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DRIVING

Do I need a special licence to drive a manual transmission vehicle in France?

Manual transmission, aka stick shift, vehicles are common in France - and throughout Europe - so what does this mean for people who have only ever driven automatics?

Published: 7 March 2024 10:37 CET
Do I need a special licence to drive a manual transmission vehicle in France?
Photo by Alok Sharma on Unsplash

In France, automatic cars are becoming more popular – over half of new cars sold in 2021 were automatic – but there are still a fair share of manual transmission vehicles on the roads.

When renting a vehicle in France, stick-shifts are often cheaper and more readily available than automatics.

So if you’ve only ever driven an automatic, is there anything to stop you driving a stick shift car in France (apart from the fear of bunny-hopping out of the parking lot while you figure out how the clutch works)?

Tourists, holidays and short-stays

People visiting France on holiday can drive on their foreign licence, as long as they are of legal driving age and the document is valid. 

French law expects foreigners to “comply, where applicable, with any provisions regarding the validity of the driving licence”.

So if you have a licence that specifically states it is for automatic vehicles only – eg a UK Category B licence – you can only drive automatic vehicles in France.

However US driving licences usually do not specify automatic v manual and allow you to drive all car types, so you can drive a stick shift car in France unless your licence specifically says otherwise.

There are some other requirements visitors should be aware of – you may need to have a French translation of your licence on hand. Otherwise, you can accompany your foreign licence with an international driving licence (IDL). The French translation should be done by a certified translator (traducteur agrée).

In practice, some rental agencies that operate in multiple countries may not ask you for the translation or an IDL, but it is still best to abide by the French rules. Americans can request an IDL online here.

Drivers with EU licences and UK and NI licence-holders are exempt from the translation/ International Driving Permit requirement.

Foreign residents of France

If you’re living in France the situation is slightly different and most holders of non-EU driving licences will eventually have to swap theirs for a French licence.

Full driving licences from EU Member States are valid in France. EEA country licences have the same status.

Most non-EU licence holders will have to swap theirs for a French licence within one year of moving, with a slightly different situation for UK licence holders.

The UK and France announced in June 2021 that a reciprocal agreement had been reached that allows people who live in France and have a UK or NI licence that was issued before January 1st, 2021 to continue using them. The licence only needs to be swapped for a French one once the licence itself or the photocard is within six months of its expiry date. Drivers with a UK or NI licence issued after January 1st 2021 must swap it for a French one within a year of moving.

Only non-EU students (people who hold a carte de séjour with the mention ‘étudiant‘) are exempt from the one-year requirement, but if they stay in France after their studies and switch onto another residency card then they will also need to exchange their licence.

Explained: Do I have to swap my driving licence in France?

So will your new French licence allow you to drive a stick shift?

Well, it depends on your original licence and the swap process.

France does have an ‘automatic only’ licence, it’s known as Permis boîte automatique or a mention 78 because the document issued will state the number ’78’ under the restrictions section on the back of the licence. This would also be where any other restrictions, like the requirement to wear glasses (01), would be listed.

If you have a licence from a country that specifies automatic-only (such as the UK’s Category B licence), you will get a like-for-like exchange with a French mention 78 licence, and can therefore only drive automatic vehicles.

If you have a US licence which doesn’t specify manual or automatic then you can swap it for the standard French Permis B, which allows you to drive both. If, that is, your licence was issued in a state that has an agreement with France that allows for a driving licence swap – find the full list here.

If your state does not have an agreement, you will have to take a French driving test.

READ MORE: Four years and €1,800: What foreigners should know about the French driving test?

If you’re taking the test, you will be able to decide between the standard Permis B, which includes the ability to drive manual transmission cars, and the specific Permis B ‘boîte automatique‘ for automatics only.

Can I add the manual category later on?

If you later change your mind, you can take an additional training course to convert your ‘automatic only’ licence into a full one, and recently France recently made it simpler to do so.

Previously, automatic-only motorists had to wait three months before taking steps toward the full transmission licence. However, as of March 2024, the three-month wait time was removed.

This means that any Permis B licence holder with a ‘mention 78‘ can immediately take the additional seven-hour training course to gain the ability to drive manual vehicles in France. The course must be taken with an approved driving instructor and you will then need to apply to ANTS to have your licence conditions updated.

In 2022, 14 percent of Permis B candidates applied for an ‘automatic-only’ licence, and 28 percent of them added on the manual training in 2023.

