French Driving License

@roger.france

This may help: https://permisdeconduire.ants.gouv.fr/d … s-etranger

@roger.france

Fascinating legal argument to make.

A French permit is good for life. Having had one and only surrendered it as an exchange because having two at a time is not allowed, can it be reclaimed -- not in exchange, but on grounds of llifetime entitlement? You could offer to turn in your California one to respect the one-at-a-time rule.

Why not put the question to ANTS:

https://permisdeconduire.ants.gouv.fr/aide-et-contact

@AARO health Thank you. It should have been my obvious next step, but I don't have fond memories of my interactions with the French (tax) administration. You've encouraged me to give it a go - we'll see what they say.

Thanks,

Roger

@roger.france There's a video on ANTS that describes how to exchange a foreign license for a French one. It takes you through the steps of the application form.https://permisdeconduire.ants.gouv.fr/demarches-en-ligne/echanger-un-permis-etrangerAt one step, you have to check one of 3 choices.The second option is a "demande de rétablissement (vous avez déjá obtenu votre permis en France)"That sentence is followed by a "?", which should give an explanation of what that means.Obviously, you want to know if you can "rétablir" a license previously obtained via an exchange.

Update:

Well, ANTS replied, telling me to exchange a (I assume) UK license that I don't have:

Nous vous invitons à effectuer une demande d'échange de permis de conduire étranger une fois résident en France avec un courrier explicatif à joindre dans la démarche afin d'expliquer votre situation au service instructeur.

Whilst this might be a valid response, if they've assumed that I still have the expired UK license, but it doesn't give me any confidence that they understood my initial query. I'll try again.

Thanks,

Roger

@roger.france Right, you got the easy bureaucratic answer.

If you didn't already on your first try, you need to explain that you have no valid license to exchange (CA won't work) and that your question applies to the option THEY offer, to re-establish a French license.

If I were you, I would first open an account and simulate your way through the exchange application til you get to that question with the rétablir option and look at the text behind the explanatory question mark.

@AARO health Good idea. Unfortunately:

Si vous avez obtenu un permis français d’une autre façon (par exemple par échange d’un autre permis délivré par un état étranger), vous devez passer par la procédure « échange de permis »

They don't then have an option for not having a copy of your driving license. This is also the case if I try to renew an expired French one. Time to go through the archive ..