Driving Licence in France: Exchange, From Scratch, Points

We are the “Vibe South of France” community, and we have gathered everything about driving licences in one place: what to do with a foreign one, how to get a French one from scratch, how the probationary period differs, and where points come from. We have little chat data on licences so far, so what follows is only what the official cards confirm, with the dates of their editions. If you have already exchanged a licence or taken the exams, tell people about it in the “Vibe South of France” community chat on Telegram - relocation and life in the South of France.

The core rule: one year from the day you settle in France

A licence issued outside the EU and the EEA is valid in France for one year from the date of “normal residence” (résidence normale), as service-public puts it in card F1460, version of 1 June 2026. To keep driving after that, you have to exchange it for a French one, and if you are not entitled to an exchange, pass the exams.

Normal residence means the country where you spend 185 days or more in a calendar year because of personal or work ties. For a foreigner, F1460 counts the year from the day your first residence permit is handed over, and for a VLS-TS visa from the day you validate the visa online or from the date of the OFII vignette on it.

Renewing a permit or changing the grounds for your stay does not restart the clock: your next permit, or your first resident card, gives you no right to a fresh application. Ukrainians with temporary protection and students follow special rules, covered below.

If you have a licence from an EU, EEA or Swiss country

The one-year period above applies to licences from outside the EU. A European licence is valid in France without exchange for as long as it has not expired (F1757, F1758). Exchange is compulsory in only four cases: the licence is about to expire, you want to add a category, you broke the rules in France and lost points or received a restriction, suspension or cancellation, or the licence is lost, stolen or damaged. Everything else is your choice: a voluntary exchange is possible even if the licence has expired.

Since 12 May 2026 any exchange costs a €40 electronic stamp (€20 in Guiana; A18887, F1758), a voluntary one included. The application is filed on ANTS. The condition for exchange is “résidence normale”, that is, 185 days or more in a calendar year; these are not the 183 days counted for tax residence. There is also a trap: if your European licence was itself obtained in exchange for a licence from a country without reciprocity (the card names an example - a Spanish licence obtained in exchange for a Chilean one), you may drive on it in France for only 1 year from the moment you began to normally live in France, and then you sit the French exam. The rest for Europeans is on the page moving to France as an EU citizen.

Which countries are on the list: exchange without exams

France exchanges the licences of the countries on the official Interior Ministry list (version of 1 May 2026), under bilateral agreements and mutual practice. Licences from the list are exchanged without retaking theory or practical tests, through the online application on France Titres (ANTS). Only categories you earned by exam in the issuing country while living there are exchanged, and only licences that are not suspended or revoked.

Countries of our region on the Interior Ministry list of 1 May 2026:

The agreement between France and Moldova was signed on 12 July 2024 and approved by French law no. 2026-28 of 28 January 2026; according to the Moldovan embassy in France, exchange of Moldovan category B licences without exams has been possible since 1 March 2026.

The official list is the Interior Ministry PDF, version of 1 May 2026; the same file sits on diplomatie.gouv.fr. The list is updated several times a year, so look at the date of the edition. You can also check your country in the service-public simulator.

If your country is not on the list, the licence is not exchanged: after a year of normal residence you need the French exam, covered in the “Starting from scratch” section below. According to the Loire-Atlantique prefecture, whether a country is on the list is checked on the day your application is examined, not the day you submit it.

What applies to the licence of your country

Russia

Russia is on the Interior Ministry list of 1 May 2026, all categories: a Russian licence is exchanged for a French one without exams if you apply within the year, the licence is valid and you earned it by exam in Russia while living there. The list does not state the basis; it speaks of bilateral agreements and mutual practice.

The service may check the authenticity of a Russian licence with the Russian authorities through the French consulate general. If there is no answer within 6 months of such a request, that is grounds to refuse the exchange (page of the French embassy in Russia, 5 March 2026). The processing time itself is several months, up to 12 according to the Loire-Atlantique prefecture.

