I had come to France on a one-year visitor's visa in 1990 and did not exchange my driver's license because it was going to be valid for one year and it wouldn't have been worth the effort. Let's say I came back to the US after that visit and there remained for 20 or so years.Then I decide to go back to France (to retire, say). I can't imagine that my driver's license would remain invalidated as a result of having resided one year in France a long long time ago. It would seem to me that I would be again obliged to apply for a premier visa de long séjour, even if technically it wasn't the very "premier visa" I ever applied for. The idea of "first" is what I'm hung up on.
> 
> Any ideas would be quite welcome. Thanks again !


Hi

I think...and I am not certain, that the attestation about your driving is what the French do when the contact the state from which you received your drivers license. They do it by post...not telephone or email. If the state's DMV or RMV doesn't respond within whatever period France considers appropriate, they discontinue their request and tell you that they could not certify you with your state. 

We asked at our Prefecture when our exchange seemed to be taking a long time. They said that they couldn't give us any specific information about our request, but the functionnaire with whom I spoke gave me the whole story in great detail regarding how they make their request and how long they allow. 

FWIW, my wife's exchange took about 3 months and mine closer to 4 - 5 months (we applied for mine about 1 1/2 months after my wife's as I had a trip to the US and I wouldn't have been able to rent a US car with a temporary French permit de conduire (or so Hertz and Avis told me).

Best of luck. It is worth the trouble IF you get the license as the cost of going to driving school could be 1,500 - 2,000 euro or more.

Ray


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## Bevdeforges

I think the issue here is that each prefecture seems to do things in their own way. It sounds like Ray's prefecture makes the contact with the state that issued the license themselves. In other prefectures, they expect the applicant to obtain the necessary certification of your residence at the time your license was issued and/or just before you moved to France.

It's one of the "joys" of the French administration - I think the technical term is "discretion" and you can, in some cases, make it work for you rather than just against. But it really helps if you speak fairly good French and can assume an innocent air about you while wheeling and dealing.
Cheers,
Bev


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## RayRay

Bevdeforges said:


> I think the issue here is that each prefecture seems to do things in their own way. It sounds like Ray's prefecture makes the contact with the state that issued the license themselves. In other prefectures, they expect the applicant to obtain the necessary certification of your residence at the time your license was issued and/or just before you moved to France.
> 
> It's one of the "joys" of the French administration - I think the technical term is "discretion" and you can, in some cases, make it work for you rather than just against. But it really helps if you speak fairly good French and can assume an innocent air about you while wheeling and dealing.
> Cheers,
> Bev


I totally agree. We knew enough to say (in French), "This is the first time we have done this, how do you recommend we proceed?"...then just let the nice fonctionnaires assist us. 

I have to say that after 5 years, they've been great in just about every circumstance, in some cases, going waaaaaayyyyy beyond what might have been normal. 

Give them a chance to help you.

Ray


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## Kinsale

So a question from me. When does the clock start running for the year you have to exchange your American license by treaty? Is it from the date if your arrival in France or from the date of your carte de séjour. My carte de Séjour is still pending but I have the récépissé. Is it from the date the récépissé is issued? Total confusion here.


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## RayRay

Kinsale

My advice is don’t tarry.

I suspect that, since the date one arrives in France is fixed (and demonstrable from the stamp in one’s passport), one’s arrival date is what will be used to start the clock on a drivers license exchange period. 

Even if period is longer or begins later, the situation could change. 

The agreement between your state and France regarding drivers license exchanges might end. 
France might decide that the allowable time should be shortened. 
France might decide one should pay for the license exchange (which we did not have to do when we exchanged our drivers’ licenses). 
Best of luck.

Ray


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## Bevdeforges

Kinsale said:


> So a question from me. When does the clock start running for the year you have to exchange your American license by treaty? Is it from the date if your arrival in France or from the date of your carte de séjour. My carte de Séjour is still pending but I have the récépissé. Is it from the date the récépissé is issued? Total confusion here.


My understanding is that it is the expiration date of your first titre de séjour - though this was the rule a few years ago and may have changed a bit since then. If you have the kind of visa where your validated visa serves as your first year's titre de séjour, then before you get your actual carte de séjour.


