Living in France part time - do I exchange my driving licence?
Licence exchange rules differ depending on the country which issued your licence and France’s agreements with it
Driving licence exchange rules depend on the original country where you obtained the document
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Reader Question: I currently hold a California driving licence but spend around five months a year in France. I read a previous article that mentioned “exchanging” a licence — does that mean I would have to give up my California licence, or can I keep it for use in the US, where it serves as my main form of ID?
The answer depends on whether France is your main place of residence.
If you are living in France on a long-term basis, people with foreign licences are generally required to apply to exchange their foreign driving licence for a French one within their first year of residency.
If they miss this 12-month window, they will no longer be eligible for an exchange and will instead need to pass the French driving test.
However, where someone only stays in France part of the year and their primary residence remains elsewhere, they can, and should, continue to drive using their valid foreign licence.
In this case, there is no obligation to exchange it.
The test revolves around where you have your ‘normal’ or ‘habitual’ residency, which is usually the country where you have your strongest personal and professional attachments and typically where you spend most of the year.
For foreign people moving to France on a long-term visa valant titre de séjour (equivalent to a residency card) it runs from the point when the visa is validated in France in the first months after moving over.
It sounds from your description that the US remains your ‘normal’ place of residency so that being the case you should not seek to exchange.
In fact, the situation is complex for holders of US licences who move to France, as France does not have a single nationwide agreement with the United States. Instead, agreements are made individually with certain states.
Only 18 US states currently have reciprocal arrangements allowing an exchange. A list can be found here.
As California is not one of these states, holders of a California licence who become residents in France are not eligible for an exchange. Instead, they must take both the French theory and practical driving tests to obtain a French licence.
It is important to note that when a licence exchange is carried out, the original licence is usually retained by the French authorities as you may only have one EU driving licence at any one time.
UK and EU licences
UK licences are treated differently depending on when they were first issued (this usually corresponds to the date the person passed their driving test).
Those first issued before January 2021 are recognised similarly to EU licences and generally do not need to be exchanged unless specific circumstances arise, such as expiry or a driving offence that would incur loss of points from a French licence.
UK licences first issued after this date are treated the same as non-EU licences and must be exchanged within one year of becoming resident.
Other non-EU licences
In most cases, drivers holding licences from outside the EU/EEA must apply for an exchange within 12 months of establishing residency in France. If no reciprocal agreement exists, passing the French driving test is required.
When an exchange becomes mandatory
Regardless of nationality, a licence exchange may be required for people who have moved to France in certain situations, including iif the licence is due to expire, if it has been lost, stolen, or damaged, if the driver commits an offence in France leading to penalties or restrictions or if a new category of vehicle licence is needed.
Applications are submitted online via the ANTS platform.
Non-EU nationals must show proof of legal residency in France, while EU nationals need to demonstrate that France is their primary residence and provide evidence of their arrival date.
