Driving in France

November 19, 2007

If you come from a country in the European Union and have moved to France permanently, you might want to get a French driving licence.
The procedure is free and generally simple: you give the préfecture two ID photographs, a copy of your titre de séjour (if you have one), your driving licence, and present your ID card (carte de séjour if you still have one) or passport, a proof of your French address (an electricity, water or land line phone bill) and they will issue you a French driving licence. Note that some préfectures have handled more foreign driving licences than others, and that interpretations of what is needed may vary from département to département. In Paris this procedure is free and the French licence is issued on the spot, whereas in the Dordogne it costs €52 and takes eight days.

A French driving licence is not compulsory – unless you commit an offence involving a loss of points, in which case you’ll have to obtain a French licence so that the points can be removed from it.
British residents are also faced with the problem that UK licences are linked to an address in the UK. Strictly speaking, if you do not have an address in the UK, your UK licence is not valid although in practice this has become a grey area for Brits living elsewhere in Europe. In spite of the potential problems – driving without a valid licence is a serious offence – changing the system to allow for Brits living in the EU is not a British government priority.
Some states in the United States have signed treaties allowing driving licences to be exchanged within the first year of residence, under a procedure similar to that for EU nationals. For the other states, you can drive on your US licence for a year, but then have to take a French driving test with compulsory lessons, normally costing between €900 and €2,000.
Having a French driving licence makes things easier, not least because it is a good form of photo ID.
As a motorist in France you are liable to on-the-spot checks at any time, so you should always carry your licence, vehicle registration and insurance documents when driving, and can be subject to on-the-spot fines if you do not have them with you. If you cannot produce the papers when the police check you, you are allowed five days to present them at the police station or gendarmerie nearest to the place where the check took place (not the nearest to your home). You may then reclaim the fine but it is a complicated procedure.

MOTORING OFFENCES
There is a system of points for motoring offences whereby all drivers start with 12 points, from which between one to six points may be deducted per offence, depending on its gravity.
One point is deducted for minor speeding offences; three for more serious speeding offences, dangerous overtaking, driving on the wrong side of the road or not wearing a seat belt. Drunken driving, manslaughter or driving without a licence warrant six points. If you lose four or more points your licence may also be suspended for a limited period. Check www.reseaupointspermis.com

The points are restored after three years, or you can recoup four points by following a two-day course (costing around €245) to brush up your driving. You are allowed one course every two years and can recoup an overall maximum of 11 points. (See www.permisapoints.fr).
As from the end of 2007, drivers will be able to recoup one lost point in one year, instead of three years (providing there has been no other offence during that period). From July 1, 2007, drivers will be able to check the balance of their points on the internet.
If you lose all 12 points, your licence will be withdrawn for at least six months. After this, you will have to sit the Code (theory test) if you’ve had your licence for at least three years, or even retake the full driving test if you’ve been driving for less than three years.
Fines from €11 to €90 may be demanded on the spot or you may be given three days to pay (or two weeks if notification of the fine is received by post). If you do not pay on time the fine will be increased, for example from €33 to €135, and then to €375 if you still haven’t paid. You can appeal but if you lose you will pay the higher fine.
To pay, buy a timbre-amende from any bureau de tabac or the Trésor Public, stick it on to the fine notice (carte-lettre) served by the gendarme, and post to the address printed on the carte-lettre.
NB Much stricter penalties have recently been introduced for drink-driving and causing death by dangerous driving. If you have more than 0.5g of alcohol per litre of blood, your driving licence can be withdrawn on the spot and you risk a very heavy fine (€1,500 to €3,000) and even a prison sentence.
Individual tolerance to alcohol varies with age, weight, sex etc. The site
www.simu-alcool.com might help you work out your own level. But, best of all, don’t drink and drive!
To combat speeding, new digital speed cameras were introduced in 2004, adding to the arsenal of traditional radar gun speed traps. There are mobile cameras stowed in the back of specially converted police cars and fixed roadside cameras, always preceded by a warning sign. Maps showing their location are published in car magazines and government websites, (see www.securiteroutiere.equipement.gouv.fr) but they still catch huge numbers of drivers.
If you are caught, you will receive a request by post to pay the fine with a notice mentioning the number of points lost. If you were not the driver you do not have to give away the driver’s name, but expect pressure to
do so.
One side effect of the speed cameras was to highlight the large number of false number plates on French cars, some estimates say as high as 10%.
If you are certain your car was not on the road when the camera says it was, you can ask for the photo, which could prove that the vehicle is not yours. Any other evidence for the day, such as garage bills, will strengthen your case. Read the fine notice carefully. To obtain the photo you have to pay a sum equal to the fine. Do not sign the relevant part of the form admitting guilt. Send off the part of the notice requesting the photo and to appeal. If your appeal is successful you will be refunded.
Act quickly if you get a fine notice. The fine is increased if payment is late and it does not take long for police
or gendarmes to come knocking with a court summons if nothing is done. As a general rule, the authorities
in France take much more notice of people who have come to their attention in the past than to those who
have not.