Ukraine

Ukraine is not on the official list, so a Ukrainian licence cannot be exchanged. What you do depends on your status:

• With temporary protection (APS marked BPT) you drive on your valid Ukrainian licence until protection ends, without an exchange. No translation or international permit is needed; carry your passport or APS (service-public, F36341). Protection has been extended to 4 March 2028: Council of the EU decision of 30 July 2026, the new period starting on 5 March 2027. F36341 also treats as valid a licence that expired after 31 December 2021.
• Without temporary protection (tourists, students, new arrivals on a visa or a permit of a year) you need the original licence with a translation by a sworn translator or with an international permit (F36341, version of 28 May 2025). Those living in France lawfully without protection drive on the Ukrainian licence for a year from the date of normal residence and then take the French exams, but without the compulsory 20 hours of lessons (government reply in the Senate, 5 November 2025).
• With an APS but no licence: according to the government reply of 17 June 2026, the order of 10 February 2025 treats the APS as proof of normal residence, so you can register for the French exams.
• There is no exchange agreement. A declaration of intent was signed in June 2025; according to the Interior Ministry reply of 11 August 2026, technical work is under way and France has sent Ukraine its proposal.

Watch for new editions of the Interior Ministry list and Council decisions on temporary protection; you can also ask in our chat.

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is not on the list, and a court has confirmed this is a lawful ground for refusal: the Administrative Court of Clermont-Ferrand (judgment no. 1901926 of 8 October 2020) held that a prefect may refuse to exchange a Kazakh licence because there is no reciprocity agreement. For the first year you can drive on the Kazakh licence with a translation, then comes the French exam.

Belarus

Belarus is not on the official list of countries for exchange (version of 1 May 2026): Belarusian licences are not exchanged for French ones, and after a year of normal residence you need the French exam. Licences issued in the USSR are no longer exchanged in France either: the USSR no longer exists and such licences cannot be verified (Interior Ministry reply of 9 February 2021).

Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan

These countries are not on the list of 1 May 2026. After a year of normal residence you need the French exam, as for any other country off the list.

Special cases

• Students. On an “étudiant” permit you drive on your own licence for as long as the permit lasts and do not have to exchange it; under the Interior Ministry list no exchange takes place in that period. If after your studies you get a permit of another type, the exchange is requested when the permit changes and no later than a year after the new one is handed over (F1459, 1 June 2026). A licence that cannot be exchanged means an exam. More on studying in the section on studying in France.
• Refugees and subsidiary protection. The year for the exchange runs from the handing over of the récépissé of protection. Since 19 April 2019 only licences of countries on the list are exchanged: the former exception was repealed by the order of 9 April 2019. The application is examined even if the licence expired after you entered France (Interior Ministry reply of 15 December 2020). On the status itself, see asylum and refugee status.
• Short stay (under 6 months). A licence from outside the EU is valid if it is in French, accompanied by an international driving permit (except for British licences) or by an official translation (F1459).
• Electronic licences are not accepted for exchange: you need the plastic card.
• Motorcycles. Category A cannot be obtained by exchange: you get A2, and A comes after 2 years and extra training.

How to apply for the exchange: step by step

You apply online only on the France Titres (ANTS) site, there is no other way. Online filing has worked since 4 August 2020; according to the Loire-Atlantique prefecture, applications from all of France except Paris are handled by the CERT centre in Nantes.

1. Log in through the direct link to the licence exchange: with FranceConnect, the France Identité app or a France Titres (ANTS) account.
2. Upload your documents as photos or scans (list below). The service may ask for the originals later.
3. Pay the €40 fee (electronic tax stamp, timbre fiscal) at the end of the online application. You can also buy the stamp beforehand on timbres.impots.gouv.fr or at a tobacconist with the “Point de vente agréé” terminal.
4. Wait for the examination. While the file is being examined you drive on your own licence: it stays with you.
5. At the end of the examination you get an SMS and an email: the service asks for the original licence. Send it by registered post as the message explains. If the service doubts the licence is genuine, an expert check follows, and that takes longer.
6. Once the service has received the original, you can download the ADS (attestation de dépôt sécurisée) from your France Titres (ANTS) account. It is valid for 4 months and lets you drive until the French licence arrives, but only within the period your licence is recognised - a year from the date of normal residence.
7. After the SMS approving the exchange, the French licence arrives by tracked post (Lettre suivie) about 15 days later. The original foreign licence is not returned once the exchange is approved.

Documents you need

Collect everything in advance. According to ANTS, any non-conforming document leads to the file being refused and to a new full application: documents cannot be added to a closed file.

