Vehicles

Vehicle imports

Moving to France to a new life is stressful enough as the documentation needed for your visa application fits inside a small suitcase.

The visa holder can however breathe a sigh of relief as another piece of documentation can, this time, save you loads of money if you wish to bring your trusted UK vehicle in that journey. You will need to have owned that vehicle for more than 6 months and the vehicle has to be a non-commercial vehicle (bringing your professional Steam-Roller or car transporter with you is therefore a no-no).

The European Concierge will ensure that you have the necessary French Customs documentation and explicit details on how to proceed to allow you to bring your personal vehicle free of import duty and taxes.

Driver Licence Exchanges

You now have your visa and you are soon to start your new life in France :

If your UK Driver’s Licence (DL) was obtained before the 1st January 2021 (and apart for some very few exceptions), this licence is valid when moving to France**. The only times your UK DL needs to be changed for a French one is a) when it reaches expiry date and b) if you have received a speed fine or had any other driving issue causing points to be removed. ** For those who obtained their UK DL on or after the 1st January 2021, you have 1 year to exchange it for a French one (Permis de Conduire).

You do not need to sit another driving test; the exchange is obtained by making an online application. Most other nationalities Licences can be fully or partially replaced by a French “Permis de Conduire”; By fully, read all your licence categories; By partially only the basics A and B permits. For US citizens and at time of writing, only 18 States have a reciprocal agreement in place with France. It is important to check exchangeability of your own DL as the list can be updated at any time https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F1460. Exchange of your original Licences for a French one might require official translations of some of your country of origin documents; Please contact us for more information.

In all cases, your old Licence will (eventually) have to be sent to the French State in exchange for a French Permis de Conduire. Returning to your country of origin might then require the additional need of an International Driving Permit (Permis de Conduire International) which by then, will be a copy of your French Permis de Conduire attesting of your rights to drive abc types of vehicles. Failing this, you will need to sit a French theoretical test (Le Code) and a full driving test to obtain your French DL.