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BREXIT

Brexit: No, not everyone in France needs to get a French licence

The British government has caused confusion among Brits in France by publishing advice that seems to imply that they must all swap their driving licences for an EU one - even though this is not the case in France.

Brexit: No, not everyone in France needs to get a French licence
Photo: AFP

This article is now out of date – find the latest announcements HERE and HERE

 

 

Subscribers to the British government's Brexit advice page alert system were sent an email on Wednesday advising them of changes to the information on driving.

On clicking on the link they were advised that UK citizens living in the EU must exchange their driving licences for one from the country they are living in.

Although this is true for some EU countries, it is not the case in France, where local authorities have been issuing very different advice.

 

The gov.uk site states: “You must exchange your UK driving licence for a local EU licence to drive legally in the country you live in. You should do this before 31 December 2020.

“Exchange your licence as early as you can because your application may take longer than usual to process.”

It then advises people to check local regulations in their country.

However, if readers then click through to the country page they discover what the real situation is in France.

French authorities have said that the majority of British people who are already resident in France, or who move here before the end of the transition period, will not need to exchange their licences, and can continue to drive on a British licence.

The exceptions to this are: 

  • The licence has been lost or stolen
  • You have added a new driving category to your licence
  • You are specifically instructed to exchange it by a gendarme (this usually happens if you have committed a driving offence)
  • Your licence or photocard is due to expire within six months – anyone turning 70 must exchange their licence and the photocard licences need renewing every 10 years for most categories.

If you need to renew your licence for any of the above reasons you cannot do it in the UK, as you will need a UK address and have to make a declaration that this is your full time address. If you actually live in France this would obviously be a false declaration, which is a criminal offence in itself.

Those people – and only those people – need to send their licence to CERT to be exchanged for a French one.

Authorities now say that the wait time for new applications which fit one of the above criteria is 3-4 months.

French authorities have been swamped with applications from thousands of British people in France after UK authorities advised after the referendum that all licences would need to be exchanged.

The situation has created a massive backlog of applications with some people waiting more than a year.

In an interview with The Local on Tuesday, Baptiste Mandard, Deputy General of the Centre d'Expertises et des Ressources des Titres – Echange des Permis Étrangers (CERT) in Nantes which deals with all applications from outside Paris reiterated that for most people there is no need to exchange their licence.

He said: “Come to us either if you have lost points on your licence, if your licence is about to expire or if you have added a qualification on your licence.

“Otherwise you do not need a French driving licence. We have a full year of dealing what happens after December 31st, so there is no need to apply for an exchange now. 

“Right now we just really would like to reassure your readers: you can still use your British driving licence after January 31st.”

He added that the service has plans to launch an online platform 'within the next six months' to make the exchange process easier.

Read the full interview with Baptiste Mandard here.

Kim Cranstoun, who runs the Facebook group Applying for a French Driving Licence said: “People should make sure that they select France on the gov.uk page and read the criteria for living and driving in France.”

For more information about the situation around driving licences or driving in France, head to our Preparing for Brexit section. People on Facebook can also get help and support from the group Applying for a French Driving Licence.

 

Member comments

  1. “The situation has created a massive backlog of applications with some people waiting more than a year.”
    This is vague at best.
    Which part takes more than a year?

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TRAVEL NEWS

EES: Eurostar could limit services over new biometric passport checks

Eurostar could be forced to cut the number of trains when the EU's new biometric border checks (EES) are rolled out in October, the owner of London's St Pancras International Station has warned.

EES: Eurostar could limit services over new biometric passport checks

HS1, the owner of the station and operator of the high-speed line between London and the Channel tunnel, is the latest body to raise concerns over the impact on travel of the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) checks that are set to come into force in October 2024.

The new system which requires citizens from outside the EU or Schengen area to register before entering the zone would lead to long delays and potential capping of services and passenger numbers, HS1 warned.

The company said it needed nearly 50 new EES kiosks to process passengers but the French government had only proposed 24.

In evidence to the European scrutiny select committee, HS1 wrote: “We are told that the proposed kiosks are ‘optional’ as the process can be delivered at the border, but without about 49 additional kiosks located before the current international zone [at St Pancras] there would be unacceptable passenger delays of many hours and potential capping of services.”

With just 24 kiosks, Eurostar would be unable to process all passengers, particularly at the morning peak, and this could “lead to services having to be capped in terms of passenger numbers”, HS1 warned, adding that simple space restrictions at St Pancras station would make the EES difficult to implement.

The EES will register non-EU travellers who do not require a visa (those with residency permits in EU countries do not need to register but will be affected by delays) each time they cross a border in or out of the Schengen area. It will replace the old system of manual passport-stamping.

It will mean facial scans and fingerprints will have to be taken in front of border guards at the first entry into the Schengen area.

Travel bosses have repeatedly raised the alarm about the possible delays this would cause, especially at the UK-France border, which is used by 11 million passengers each year who head to France and other countries across Europe.

Last week The Local reported warnings by officials that the new checks could lead to 14-hour queues for travellers heading to France.

Sir William Cash, Chair of the European Scrutiny Committee, said: “Queues of more than 14 hours; vehicles backed up along major roads; businesses starved of footfall: this evidence paints an alarming picture of the possible risks surrounding the Entry-Exit System’s implementation.

“Clearly, this policy could have a very serious impact, not only for tourists and travel operators but also for local businesses. I implore decision makers on both sides of the Channel to take note of this evidence.”

READ ALSO: What affect will the EES border system have on travel to France?

The Port of Dover has already been struggling with the increased checks required since Brexit and there are fears the situation could be even worse once the EES starts to operate.

Given the possible impacts, the House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee last year launched an inquiry calling for views by affected entities with deadline for replies on January 12th 2024.

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