Exchange a foreign driving licence

Swapping a licence issued outside France for a French one, so you can keep driving here once your foreign licence stops being accepted.

Only if your licence can be exchanged at all: for a non-European licence that depends on a reciprocity agreement between France and the issuing country. Service-public.gouv.fr publishes a simulator that tells you whether your country is covered; without an agreement, you sit the French test instead.

There is a deadline tied to when you settled here — a non-European licence is accepted for 1 year from the moment you take up normal residence in France. The exact starting point differs by situation, so check the official page for yours.

Online, on the ANTS driving licence portal (permisdeconduire.ants.gouv.fr).

An electronic tax stamp of €40 (€20 in French Guiana).

• You keep your foreign licence while the file is being examined.
• Once the original has been checked, you receive an attestation de dépôt sécurisée, valid 4 months, which lets you carry on driving.
• The French licence is then sent to you by registered post.