• The licence: a colour image of both sides of the original.
• A translation of the licence into French, if it is not in French. A translation made in France comes from a sworn translator (traducteur habilité) or from the embassy of the country that issued the licence; one made abroad needs legalisation or an apostille.
• A document proving your identity (justificatif d’identité).
• Proof of lawful residence: a scan of your residence permit (titre de séjour) or, with a VLS-TS visa, of the OFII vignette in your passport. The permit must be valid.
• Proof of address (justificatif de domicile) no older than 6 months.
• An attestation des droits à conduire from the authority of the issuing country, no older than 6 months on the day you apply; if it is not in French it needs a translation by a sworn translator in France. It confirms the licence is not suspended or revoked. A refugee with a licence from the country they are being protected from does not attach it.
• The digital photo and signature code (e-photo): paper photos are not accepted. If you cannot use such a service, the application offers to send a photo-signature form (FPS) by post.
• If your nationality differs from the country that issued the licence, you must show you were living in that country when you got it.
• The €40 fee (from 12 May 2026; €20 in French Guiana).

Timelines

Apply as early as you can: the limit is a year from the date of normal residence. The ADS is issued only after the service has received the original of your licence; it is valid for 4 months and only within that year, and the official sources say nothing about automatic extension.

If the prefect stays silent for more than two months, F1460 treats this as a refusal (an exception to the “silence means consent” rule). A refusal can be appealed (recours gracieux, hiérarchique or contentieux), or you can take the exam on the usual terms.

Starting from scratch in France

This route is for people whose country is not on the list, whose licence has expired, or who simply never drove before. A category B licence is issued from age 17, and you can register for the exam from 16 (service-public F2825, version of 26 May 2025). A foreigner must have lived in France for at least 6 months and hold a valid residence permit; if you are under 21 and this is your first category, you also need the school road-safety certificate ASSR2 or ASR.

After that it comes in two steps.

The code (code de la route). The NEPH number you are registered under for the exams is shown on the AIPC document, which you get through France Titres (ANTS). The code is taken at an approved centre: La Poste, SGS, Dekra, Pearson Vue or Bureau Veritas. The exam has 40 questions and you pass with 35 correct answers; the result stays valid for 5 years (F33694, version of 27 April 2026). One attempt costs €30, paid before you book, and if you fail you pay again.

The practical test. It lasts 32 minutes, at least 25 of them driving. You book the slot on the RdvPermis platform with your NEPH number: the driving school can book for you, or you can do it yourself (F2828).

Preparation also goes two ways.

• A driving school (auto-école). At least 20 hours of driving, at least 15 of them on the road (or at least 10 on the road if part of the hours is spent on a simulator); on an automatic it is 13 hours, 10 of them on the road (F2828). There is no official figure for the total: schools set their own prices, so compare two or three quotes.
• Candidat libre. You prepare without a driving school and there is no minimum number of hours (F2825). You need a learner’s logbook (livret d’apprentissage), paper or electronic, and a car with dual pedals, which you bring to the test yourself; hire prices are free-market. While you practise, an accompanying person must sit next to you: a category B licence held for at least 5 years, no cancellation or invalidation of the licence in the last 5 years, a signed accompanier’s charter, constant supervision, no payment. For the practical test you name a close person with a category B licence, and that cannot be a professional from a driving school.

If you have a teenager, there is an earlier route: AAC (apprentissage anticipé) from age 15, but for at least a year and at least 3,000 km of driving with two meetings with an instructor, and the accompanying person must have held category B for 5 years (F2826, F31901). The category B licence is still issued from 17. There is also conduite supervisée from age 18.

One exception to the 20-hour rule: according to the government reply in the Senate, Ukrainians living lawfully without temporary protection take the French exams without the compulsory 20 hours of driving school.

Category B: what it allows

B covers a car with no more than 9 seats, driver included, and a maximum authorised mass of up to 3.5 tonnes. A trailer up to 750 kg can be towed on plain B. A heavier trailer is also possible as long as the sum of the authorised masses of the car and the trailer does not exceed 3,500 kg. If the sum is between 3,500 and 4,250 kg you need the B96 mention after 7 hours of training; above 4,250 kg it is category BE (F2828, F12096).

Motorcycles are separate. The light A1 is up to 125 cm³ and 11 kW, A2 up to 35 kW and no more than 0.2 kW per kilogram, and unrestricted A opens up after 2 years of holding A2 and 7 hours of training (F12096).

Taking the exam without French

For the code there are special arrangements: sessions are organised for people with limited French, where you may bring an interpreter. The interpreter must be from the court list of experts, and the candidate pays. This comes from prefecture pages (Oise, Saône-et-Loire) and from card F33694, which says separate rules apply to people with limited French. How to book and when the next session is, each prefecture decides for itself: ask it directly.

