Hi all

Been away for a long time but I'm back now.

Anyway my problem is with French/European driving licenses.

Ady and I live permanently in France and have European driving licenses, issued in England. There we were told that we didn't have to change to French licenses as ours are European ones with photo etc.
One of our local Gendarmes stops Ady on a frequent basis for trivial things and is now insisting that Ady changes his license to a French one. He has given Ady one week to start the procedure or he (the Gendarme) will take Ady to the Tribunal.
Can Ady be forced to change his license?
If yes then that's no real problem except it's about 20 miles to our nearest Prefecture and Ady is usually working when-ever the office is open
If no then how can we prove to the Gendarme that he is wrong?

Thanks for any help or advice

Krazey

You do not have to change your License anymore the Gendarme is miss informed which is not uncommon. Go to the Main Prefecture for your Dept and head to the Permits du Conduire section and ask for a Enregistrement D'un permis de Conduire de L'Union Europeenne ou de L'Espase Economique Europeen Form, Fill it in they will set your details up on the driving license database you keep your British license and you get a form to show the gendarme's or Police. If you cant be bothered going to the Prefecture and want a laugh and the gendarmes expense let him take you to the tribunal get an avocat and the case will get thrown out. Good Luck they are a ill informed pain in the butt, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

This is from the French Embassy in UK website
http://www.consulfrance-londres.org/spip.php?article388
it's also in French - so maybe print it and show it the Gendarme next time he stops you!

Thanks for that info. Very informative.
Have now printed it all out ready for the next time he tries to tell Ady that the license must be change.

Jannie

He may want you to get it registered as even though it is valid for any Euro country, if you are a resident you still have to abide by the host countries rules on health and sight tests etc.

I don't think so JDR, sounds more like a vindictive gendarme to me. I did wonder though if he's confusing registering a UK car (which has to be done within 6 months of moving to France from UK) as opposed to a UK drivers licence - just a thought?
When we moved to France and applied for our carte de sejour, we also spoke to the local prefecture about changing our drivers licence and were told we didn't have to. I have been driving in France now since 2001 and - touch wood - haven't had a problem.

We think this particular Gendarme is racist. He seems to pick on an awful lot of Brits for little or no valid reason. Over the past few years we have been stopped by him/his team and fined for not wearing a seat belt, even though we were wearing them until we were actually stopped. We made the "mistake" of un-buckling before the officer approached the car. Now we don't un-buckle until we are asked to. He often walks around the market, checking on stalls. Last time (a few months ago) the only stall he stopped at was Ady's. Ady was told that he needed a permit/;icense for his trailer/vitrene for carrying/storing food. Apart from this being a Vetenary (sp) Sante matter Ady has a registered fridge in the back of his van so only uses the vitrene for displaying on the market.
We're not particularly bothered by his attitude, but we know of several Brits who are upset about it. We just felt that it was about time we "took a stand".

Jannie

Are you sure it's a Gendarme checking around your market? In my nearest market town it's the Police Municipale which collects dues and checks that all the stalls are en règle. If your vehicle is still UK registered, then you'll attract the attention of all law-officers, racist or not. If it's French, then obey the Code de la Route more carefully! (If I sound arrogant, I have driven a French car here for over 30 years and have never been stopped by Gendarmes, because I've never given them reason to do so).

They dont obey it around here, white lines must be crossed on every bend Stop sign's what are they for? Give way to the right? Next joke please

When a French man gets in a car the first thing they do is throw the code de la route out the window, light a ciggy picks up his phone to call some one and starts his journey.

DMU. It's definitely the Gendarmes checking the market. Ady has been trading on various markets for over 2 years and knows most of the gendarmes by sight, if not by name, and all of the Placiers, etc.
Ady originally had an English registered fridge van, then changed to a French mobile shop, which he had for about a year. He now has an ex-gendarme van that he's converted to carry his fridge and trailer/vitrene.
We have lived in France for 4+1/2years and have often had a problem with this particular gendarme. We have never knowingly given any reason to be stopped and don't object to regular checks on papers etc. It's just that this last time it was so obvious that we were the target.
As we were coming out of Intermarche, turning towards town, the Gendarmes were driving away from town. We stopped at the bar/tabac for just a few minutes to get Ady's baccy. By the time we were on the road home the Gendarmes were parked in the Pompiers car park, so the driver must have done a quick turn-about, saw us stopped at the bar and reached the Pompiers just literally seconds before us. We were pulled in followed by one other car. The "chef" checked the other drivers papers and sent her on her way. The younger gendarme checked Ady's papers and told us everything was OK, but the "chef" then insisted Ady took a breathalyser and then started saying about changing our licenses to French ones. (I think he was upset that we were totally legal)
As soon as we were allowed to drive off the gendarmes also drove away. If that's not targeting us then I'm not sure what is.

I also agree with Ka Ora. The French round here certainly wouldn't hurt by taking another driving test.

Today we went to the Prefectures to register our driving licenses. The person we spoke to say it wasn't required. In fact he refused to register. We explained about the gendarme and he told us that if we have a problem with the gendarmes again then we MUST tell them to phone the Prefectures office and they will clarify the law to them.
That would definitly upset our "bug bear"

Jannie

I'm really amazed that your Gendarme is hassling you so much. A friend of mine is married to a Gendarme and I can ask her whether there's a Gendarme equivalent to the "Police des Polices" that you could complain to. Even if you're not unhappy with the situation, it would certainly shake him up.

Hi DMU
Thanks for that.
I think for now the "threat" of a phone call to the Prefecture should calm him down, but I will bear it in mind.
Many of our friends think he is of the opinion that "I'm the Law, therefore I am as a God", but he is in the minority. Most of the Gendarmes we meet are OK guys and seem pleased that we are working and driving legally in their country.

Cheers Jannie

Nonetheless I've asked my friend. She was shocked that a Gendarme should be harassing you like that. Her husband is at present away on a mission and she'll ask him later how the public can lodge complaints. If an Investigation Bureau for Gendarmes exists, it'll be an extra threat! Watch this space...

Thanks for that. Will keep watching

Jannie

If you do break the driving laws (and it doesn't sound as if you have done), then round here the machinery slowly but inexorably works it way round to insisting that you have a French licence from which penalty points can then be deducted (whereas they can't deduct points form a British licence). Not sure about the situation re European licences.