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## Kinsale

RayRay said:


> Kinsale
> 
> My advice is don’t tarry.
> 
> I suspect that, since the date one arrives in France is fixed (and demonstrable from the stamp in one’s passport), one’s arrival date is what will be used to start the clock on a drivers license exchange period.
> 
> Even if period is longer or begins later, the situation could change.
> 
> The agreement between your state and France regarding drivers license exchanges might end.
> France might decide that the allowable time should be shortened.
> France might decide one should pay for the license exchange (which we did not have to do when we exchanged our drivers’ licenses).
> Best of luck.
> 
> Ray


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## Kinsale

Thanks, Ray. That's good advice. I have dual American and Irish nationality so I entered on my Irish one hence no passport stamp. But your other points are quite relevant to my case. I have a divers license from the state of Virginia which has an exchange agreement with France. I got screwed up on the ANTS website thinking I could go back to my application after I started it and upload the required docs. But no. I'm sucked into the whirlpool now and will now have to do it all by mail, I suppose. Well, at least it's in process.


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## Kinsale

Thanks, Bev. Yes, it's all very confusing. I just found something on my Prefecture's website stating the clock starts with the date of issuance of a temporary Carte de Séjou. I interpret that to mean the Récépissé I got when they accepted my Carter de Séjour paperwork. I'll probably use that date but as Ray say in response to my query, best not to tarry with all this.


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## Bevdeforges

With the online handling of license exchanges things have changed a bit, but we've had lots of folks through here who have run into difficulties when they attempt to exchange a driver's license from a different jurisdiction than their passport. It's not uncommon for them to request some form of proof that you were resident in the place your driver's license comes from - sometimes for a minimum period of time immediately before your move to France. Or, you might get lucky and they'll just process the paperwork and not bother you for the proofs of residence. Fingers crossed for a successful and relatively hassle-free exchange.


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## Kinsale

Bevdeforges said:


> With the online handling of license exchanges things have changed a bit, but we've had lots of folks through here who have run into difficulties when they attempt to exchange a driver's license from a different jurisdiction than their passport. It's not uncommon for them to request some form of proof that you were resident in the place your driver's license comes from - sometimes for a minimum period of time immediately before your move to France. Or, you might get lucky and they'll just process the paperwork and not bother you for the proofs of residence. Fingers crossed for a successful and relatively hassle-free exchange.


Thanks a lot, Beth. We'll see what happens.


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## Peasant

Kinsale said:


> Is it from the date if your arrival in France or from the date of your carte de séjour.


When I was inquiring about swapping my US license I was told that it was one year from the date of arrival. It turned out to be much easier to swap my British license so that's what I did.


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## Kinsale

Peasant said:


> When I was inquiring about swapping my US license I was told that it was one year from the date of arrival. It turned out to be much easier to swap my British license so that's what I did.


Thanks, Peasant. Lots of opinions out there. I will bear your note in mind.


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## Marnée

*Another question about the "one year" rule...*

I have an American license from a non-exchange state (NY). I am now living in France (since January 2022), not on a carte de séjour, but as a French citizen (obtained via marriage), but will be going back to the US several times a year. 
I have not yet begun the process of obtaining a French license (although I did download a program to learn the code and practice tests). 

My question is: Do I really need to go through the time and expense of getting a French license? Can I just drive on my American one with the idea that the one year "resets" every time I return from the US? How would anyone know (no visa, no stamps in my French passport...)? 

Thoughts anyone?


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## RayRay

Marnée

If you are stopped, you will be asked for your identification document (which will not be your US Drivers License) and for your drivers license. At that moment you'll have a choice: 

Provide your French ID card and your US drivers license. By doing this, you'd be telling the gendarme the truth: that you're French and that you don't have a French drivers license (as you should). You would probably be fined for not having a French license, be required to get a French drivers license, and then points would be deducted from it for the infraction. 
Provide your US Passport and your US drivers license. You would then be telling a lie to the gendarme: that you're a US tourist with a US license. The gendarme might accept that you are a tourist. If, however, a computer check revealed you to be French, you'd have intentionally lied to a gendarme. I don't know the penalties for this. I expect they'd be more severe and they might include being denied the right to have a drivers license for a number of years. 
There are two questions you may want to consider: 

Is it worth your peace of mind while driving to continue to do something you know isn't legal because you're reluctant to get a French drivers license?​
Are you American or French? If view yourself as French, do you want to make a French choice?​
Best of luck.

