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EDUCATION

What changes about life in France in September 2020?

Masks and other Covid-19 rules will be key in the month to come, but there will also be also strikes and price changes to look out for.

Published: 31 August 2020 13:39 CEST
Updated: 1 September 2020 10:18 CEST
What changes about life in France in September 2020?
All photos: AFP

La rentrée

September 1st is the day some 12 million school pupils will return to classrooms across France for what's known in French as la rentrée scolaire (to read more about the cultural phenomenon that is la rentrée, click here).

Reopening schools will be different this year, especially seeing as teachers and pupils over 11 years old (in secondary and high school) will be masked. We took a look at both the general changes in schools in France this September and the anti-coronavirus health plan set in place.

Masks become compulsory in the workplace

September is also when many people return to work after a summer holiday. This year, anyone working in a shared indoor workplace will need to wear a mask from September 1st. We have explained the rules on wearing masks in workplaces here.

No large gatherings yet

Gatherings of more than 5,000 people were supposed to be allowed as of August 15th, but a surge in the number of new coronavirus cases in France saw the government push back the date to October.

Additional rules limiting gatherings in public can be made in France's 21 “red zones”, which have been identified as particularly vulnerable due to the high number of cases confirmed in the area.

In Bouches-du-Rhône, the Marseille area, local authorities banned public gatherings of more than 10 people after a Covid-19 spike last week.

Strikes are back

The 5,000 person-limit on does not affect demos, and the hardline worker's union CGT has called on people to take to the streets across the country on Thursday, September 17th, in a what a “general strike” to “condemn the government's social policies,” the union wrote in a statement.

Worker's unions FSU and Solidaires have declared their support of the protest, which could mean some schools or public transport will be affected.

.. and so are the 'yellow vests'

The 'yellow vest' movement, which saw its heyday in the winter of 2018/2019 when thousands of protesters took to the streets across France to protest the government's policies, has been out of the public eye for quite a while.

On September 12th, the movement will try and make a comeback.

One of the social movement's main public figures, Jérôme Rodrigues, told Slate that “Covid has been our best ally,” by spotlighting inequalities and proving the 'yellow vest's' claims on the “degrading of the health system and the limits of the capitalist system.”

Previous attempts to reignite the movement have resulted only in sparse numbers.

.. and hunting season

This is the month the French hunting season kicks off, which means that people living in rural areas do well to watch out for people with guns.

READ ALSO: How to get through the hunting season in France without being shot

In most areas, the season begins in mid September and lasts until sometime in February. The rules vary however so check the French National Federation of Hunter's website for details about your area.

Cigarette prices increase (but not all of them)

Continuing the government’s aim to reach a goal of an average price of €10 for a pack of cigarettes in France before the end of the year, some brands will see the price of their 20-packs increase by €0.10 in September, from €9.20 to €9.30. A few packs currently set at €9.60 will on the contrary decrease to €9.40.

Gas prices increase (slightly)

Gas prices in France will rise for the second month in a row, following months of steady decrease. On September 1st French households will see a slight price hike of 0.6 percent on average, according to French utility multinational Engie.

The increase will be 0.2 percent for households depending on gas for cooking, 0.7 percent for those using gas for heating, and 0.4 percent for homes using gas for both purposes.

Partial unemployment benefits scheme narrows

France’s chômage partiel (partial unemployment) furloughing scheme, which was ramped up in March to avoid mass layoffs during the nationwide lockdown, will continue to be gradually phased out.

Domestic workers working for private employers – cleaners, gardeners, carpenters, babysitters, teaching assistants – will no longer be able to access the scheme as of September 1st, according to a decree published in the French online legal portal Journal Officiel. The scheme will be maintained in French overseas territories of French Guinea and Mayotte for these workers until the end of the health state of emergency (a date not yet set).

France will divide its furloughing scheme in two in October and continue cut down on the financial support in the months to come.

READ MORE: What you need to know about France's crisis unemployment scheme

New 'junior' transport pass children in Paris

Children aged between 4 and 11 in the greater Paris region Ile-de-France will, as of September 1st, be able to travel on a new 'junior pass'. The pass will cost €24 and can be used on all types of public transport in the region.

Cannabis smokers face €200 fine

As of September 1st, a person caught with less than 10 grammes of cocaine or 100 grammes of cannabis will be fined €200 instead of being arrested – if they admit to the offense and are more than 18 years old. This new rule has been tested in several French cities already, including Rennes, Lille and Marseille, and will now be made national. 

Using narcotics in France is illegal as of a 1970 law and offenders face a fine of €3,750 and up to one year in prison, but this law is rarely enforced because of all the administrative work required. The goal of the new law is to make it easier for police to sanction cannabis smokers and cocaine users without going through all the administrative work currently in place. 

If the fine is paid before 15 days it can drop to €150, and if paid later it can increase up to €450 .

 

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LIVING IN FRANCE

5 things Brits in France need to know about swapping driving licences

Now that the dust has settled from the somewhat chaotic post-Brexit period, the system for swapping a UK driving licence for a French one seems to be running fairly smoothly. There are, however, some things that UK licence holders need to know.

