Collioure_Bee

Does anyone know the real truth about getting one of these? My English licence has my mother's address on it which is not a problem and is legal. If I change the address on it, it's going to cost and then cost again every ten years to change the photo.
Are French ones any cheaper? Is it true you have to take a test out here to get one?

Ka Ora!

It's a case of exchanging it, Which you know you don't have to. It's no cheaper to start with a French One, Personally I find the French one more depressing as you start with 12 Points and they get removed. If your local prefecture can be bothered go for it.

MoonShine

How much does it cost to change a photo??
I'm rather naive, so for me if you worry about spending money once every 10 yrs, appears strange; Is it expensive or are you Scrooge???!!

Collioure_Bee

No, I am just peed off with consistantly laying out for things and paying through the nose for them, plus any slight lapse like forgetting to do it on time resulting in fines for nonsense.
The cost of the passport has increased disporportionately, then there is the cost of id cards coming in (is there any point in paying out for a passport AND id card) which I don't want and if I have to have fail to see why I should fork out for it, on top of all the other crap. The UK overcharges for everything, I have just paid out £45 "administration fees" for cancelling car insurance. £45 for someone to do the job they are paid to do, and take five seconds to feed the info into a computer.
To my mind moonshine, ANY fee you are forced to pay for "admin" is too much.

L'Acajou

Hi

I reckon the easiest and for that matter cheapest option is to keep your UK licence. It is perfectly legal to have a UK licence but live in France, I spoke to a bod at the DVLC a few months ago and because you cannot be forced to change to a French licence they accept that the addresses are not correct as of course they have to show an address and it has to be a UK one.
A few months ago my bag was stolen and amongst other things I lost my UK driving licence. I looked into swapping for a French one, I paid £5 for a certificate of entitlement from DVLA, got forms from the prefecture, got a quote of just over 100 € for it to be translated ....I'm sure there would be other costs involved. In the end I did a change of address (to a relative in the UK) and loss of licence online and I paid I think about £19. I was aware that this was not strictly correct but felt really strongly that I wanted to keep my UK licence, I use it for ID and it is a part of my identity. To my great relief my licence duly arrived a couple of weeks later...

I have a friend who has been here over 20 years, she has kept her UK licence and took a test over here years ago so has a French licence too... A UK certificate of entitlement will have more categories than a French one, ie towing a trailer, here it is not automatic and you have to pass a test to tow a trailer, so a cert of entitlement ensures you keep these categories. I passed my test over 25 years ago, not sure if towing a trailer is still an automatic entitlement in the UK.

I don't know how the DVLA view renewing photocards but as we are not obliged to change what is an EU licence I guess they can't stop us? It seems to be £17.50 plus a photo every 10 years, still cost effective against changing to a French one I think. And not as big a rip-off as passports I have got my application ready to post to the British Consulate and it will be 151€ plus postage. Doubly annoying as there were 5 years left on my (stolen) passport :curse: And I'm told the fees are going up again shortly. I have had to send for a copy of my marriage cert from the UK, which took two months and cost quite a bit, 100 € in bank cancellation fees, all in all a very very expensive day when some **** took my bag.

Ka Ora!

Well the reason you paying a fee is they have to pay some one to go around and look for places to lose the information. That's a lot of foot work you know. Why they don't just pick a name and address at random and send the disks out to I don't know. Then they have to sell the Photo's. I am beginning to believe that it would be better to Stick Al Qaeda in charge. Kill a few bird with one stone, Don't have to look for them better at getting things done on the cheap, And they know were the enemy is. Are we still looking for Charlie?

stanage2

You can as said before keep your English licence for as long as you keep it clean in France.
If you plck up points in France,they will make you change it for a French one,so the points can be added.

Novocastrian

Due to the complexity of my personal history, I have two driving licences, one issued in Ontario which needs renewing every 5 (?) years, and one issued in Germany in 1987, with "unbefristet Gueltigkeit" (unlimited term of validity) and which is also valid anywhere in the EU.

<just thought you'd like to know>

stanage2

Yes,thank you for that
Try to keep them clean

Tweedpipe

Bet my history is more 'complex' than you Novo!
I currently have 5 driving licences. UK, France, Italy, Hong Kong, Singapore. Qui dit mieux?

Bug**r. Wait for it, I bet Stanage has six...........:curse:

stanage2

Only ln packs

Collioure_Bee

Cheers for all the help there. Smple then, just keep the good old one stuck together with bits of sellotape.

themoose

Sadly you cant have one stuck together with sellotape, they (police) sieze them!

stanage2

Would agree,but only if they see it.

themoose

always best kept down your pants