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For members

TRAVEL NEWS

Reader question: What will EES mean for foreigners living in Europe?

The EU's new Entry & Exit System (EES) of enhanced passport controls is due to come into force later this year, but among many questions that remain is the situation for non-EU nationals who live in the EU or Schengen zone.

Published: 27 April 2024 07:59 CEST
Reader question: What will EES mean for foreigners living in Europe?

Currently scheduled to start in autumn 2024 (unless it’s delayed again, which is not unlikely) the EU’s new Entry & Exit System is basically an enhanced passport check at external EU borders, including a facial scan and fingerprinting.

You can find a full explanation of the new system HERE.

Travellers crossing an external EU or Schengen border for the first time will be required to complete EES ‘pre-registration’ formalities including that facial scan and fingerprinting.

There are, however, several groups exempt from EES and one of them is non-EU nationals who have a residency permit or long-stay visa for an EU country.

So if you’re a foreigner living in the EU or Schengen zone, here’s what you need to know.

Exempt

One of the stated aims of EES is to tighten up enforcement of over-staying – IE, people who stay longer than 90 days in every 180 without a visa, or those who overstay the limits of their visa.

Obviously these limits do not apply to non-EU nationals who are resident in the EU or Schengen zone, which is why this group is exempt from EES checks. They will instead be required to show their passport and residency permit/visa when crossing a border, just as they do now.

In its explanations of how EES will work, the European Commission is clear – exempt groups include non-EU residents of the Bloc.

A Commission spokesman told The Local: “Non-EU citizens residing in the EU are not in the scope of the EES and will not be subject to pre-enrollment of data in the EES via self-service systems. The use of automation remains under the responsibility of the Member States and its availability in border crossing points is not mandatory.

“When crossing the borders, holders of EU residence permits should be able to present to the border authorities their valid travel documents and residence permits.”

How this will work

How this will work on the ground, however, is a lot less clear.

Most ports/airports/terminals have two passport queues – EU and non-EU. It remains unclear whether the non-EU queue will have a separate section for those who are exempt from EES.

It does seem clear that exempt groups will not be able to use the automated passport scanners – since those cannot scan additional documents like residency permits – but should instead use manned passport booths. However it is not clear whether these will be available at all airports/ports/terminals or how non-EU residents of the EU will be directed to those services.

There’s also the issue that individual border guards are not always clear on the processes and rules for non-EU residents of the EU – even under the current system it’s relatively commonly for EU residents to have their passports incorrectly stamped or be given incorrect information about passport stamping by border guards.

Brits in particular will remember the immediate post-Brexit period when the processes as described by the EU and national authorities frequently did not match what was happening on the ground.

The Local will continue to try and get answers on these questions. 

READ ALSO What will EES mean for dual nationals

What if I live in the EU but I don’t have a visa/residency permit?

For most non-EU citizens, having either a visa or a residency permit is obligatory in order to be legally resident.

However, there is one exception: UK citizens who were legally resident in the EU prior to the end of the Brexit transition period and who live in one of the “declaratory” countries where getting a post-Brexit residency card was optional, rather than compulsory. Declaratory countries include Germany and Italy.

Although it is legal for people in this situation to live in those countries without a residency permit, authorities already advise people to get one in order to avoid confusion/hassle/delays at the border. Although EES does not change any rules relating to residency or travel, it seems likely that it will be more hassle to travel without a residency card than it is now.

Our advice? Things are going to be chaotic enough, getting a residency permit seems likely to save you a considerable amount of hassle.

Delays 

Although residents of the EU do not need to complete EES formalities, they will be affected if the new system causes long queues or delays at the border.

Several countries have expressed worries about this, with the UK-France border a particular cause for concern.

READ ALSO Travellers could face ’14 hours queues’ at UK-France border

Where does it apply?

EES is about external EU/Schengen borders, so does not apply if you are travelling within the Schengen zone – eg taking the train from France to Germany or flying from Spain to Sweden.

Ireland and Cyprus, despite being in the EU, are not in the Schengen zone so will not be using EES, they will continue to stamp passports manually.

Norway, Switzerland and Iceland – countries that are in the Schengen zone but not in the EU – will be using EES.

The full list of countries using EES is: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Therefore a journey between any of the countries listed above will not be covered by EES.

However a journey in or out of any of those countries from a country not listed above will be covered by EES.

You can find our full Q&A on EES HERE.

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