CARAVANS AND TRAILERS

A permis E(B) is required:
a) if the weight of the empty trailer or caravan is greater than that of the towing vehicle;
b) if the weight of the empty trailer or caravan exceeds 750kg or
c) if the total weight of the vehicle and trailer exceeds 3.5 tonnes.
To get the permis E(B), you must pass a medical check-up and the theory and practical driving tests in a French auto-école. If you already have an equivalent licence, pick up an application form from your mairie and send it to your préfecture, with the two passport-size photos and a timbre fiscal – currently to the value of €1. You will be given an appointment for the medical which costs €24.40.

Once you have passed the test you must still have the following medical check-ups:
• every five years until age 60;
• at age 60;
• every two years between 60 and 76;
• every year after 76.

BUYING A CAR IN FRANCE
There is no doubt that if you are moving permanently to France from the UK, the simplest solution is to sell your right-hand-drive car in the UK and buy a French car. The advantages are obvious: a left-hand drive makes overtaking much safer, no need to worry about all the paperwork involved in importing a vehicle and it is probably easier to find spare parts.

The weekly ‘Argus’ magazine gives an up-to-date second-hand car price guide. Any second-hand car you purchase in France must have been put through its contrôle technique (see below) by the vendor within the six months preceding the sale.

If you can find a car that is registered in the département where you live, the paperwork will be even simpler; if not, you will have to re-register it, which involves applying for number plates.

A certificat de situation administrative du véhicule (formerly known as a certificat de non-gage) is also required when buying a second-hand car. It shows that there are no outstanding fines or debts such as hire-purchase or bank loans. The certificate is available on www.interieur.gouv.fr

The certificate must not be more than a month old at the date of sale. On the day of the sale the buyer will give you the carte grise of the vehicle crossed out and on which is clearly written: ‘Vendu le (date) à (time)’ and signed by the vendor. (See also under ‘Registration Document’.) Before driving off with your new car don’t forget to get it insured.

CONTRÔLE TECHNIQUE
This is the French equivalent of the British MOT. All cars more than four years old, including goods vehicles of up to 3.5 tonnes laden weight, must pass a contrôle technique (CT) every two years and display the CT sticker on the right-hand side of the windscreen. Utility vehicles must also take an annual pollution test.

Unlike in the UK, the test takes place in dedicated centres which do not carry out repairs. The centre issues a report which shows faults which do not necessarily have to be fixed right away, and faults which must be fixed within two months, and the car returned to be checked again (often free of charge).

The first CT is due within the six months preceding the fourth anniversary of the car’s date de la première mise en circulation, shown on the log book (carte grise).
Contrôle technique centres may charge what they want, but the price shouldn’t exceed €60 or so. As a car may be tested in any département, it might be worth shopping around.

Exempted from passing the CT are:
• vintage cars (voitures de collection) – ie, more than 20 years old – but to be recognised as such and obtain this exemption (and cheap insurance), the car must pass an initial test to earn its voiture de collection log book;
• vehicles used by the diplomatic corps;
• special cases such as taxis and ambulances for which there are separate procedures.

CT check points
The principal check points are: identification (that the paperwork matches the number plates etc); braking system, steering, visibility, lighting (they can be very punctilious: a stone chip in a screen or a dud light bulb can fail the vehicle, but some stations are more easy-going than others), indicators, structure (corrosion, distortion), tyres, pollution, noise level. If the car fails on any major point involving safety, it will have to be returned for a contre-visite to verify that the work in question has been carried out. Two months are allowed between the contrôle technique and the contre-visite. Be punctual: if the time limit expires, even by one day, you will have to arrange a new contrôle technique!

