epiphanies

Hi,

I'm planning to move out to France at the end of February and stay until October to get my French in order as part of a 'Gap Year' before starting University, and - having not yet passed my full driving test - am looking for an alternative method of independence for the period. A moped, then, seems like a good idea.

I have my standard British car provisional, and from what I understand will need to take a CBT before I can take the [under 50cc] moped I'll buy out on British roads as a learner. That's all fine, but I'm wondering what the situation in France will be - I've seen lots of websites which give contradictory information, and I'd like to get answers from someone 'in the know'.

As I'm only 18, then, will I need to achieve a full UK moped licence before being permitted onto French roads? I know that my provisional licence won't be legal outside of the UK, and I don't plan on getting a French one just to skirt that responsibility. I've seen some evidence, however, to suggest that so long as the moped is under 50cc and I'm not between 14 and 16 [the only ages seeming to require a written theory test before getting on a French moped - but again this could be wrong], I can just ride with no documentation other than proof of identity and insurance.

So...in brief...can I feasibly buy a <50cc moped in the UK, drive it to Dover on my provisional, post-CBT licence with 'L'-plates, then just take the plates off when I get to Calais? I'll have insurance...so that won't be an issue. I obviously won't be able to go on motorways or anything...but, to be honest, that's part of the whole appeal for me; I'm not going to France to go *anywhere* quickly.

Any thoughts? All help will be *very* warmly received.

Le Chant

Welcome to the forum! I believe you've summed it up quite correctly! Our three kids at some point have all had scooters, or motos for getting around on. The elder two with no probs at all as they were both over 16 when they bought and rode them. The youngest took is 'code' at school, which is the first part, the 'theory' test if you will that you need to be able to ride a scooter at age 14-16.

Your licence is valid over here if it's the plastic sort with the EU flag on it. It's recognised for what it is, but gives you nothing except a form of ID.

Be careful about bringing a 'foreign' vehicle into France, as there are rules that cover this. There was a thread, and a great link posted by Val (our matron) that'd help you. Here - http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=572684

HTH.

jdr

He has only got a provisional licence and they are not recognised outside the UK.

epiphanies

Thanks for the replies.

I do only have a provisional licence, yes - that's where my confusion lies; so long as the moped is under 50cc and I have full UK insurance, DVLA registration [as I will not have the vehicle in France for more than 12 months, I assume this is all I need to make the moped 'legal' in France - it's just like any other vehicle driven abroad but not 'permanently exported'?], and I'm not in the 14-16 age group, am I entitled to drive without 'L'-plates once I get to Calais?

I realise my provisional will be of no use abroad - I'm just hoping I can capitalise on more 'lax' continental attitudes towards such things.

Any further thoughts?

val50

this should help clear up the confusion
http://aquitaine.angloinfo.com/count...rivlicence.asp

my biggest worry would be that your UK insurance would cover you whilst you were in France.

Le Chant

You sure jdr? Our French assurance told me that our eldest's provisional was recognised as a valid form of ID because it was the plastic type with the EU flag on it.

I'll check with them about that now!

Mitzyboy

What makes you think that there are more lax attitudes towards licencing?

jdr

Might be ok for ID, but not for driving anywhere apart from the UK, AFAIK the UK is the only place where they have them.
Mind you, I don`t think the Spanish kids (age 14, but this may of been raised to 16 now) have a licence as such, they just have to attend special lessons. ;-))
Other countries require a full licence for a car and some insist it being accompanied by an international driving permit.

rugbymatt

They are French, they don't care about such things..............

Le Chant

Yep - lessons here too between 14 & 16. We wouldn't let our youngest have a moto at 14 when all his mates had theirs. Possibly a 50/50 decision good/bad, but at least he's still alive and in one piece!

jdr

Wise move.
I can`t believe how so few are killed, they drive like loonies here.

Le Chant

Yep - here too. In summer when it's hot, they're all invincible with stick thin bodies leaning forward to cut through the wind. Tee shirts or no shirt and shorts. Weaving in & out of traffic that has more weight in the glovebox than their whole bike has. They're up your arse and in your mirrors, and it is a bloody nightmare. Friend of our daughter was killed just a few short weeks back. Not her fault, admittedly but it did serve to put our daughter off her scooter. She now gets taxied everywhere by her boyrfeind in his car.

epiphanies

Thanks for all the replies.

Like I say, I'm well aware my provisional will have no status outside of the United Kingdom, so that's not really what I'm asking. Its value as a form of ID is also perhaps negligible; whilst it's always good to have another form of pocket-sized ID on hand, there are many other substitutes which will aptly perform the same task. Thanks for the suggestions, however.

In regard to my comment about more 'lax' licensing restrictions, I don't mean the enforcement to be any different - merely that in a country where one can legally ride a moped from the age of 14 [albeit after a test], there seems more chance of my being able to ride one at 18 without the same level of paperwork as I might encounter if doing the same thing in the UK. No offence intended.

The only thing I need to know is, and thanks for the website link - it's a great site that I've seen before, but it's the only one that says what it says about my not needing a licence, so I'd like either another source/someone with personal experience if possible, can I drive my moped without 'L'-plates and any additional paperwork as soon as I get to Calais provided I meet the following conditions:

• I'll be 18 [and so not have to take the test designed for 14-16 year olds]
• I'll have British insurance covering me for the length of my stay in France
• I'll have my DVLA registration and 'GB' sticker[recognising the moped as a 'temporary export' - thereby excluding my need to registerit with/have it approved by the French authorities]
• The moped I'm driving will be 50cc or under?

My apologies for this question's descent into complexity...I just, for understandable reasons, I'm sure, want to make sure that my understanding of the situation is absolutely correct.

Oh, and whilst I fully appreciate all of your concerns about the safety of such things - when options are limited, a moped seems like the perfect solution for granting independence. I'd like to think that not all young people need be tainted with the same brush in respect to an appreciation of the potentially associated dangers.

Le Chant

When you've been in Europe for a while and are able to read the daily papers, you'll see just how many young drivers are maimed and injured on the roads out here. I hope you don't become another paragraph in our local rag.

jdr

I agree about the insurance, as soon as you are out the country for that amount of time you will be non resident in UK and your insurance will be not valid.
Most UK insurance cover is for holiday cover for UK residents up to 3 months.