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| Drivers’ licences: which country’s rules apply? |
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| Wednesday, 09 April 2008 | |
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Further to many inquiries about drivers’ licences in the UK and France, insurance expert Philippe Schreinemachers sets the record straigh All UK licences are valid up until the day before the driver’s 70th birthday. Therefore, if you are a UK licence-holder living in France and you wish to continue driving legally past the age of 70, you have two options: • Either you go back to the UK and renew your licence before it expires. This will extend its validity for another three years. • Or you immediately exchange your valid UK licence for a French one, in which case, the age-limit disappears. If you do decide to exchange your UK licence for a French one (which is advisable), remember that if you wish to transfer your right to drive with a trailer exceeding 500kg, you must obtain a French E licence as well as the regular B licence. To do this, you must undergo a medical examination by your local préfecture-approved doctor, whose name you can obtain via your préfecture. As to the recent UK law stipulating that all driver’s licence photographs must be renewed every three years: • Either you are not turning 70 soon and are not intending to drive in the UK any more: then you are absolutely within your right to drive in France with your old UK licence with the old photo. • Or you return to the UK regularly and drive while you are there: under UK law, the photo on your UK licence must not be more than three years old. Therefore, if your situation fits in with the second scenario, I highly recommend exchanging your UK licence for a French one as soon as possible as it will inevitably make your life easier when driving in either country. French licence-holders do not have to renew their photos and there is no age limit, no matter what EU country you are driving in. That said, be aware that you are under no legal obligation to exchange your valid UK licence for a French one if you don’t want to, UNLESS you commit a driving offence resulting in a loss of points, or licence suspension. Bear in mind though, that the lack of age-limit on French licences could change at any time. When this happens, the 70-year-old age limit will be enforced in France too. As French laws are rarely applied retroactively, if you are already in possession of a valid French licence when the law changes, you will not have to alter your licence and it will (probably) still be valid without age-limit. The new law will of course affect all new licences and licences exchanged after is put into effect. So if you do intend to change your UK licence for a French one, better do it sooner rather than later. Contact Philippe Schreinemachers via www.insurance.fr |
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