France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, the driving licence () is a governmental right given to those who request a licence for any of the categories they desire. It is required for every type of

motorized vehicle A motor vehicle, also known as a motorized vehicle, automotive vehicle, automobile, or road vehicle, is a self-propelled land vehicle, commonly wheeled, that does not operate on railway track, rails (such as trains or trams), does not fly (such ...

. The minimum age to obtain a driving licence is: sixteen years for a motorcycle, fifteen years for a car, and twenty-one years for buses and cargo vehicles. Since 2013, the French driving licence format was changed from that of a pink booklet to a credit card-sized card. Some slight modifications appear on driving licences issued by some overseas collectivities such as

French Polynesia French Polynesia ( ; ; ) is an overseas collectivity of France and its sole #Governance, overseas country. It comprises 121 geographically dispersed islands and atolls stretching over more than in the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean. The t ...

, Saint Martin, and

Wallis and Futuna Wallis and Futuna, officially the Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands (), is a French island territorial collectivity, collectivity in the Oceania, South Pacific, situated between Tuvalu to the northwest, Fiji to the southwest, Tonga t ...

. Licences from these

collectivities A territorial collectivity (, previously '), or territorial authority, in many francophone countries, is a legal entity In law, a legal person is any person or legal entity that can do the things a human person is usually able to do in law – ...

are identical to the normal mainland format with the addition of the name of the collectivity next to “RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE” and, in the case of French Polynesia, the display of the regional flag on the bottom right part of the card. Since 2015, licences issued in

Saint Barthélemy Saint Barthélemy, officially the Collectivité territoriale de Saint-Barthélemy, also known as St. Barts (English) or St. Barth (French), is an overseas collectivity of France in the Caribbean. The island lies about southeast of the island ...

are similar to those of

Metropolitan France Metropolitan France ( or ), also known as European France (), is the area of France which is geographically in Europe and chiefly comprises #Hexagon, the mainland, popularly known as "the Hexagon" ( or ), and Corsica. This collective name for the ...

but with the "SAINT BARTHÉLEMY" in place of “RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE”, without the yellow stars around the F, and the Saint Barthélémy coat of arms in the background of the licence. Since July 2023,

New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...

joined other Overseas Collectivities, as well as the current French national driving licence by adopting a credit sized licence. This new document features the French, Kanak and the EU flags, leading to some disapproval from certain political sectors on the territory. As of 2024,

remains the last French territory to issued non-credit sized driving licences. A French driving licence is a European driving licence adhering to Directive 2006/126/EC and valid throughout the

European Economic Area The European Economic Area (EEA) was established via the ''Agreement on the European Economic Area'', an international agreement which enables the extension of the European Union's single market to member states of the European Free Trade Asso ...

Obtaining a driving licence

The French driving licence can be obtained after finishing driving school and passing a two-stage test: the theory test (''examen du code de la route'') and road test (''examen pratique du permis''). The ''code de la route'' exam consists of 40 questions of which one needs to get at least 35 right to pass. After passing the exam, one can start taking driving lessons with their driving school. Before passing the road test, a minimum of 20 hours of driving lessons is required.

Graduated driver licensing

In France, there exists a

graduated driver licensing Graduated Driver Licensing (also known as GDL) systems are designed to provide new drivers with experience and skills gradually over time, reducing the risk of serious injury or death. In traditional driver licensing systems, new drivers typic ...

(GDL) system for people between the ages of 15 and 17 and a half, for those holding a B category driving licence. Some restrictions exist, with one of the main conditions being that a driver with at least 5 years of uninterrupted licence holding must accompany the learner. This GDL is valid only within France, so it is not legal for a youth with a GDL to cross international borders in their car. At the age of 18, one holding a

learner's permit A driver's permit, learner's permit, student permit, learner's license or provisional license is a restricted license that is given to a person who is learning to driving, drive, but has not yet satisfied the prerequisite to obtain a driver's lic ...

can apply for a normal driving licence. The pros to this are that the learner can pass more easily due to having had prior experience driving, and the probationary period for their new licence is reduced from three to two years. For people over 18 applying for a licence for the first time, a system similar to the GDL exists, but rules are slightly different. For instance, it does not provide the reduction from three to two years for the probation licence. Appenti-magnetique

Furthermore, any person who initially gets a driving licence for the first time has to mind following restrictions for two or three years known as ''permis probatoire''. The ''permis probatoire'' include: * New drivers cannot drive as fast as seasoned drivers: 110 km/h instead of 130 on motorways, 100 km/h instead of 110, and 80 instead of 90 on rural roads. * The symbol A should appear on the rear of the car * The ''permis probatoire'' has only six points, the driver will have access to 12 points when they pass a three-year term If points are docked, they can be recovered by attending traffic safety classes.

Gallery of historic images

File:Permis de conduire lss automobiles - French Cochinchina (1938) 01.jpg, File:PC-Europ01-275x379.jpg,

References

External links

{{Europe topic, Driving licence in

Road transport in France

Obtaining a driving licence

Graduated driver licensing

Gallery of historic images

See also

References

External links