Penalties
The driver of a car on the road without a valid CT certificate can be fined as much as €135 and have the log book confiscated. One week is then allowed for the contrôle technique to be carried out, after which the log book will be returned by the préfecture.

Remember
The fact that a car has passed the contrôle technique does not exempt the driver from responsibility should any of the above features be found unsatisfactory by the authorities (or an insurance assessor).

REGISTRATION DOCUMENT
If you are buying a new or even sometimes a second-hand car the dealer usually arranges to obtain the log book for you.
Never buy a car without a log book as this could mean the car was stolen.
If you buy privately, you must apply in person to the préfecture of the département in which you live. You will be asked for proof of residence (an electricity, water or land line phone bill is acceptable in most préfectures), as well as a phococopy of your passport and the cancelled log book in the name of the previous owner (cancellation is done by writing ‘Vendu le (date) à (time)’ followed by the vendor’s signature).
Fill in the carte grise application form and pay a fee which varies with the region where the vehicle is registered and its horsepower: count between €25 and €30 per taxable horsepower unit.
NB: You pay half price if your car is more than ten years old.
TAX DISC
(vignette)
Recently abolished for private vehicles, the vignette must still be bought yearly for commercial vehicles and those of more than two tonnes.
INSURANCE
Take your pick of insurance companies – it pays to shop around. British no-claims bonuses are normally recognised in France, where the maximum discount is 50%. A French insurance policy automatically includes a green card and also includes an insurance windscreen sticker which you must display.
Should you wish to cancel your insurance policy you must send notification by registered letter with recorded delivery (lettre recommandée avec accusé de réception) three months before the annual expiry of the current contract. (Some companies only require two months’ notice.)

IMPORTING A CAR
There could be two aspects to this procedure, depending on whether or not the car is officially recognised in France. Although the procedure was recently ’simplified’ it remains rather ponderous, so allow yourself at least two weeks to go through it all.

In both cases:
1) If you bought the car in a EU country and if it is less than six months old or if it has done less than 6,000km, you will need to pay French VAT – known as TVA – unless you have proof that it has already been paid. This involves going to the tax office which will deliver a certificat d’acquisition – certificate of purchase – which will be needed later on.
If the car is more than six months old and has done more than 6,000km, you needn’t worry about this. But don’t forget that if the car is more than four years old, it will have to pass the contrôle technique (see above).

2) If the car is new, you must ask the French head office of the car manufacturer for a certificat de conformité étranger – foreign compliance certificate. This certificate proves that the vehicle conforms to French requirements in matters such as lighting, brakes, pollution etc.
Send the same head office a copy of this certificate (or, if the car was already registered in another European country, send a copy of the certificat d’immatriculation étranger – foreign registration certificate), together with a letter requesting official compliance – une demande d’homologation– and a cheque for about €130, the fee varying from one car maker to another.

You will then find yourself in one of two situations:
1/ If your car is officially recognised in France, you should go to your préfecture with:
- your ID card or passport,
- a proof of residence (an electricity, water or land line phone bill),
- the foreign log book or certificat de conformité étranger,
- the certificat de cession issued by the previous owner, or a copy of the bill of sale,
- the certificat d’acquisition issued by the Hôtel des impôts,
- the completed demande d’immatriculation from the préfecture.
Your log book will be issued on payment of the fee corresponding to the car’s taxable horsepower.

or

2/ If, for whatever reason, your car is NOT recognised in France, you should visit the DRIRE (Direction Régionale de l’Industrie, de la Recherche et de l’Environnement) to get a Procès Verbal de réception à titre isolé (at a further cost of €107). You can then finally go to your préfecture and get your log book by following the same instructions as above, without forgetting to add to the list the PV de réception à titre isolé.

All in all, it is much simpler to buy a car in France – which is probably the object of all the bureaucratic difficulties put in the way of a would-be importer.

Further information may be obtained from:
• Le Ministère de l’Équipement des Transports et du Logement, La Grande Arche, 92055 La Défense Cedex.
Tel: 01 40 81 21 22.
www.carte-grise.info

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