The official cards we read say nothing about taking the practical test in another language. Don’t count on an interpreter in the car until the driving school or the prefecture confirms otherwise in writing.

Probationary period and points

For the first years after you get the licence you hold a permis probatoire: a newcomer has 6 points, not 12. The length depends on the route: 3 years on the standard scheme and 2 years if you took extra training (one day, 7 hours, at a school with the “quality” mention, between the 6th and 12th month after getting the licence); after AAC the period is 2 years, and with extra training 1 year and 6 months (F2390, version of 15 January 2026).

With no offences the points come back: over three years +2 each year, and with extra training over two years first +2, then +4. You reach 12.

What to keep in mind during this period:

How points come back

These are the rules for an ordinary licence with 12 points (F1685, version of 17 September 2025). One lost point comes back after 6 months without new offences. All 12 points come back after 2 years without offences, or after 3 years if there was a délit or an offence of class 4-5. Up to 4 more points a year can be recovered by taking an awareness course (stage de sensibilisation), but never above 12. For the probatoire F1685 has a separate section: one lost point comes back after 6 months, and if 3 points are lost, the course is compulsory.

You can see how many points you have right now, free of charge, on the “Mes points Permis” service.

What it costs and who helps

There is no single price, and we won’t invent one: the cost is made up of payments under different rules.

Licence for €1 a day. This is an interest-free loan, not a discount. It is for people aged 15 to 25 on the date they sign the contract with the driving school. The loan is €600, €800, €1,000 or €1,200 as you choose, repayments up to €30 a month, you can take it once, and a further €300 is available for a resit. It covers categories B, A1 and A2, and the driving school must carry the mention of participation in the scheme. The bank approves it; the scheme itself creates no right to the loan (F13609, version of 1 April 2026; France Travail page of 22 June 2026). It can be combined with CPF.

CPF. The ceiling for category B is €900. Jobseekers get CPF if the licence is needed for a professional project and you have no valid licence at all: with a valid B you cannot spend CPF money on A1, for example. For everyone else CPF is available only if a third party (an employer, a skills operator, a region and so on) pays part, and not less than €100. Whether a foreign licence counts as “valid” for this condition the card does not say, so check before you enrol.

France Travail aid for category B has been abolished since 1 April 2026 (F1719). If you are 18 to 25, ask at the mission locale about FAJ aid.

If the year has passed and the licence is not exchanged

A licence from outside the EU is valid in France for only a year (F1460), so after that you may not drive on it. The law treats driving without a valid licence as a criminal offence: in general up to 1 year in prison and up to €15,000 in fines, and instead of a trial a fixed fine of €800 is possible (€640 if reduced); to this are added confiscation of the car from its owner and, for foreigners, a ban from French territory (F17698, version of 13 March 2026).

One caveat: how exactly this is applied to people whose year has run out on an unexchanged foreign licence, neither F1460 nor F17698 says outright. We are not lawyers and we are not trying to scare you; we just suggest you don’t test it.

What to do in practice. If your country is on the list and you are still inside the year, exchange. If the year is over or your country is not on the list, what is left is the French exams on the usual terms: registration is open to anyone who has lived in France for 6 months or more with a valid permit. The routine is the same as in “Starting from scratch”: the code (40 questions, 35 correct), then the practical test. A candidat libre brings the dual-control car and the accompanying person themselves.

The licence has expired. It must be valid on the day you apply for the exchange, and expired ones are not exchanged. If it is about to expire, apply while it is still valid.

Useful links

• service-public simulator: check whether the licences of your country can be exchanged
• The official list of countries: Interior Ministry PDF, version of 1 May 2026
• Online application: permisdeconduire.ants.gouv.fr
• Sworn translator: search on the Court of Cassation website

In our Telegram chat you can ask about licence exchange, the exams and sworn translators in your city.

The “Vibe South of France” community chat on Telegram - relocation and life in the South of France

See Also

• Moving to the South of France: paperwork step by step
• Your first 30 days in France: what to do
• Titre de séjour: residence permit in France
• Validating a VLS-TS visa with OFII
• Carte Vitale and sécu: health insurance in France
• CAF and APL: housing benefit
• Opening a bank account in France
• Studying in France
• Temporary protection in France: who qualifies and how to get the APS
• Buying a car in France: papers, carte grise, insurance