Ray


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## Bevdeforges

Marnée said:


> Can I just drive on my American one with the idea that the one year "resets" every time I return from the US? How would anyone know (no visa, no stamps in my French passport...)?


That's not how it works. There is no "reset" - you are supposed to be "resident" in the US immediately prior to your move to France to take advantage of the "one year rule." For foreigners, the rule is actually something about you have to exchange your license before your first titre de séjour expires. But for French nationals returning from a residence overseas, they only have the same one year time period (assuming they're coming from a state that does not do exchanges).

Besides, US licenses expire after a few years and they're getting pickier about requiring proof of residence when you go to renew. If you're asked for supporting i.d. to prove your residence, it may be difficult to justify the US address on your US driving license. Or to prove your French residence if you're driving on a US license without a valid carte de séjour. (The French can be very subtle about how they "enforce" these things.)

Get the French license. It costs a bit (in both money and effort), but there are some subtleties in the French/European driving rules that you'll be well served to know and understand. And the European licenses are good for a full 15 years these days, with pretty minimal requirements to renew.


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## Bevdeforges

RayRay said:


> Provide your US Passport and your US drivers license. You would then be telling a lie to the gendarme: that you're a US tourist with a US license. The gendarme might accept that you are a tourist. If, however, a computer check revealed you to be French, you'd have intentionally lied to a gendarme. I don't know the penalties for this. I expect they'd be more severe and they might include being denied the right to have a drivers license for a number of years.


Oh I can't resist responding to this one. A US passport does NOT indicate your residential address so there is a good possibility the nice policeman could and would ask to see either your carte de séjour or check your passport for the last entry stamp, which will not be there if you're using your French passport on returning to France.

I told you the French are subtle about this stuff. <ggg>


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## mbsfrance

During the one year that American's (in this example) can drive without a French drivers license, will there be any issues with getting auto insurance? Do you have to have your passport with you while driving?


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## Bevdeforges

mbsfrance said:


> During the one year that American's (in this example) can drive without a French drivers license, will there be any issues with getting auto insurance?


There could be. Depends on the insurer I suppose.


> Do you have to have your passport with you while driving?


No, but you can be asked for "identification" - which for someone resident in France would be your titre de séjour. During the first year you are living in France, your titre de séjour is very often the validated visa in your passport. Though I am told that, if you are asked for i.d. and don't have it, you may be given 24 hours to return to the police station where you were asked to produce i.d. with the appropriate i.d. in hand.


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## Marnée

Bevdeforges said:


> Oh I can't resist responding to this one. A US passport does NOT indicate your residential address so there is a good possibility the nice policeman could and would ask to see either your carte de séjour or check your passport for the last entry stamp, which will not be there if you're using your French passport on returning to France.
> 
> I told you the French are subtle about this stuff. <ggg>


My US passport does not indicate an address, buy my French passport - issued by the Consulat in NY this past November (and good for 10 years) - lists my NY address as my official residence. I will be maintaining my NY residence, so should have no trouble renewing my NYS drivers license when it expires (in 2027!) 

(Apropos of nothing...I voted in the French presidential election by procuration from my address in NY)


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## Bevdeforges

What address does your French carte d'identité have for you? I dunno, you may just be asking for problems with "mixed identification" like you have. Though to be perfectly honest, in nearly 30 years of living (and driving) here in France I have yet to be stopped and asked to show my license. Have always wondered at all the angoisse here about driving licenses (though I'll admit, I got a French license early on - but had already gone through the hassle of retesting and all in Germany, so it was just an EU exchange).


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## RayRay

Bevdeforges said:


> ...Though to be perfectly honest, in nearly 30 years of living (and driving) here in France I have yet to be stopped and asked to show my license....


I've only been stopped once. Not long after I got my French _permit de conduire_, we exited an autoroute and just past the toll booth were several gendarmes. They were stopping all the cars coming off the highway for a sobriety check. 

We parked as directed, I provided my French license and _carte de sejour_, and blew in the tube. The officer took my cards back to his car...I assume he was checking the validity of my license and ID. Otherwise, I have to think he would have simply returned them to me straight away after I passed the sobriety test. 

All the best. 

Ray


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