macplaxton - strictly speaking providing the licence was issued directly by another state of the EU the only “obligation” legally to swap is if you commit an offence in france which is liable to restriction, suspension, banning or loss of points under the current code de la route. The relevant section of the code de la route is Article R222-2
Thats the “legal” position but as has been said before it then comes down to arguing the toss with transport managers here and /or the traning organisations when you go for either the fimo or the fcos… as with so many things here its sometimes a lot easier to “go with their flow”
One added bonus is that the french driving licence is then valid (in france) as a proof of identity recognised by the french admin which helps to avoid some of the “oh my god an alien has landed” reactions you can get if you present anything that they’re not used to seeing (ie round here anything not french!!)
One added bonus is that the french driving licence is then valid (in france) as a proof of identity recognised by the french admin which helps to avoid some of the “oh my god an alien has landed” reactions you can get if you present anything that they’re not used to seeing (ie round here anything not french!!)
Now you two have got me wondering.
What is “super U” I’d like to know that just in case I didn’t do very well in my French test. BTW, what was my score
ur-2-small-2-drive-that:
macplaxton - strictly speaking providing the licence was issued directly by another state of the EU the only “obligation” legally to swap is if you commit an offence in france which is liable to restriction, suspension, banning or loss of points under the current code de la route. The relevant section of the code de la route is Article R222-2
Than you Mel for clearing that up. Yes, indeed it is easier sometimes to go with the flow. I’m in the position of arguing the toss with companies as I’m only planning on being here for 2 or 3 years. I don’t want the addition expense and potential hassle with the DVLA of swapping it back at a later date.
I asked the local state-owned bus company about a job. If my application was successful I’d have exchange my licence and small print in contract says I must join a union. Er, I’m not exchanging a perfectly valid bit of paper at my expense and whilst I’ll defend someone’s right to join a union, I also defend their right not to join one.
ur-2-small-2-drive-that:
super u = supermarket chain
yes your french test was ok but you forgot a very important word
bollux - what you get from trolls
Oh dear, it seems I didn’t do too well in my test after all. I completely forgot about that word and its meaning. Sorry Miss. I 'spose that’s me on detention again for scoring a “6.” Or should I just stick to German
So you spotted a typo,maybe you and the slapper should go shopping at aldi they are german.she will have to drive as any mention of the germens make the french do the hold hands up surrender thing.
Macp,spardo is talking ■■■■■■■■,I have drove french trucks on a UK licence,brit trucks on a french licence and spanish trucks on french licence all above board.
froggy:
So you spotted a typo,maybe you and the slapper should go shopping at aldi they are german.she will have to drive as any mention of the germens make the french do the hold hands up surrender thing.
That might be perfectly true, but I was talking of the language, not the people.
Good tip about Aldi though, they do sell some very nice Siebenkornbrot.
Not sure it was a typo though, because there are two words that you could have meant.
froggy:
Macp,spardo is talking ■■■■■■■■,I have drove french trucks on a UK licence,brit trucks on a french licence and spanish trucks on french licence all above board.
Wel well M. froggy, I’ve driven Italian trucks on a UK licence (some years ago) and I can assure you that it wasn’t legal. Tell you what; It wouldn’t have been half as much fun it it was.
macplaxton:
Get back to driving licences for a moment,
Spardo:
…but if you drive a French reg truck you must have a French licence with the appropriate groups on it.
Is this legally the case? (rather than practically convenient for all concerned)
I have absolutely no idea Mac, all I can tell you is that when I started driving here the day I was due to start they said I had to change my licence. I argued, just as you have, that it wasn’t necessary as it, and its qualifications, were accepted by the European Union. The reply was ‘it is necessary and unless you do you will not drive for us’.
They don’t have to give reasons and for the sake of one day’s delay and €24 it’s a no brainer to me. I did it and started the next day.
I have already stated that different French officials have a different take on the law and sited at least one case where a foreigner drove for 15 years on a Portuguese licence.
You also need a FIMO or FCOS here but they forgot about that until I told them a year later that a ministry man had demanded to see one in a roadside check. So they then sent me on the 3 day course straight away.
The fact that some people in France get different treatment or blatantly break the law is neither here nor there, and hardly an excuse for insulting rants I would have thought, but there is only one here behaving in that rather juvenile fashion, and we have been here before with him.
The important thing is that the original poster got the information he wanted.
Spardo,why did you not stand up for yourself and say no,did you need the job?My fcos course was taken while I had a UK licence and so was my first driving job(tippers :!)although I did later change it BUT I did not need a note from the doc.As for calling me a juvenile compared to you I maybe.
macplaxton:
DieselDave, When was that? Was it before or after the adoption of the 2nd Driving Licence Directive?
Hi Mac, I’m not sure when the 2nd DLD came out.
I can tell you that I worked in Italy mostly in 1985 and it lasted just over a year. My boss told me that I needed to change my driving licence and go to the local Municipio (or a similar word) it’s something like the local town council IIRC and it was something to do with notifying residency.
After my boss looked into it, we decided that we weren’t going to bother, as most of the work was international. Having said that, I was pulled over by various police/officials on several occasions and always produced my UK licence when asked. Knowing the Italian system of “inducements” as we do I was always able to avoid issues of not having swopped my licence by contributing to their favourite charity. I remember that this was in the days before licence groups/categories were standardised, because on of the requirements was for my licence to be translated.
If you ask me what the correct procedure would have been; I was supposed to swop my UK licence for an Italian equivalent. I know that “technically” I was driving illegally, but it wasn’t to do with being “unlicenced” because the police knew from my licence that I was OK to drive artics. The “contributions” were required to correct the irregularity of driving an Italian registered truck without having swopped my licence. I’ve no idea whether Italian administration works in a piecemeal fashion like France, but if it’s any help, the province in question would be Torino, (Turin) because the firm was based in that province.
Spardo,I doubt you could find 99 french men/women in dept 24.Like I said I changed my licence to a french one but only when I reach that age were I had to have a medical did I have a medical in france and it cost more than E24,but a lot less than it would have done in the UK.
As for working on the “black” I have a A4 size pay slip for every day I drive/drove even in a spanish when I worked for a spanish firm,not like all the brits that got shown up on french national TV working illegally in doddyshire,maybe you were one of them that got caught…
“froggy” said… “Like I said I changed my licence to a french one but only when I reach that age were I had to have a medical did I have a medical in france and it cost more than E24”
For a permis poids lourds to be valid the holder must pass at least every five years a medical visit by an prefecture agreed doctor or by the medical commission of the prefecture of the department.
The cost is fixed: it was €24.40 but i believe it is now €24.99
If you changed your licence to a french one it would have had a validity of 5 years (assuming you were under 60 at the time) at which time you would need a / another medical. This is regardless of when your previous medical ran out…
If you do not have your medicals at the required times you do not lose your entitlement to the category but you are not legally able to drive until you have passed the medical…
ur-2-small-2-drive-that:
For a permis poids lourds to be valid the holder must pass at least every five years a medical visit by an prefecture agreed doctor or by the medical commission of the prefecture of the department.
If you changed your licence to a french one it would have had a validity of 5 years (assuming you were under 60 at the time) at which time you would need a / another medical. This is regardless of when your previous medical ran out…
I’d like to know that just in case I didn’t do very well in my French test. 
I completely forgot about that word and its meaning. Sorry Miss. 
I was always able to avoid issues of not having swopped my licence by contributing to their favourite charity. I remember that this was in the days before licence groups/categories were standardised, because on of the requirements was for my licence to be translated.