If you plan to live in France but do not know if you can drive, in this post I will tell you some details.
All foreigners coming to France with a titre de séjour de estudiante, vie privée et familiale, salarie, etc. are entitled to be able to use their country driver’s license for one year.
The driver’s license must be accompanied by a translation or an international license from your country.
As mentioned before, it can only be used for the first year of living in France. There are many people who do it for longer but risk getting a fine or getting in trouble with the police.
In the case of people with student status, they can use their driving license as long as they have student status.
On this page you can find more information on the official website of the prefecture de police. (https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F1460)
If you have been residing in France for a year and you want to continue driving, you have two options.
- Some countries have reciprocity with France and you can change your license from your country to the French one. You can see the list of countries in the link below.
- If your country is not on the list, the only option is that you have to pass the regular test to obtain the French driver’s license.
List of countries that allow a change of driving license to French: https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/liste_permis_de_conduire_valables_a_l_echange_05.2021_cle825846.pdf
I hope you find this information useful and I will share much more information soon. If you have questions about other administrative issues in France you can leave them in the comments.