Published: 3 May 2024 17:20 CEST
5 things Brits in France need to know about swapping driving licences

This article is aimed at holders of a UK or Northern Ireland driving licence who are living in France – tourists, visitors and second-home owners can continue to drive in France on a UK licence and do not need an international driving permit.

British students who are studying in France on a student visa can continue to drive on their UK licence during their studies – if however they settle in France afterwards, they need to follow the below process for swapping their licence. 

1 You’re special

Well, maybe special is over-stating it, but the system for holders of UK and NI licence holders is different to that of other non-EU nationals, and also different to the system for EU licence holders.

The reason for this is that a pragmatic post-Brexit agreement was (finally) reached between France and the UK, in order to avoid the chaos that was triggered when thousands of Brits in France all tried to swap their driving licences at once.

Unlike almost all other post-Brexit agreements, this one applies both to people who moved to France before the end of Brexit transition period in 2021 and those who have moved here since. 

The below terms apply to everyone who has a UK or NI licence, regardless of their nationality or when they moved to France. 

2 But you still have to swap

It was technically always the case that Brits who were living in France should have swapped their licence for a French one, just as other EU licence holders do now, but in reality many people lived here for years or decades without ever exchanging their licence and there was little or no enforcement of the rule.

That has now changed and you must swap according to the following timetable;

If your UK licence was issued after January 1st, 2021 – you must swap within one year of moving to France.

If your UK licence was issued before January 1st 2021 – you only swap when you meet one of the following conditions;

  • The licence itself or the photocard is within six months of its expiry date. For more people the photocard expiry will come around first, but UK licences also require renewal when the holder reaches the age of 70
  • Your licence has been lost or stolen
  • You have been ordered to exchange your licence by a gendarme after committing a driving offence

For people who are exchanging because the licence is about to expire, it is important that you don’t start the process until your licence is within six months of the expiry date – early applications will simply be rejected.

3 It might not be as much of a nightmare as you think 

Unlike the old days when licence swaps were done by préfectures, the whole process has now moved online and is run through a single, central system.

The online portal for requesting a swap is known as ANTS and you can find it HERE.

If you haven’t used it before you will need to create an online account, or if you already have online accounts for French government services such as Ameli or tax declarations you can login by clicking on the France Connect button.

Once logged in, select Je demande l’échange ou l’enregistrement de mon permis de conduire étranger (I request the exchange or registration of a foreign driving licence) and fill in the details requested on the form such as name, address etc.

You might be pleasantly surprised by the fact the form itself is relatively straightforward (as French admin forms go), asking basic questions such as your personal details and the details of your driving licence.

You will have to upload supporting documents, but these are likely to be things that you already have to hand including

  • Proof of ID (passport or carte de séjour)
  • Proof of address (a recent utility bill or attestation from your utility provider)
  • If your driver’s licence is in a different name to your passport, you will need to supply your full birth certificate

You will also need to supply a photo – you can either use the internet-enabled Photomaton booths – find your nearest here – to create a digital photo with the required security code, or you can use the normal photo booths to print out a physical photo and send it by post after you have made your application. 

Once completed, you can use the ANTS site to track the progress of your application and upload any other documents that are requested.

4 But don’t leave it too late 

If you’re applying because your licence is about to expire then you cannot apply until you are within six months of the expiry date.

But it’s a good idea not to leave it until the last minute as the whole process does take time – things have improved massively since the dark days of 2020 and 2021 when people were waiting for years and their licences expired while they waited.

But it still takes time – the current average for a straightforward application with no extra documents required seems to be between four and five months, although processing times can vary, especially over holiday periods.

It’s therefore a good idea to make the application fairly soon after you enter that magic six-month window.

Once you make the application you should get an automated response acknowledging receipt – this is usually sent by SMS and/or email, it’s a good idea to check your spam folder if you don’t get the email.

Don’t panic if you don’t then hear anything for the next few weeks or even months, this appears to be normal. If your application is complete and there are no outstanding queries or other documents required, the next step will be a request to send in your old UK licence.

You send this by post (recorded delivery with a signature is strongly recommended) and at the same time you can download an Attestation de Depot de Permis de Conduire (certificate of deposit of driving licence) – you can use this to prove your continued entitled to drive in the period between sending in your old licence and receiving your new one.

Your French licence is then sent by registered post, and the window between posting the old licence and receiving the new one is usually not more than a month, you 

5 Help is out there 

If your application runs into problems or you have an untypical situation or find the ANTS website hard to use, don’t panic – help is available.

The Facebook group Driving in France – French Licence Applications is a good place to start with comprehensive guides and knowledgeable admins who are quick to respond to questions.

You can also chat to others in your situation and get updates on how long processing times seem to be.

If you have problems using the online system, your local France Services office may be able to help.

You can also head to The Local’s reader questions section, or email us at [email protected] if you have questions.

Digital licences

You might have heard about France’s new digital driving licence – unfortunately this is only available to people who have French citizenship (including dual nationals).

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