Can new arrivals in France insure vehicle on foreign licence?

Reader Question: We are looking to insure our vehicle in France after moving but have been rejected by one of the major insurers because we have a non-French driving licence. How can we insure our vehicle?

Drivers with a non-French driving licence generally should be able to insure their vehicles, especially for the basic, legal ‘third-party’ insurance cover.

All vehicles on French roads require valid insurance. 

Foreign drivers from a country where the ‘Green Card’ insurance system is used (including the UK) can benefit from this insurance for up to six months after arriving in France. 

Alternatively, you may be able to purchase temporary ‘bridging insurance’ (assurance frontière) to cover you for up to 90 days, for cars not yet registered in France but being driven on French roads after moving.

This can be repurchased once, offering up to 180 days of coverage. 

After this, if living in France you must subscribe to a French insurance for your vehicle. 

You must also re-register your vehicle in France if moving permanently. 

Check licence is valid

Certain non-French driving licences are valid in France. 

As a reminder, EU/EEA licences, and British licences first issued before January 2021, remain valid for use in France until they need to be renewed or, notably, until such a time as you commit an offence that would see you gain points on a French licence, at which point you must apply to exchange it for a French one. 

Other international licences must be exchanged for a French licence within 12 months, providing licence exchanges are accepted (some US state and Canadian licences are not, for example). 

Note that licences for students remain valid for the time of their studies without needing to be exchanged for a French one.

If you have a licence that cannot be exchanged, then you will need to take a French driving test to acquire a French licence. 

Some insurers may reject

Due to the limitations on using some foreign licences, as described above, some insurers may be reluctant to insure people with these, however, this should not be the case if you have an EU or UK ‘pre-Brexit’ licence with many years’ validity.

Also, in general, insurers should not refuse without good reason to give basic ‘third-party’ legal insurance, though they may decide not to offer further options, for example if they have reservations about insufficient driving history.

However, we have also occasionally heard from Connexion readers who have been living in France for many years with a non-French licence, insuring their vehicle, and then being refused when looking to switch to a different insurer.

There should be at least some major and more local insurers who will almost offer a policy, although it may be at a higher rate – it is worth getting several quotes. 

In the unlikely event that you cannot find any insurance whatsoever, you can contact the bureau central de tarification (BCT), a free and independent service that can help you be accepted by an insurer.