August 2019

Driving in France with an Indian DL or IDP

Disclaimer

Official link : Service-public.fr

Indians can drive in France with their Indian DL (accompanied with an official French translation) or with an International Driving Permit, IDP. The IDP should always be accompanied by the Indian DL. The validity of the same depends on the type of the Residence Permit or Visa.

1. Student Visa:

You can drive a vehicle (equivalent to the one described in the DL or IDP) during the entire duration of the studies. But, the following requirements must be satisfied:

  • You should be atleast 18 years old.

  • The Indian DL or IDP should be valid (not an expired one).

  • It should have been obtained in India before entering France.

  • It should be written in French (IDP already has a French translation in it) or be accompanied by an official French translation.

  • It should have all the information about any medical prescriptions (if available).

  • It should not having been sanctioned anywhere in France, by a cancellation or invalidation of your right to drive. Please, note that the French DL points system is applicable for foreigners too.

If you want to continue driving after the duration of studies, you should obtain a French DL (For example - Permis B).

Note: For the moment, there is no clear information about driving while having an APS visa. It depends on your local prefecture. So, Kindly check with your prefecture before driving. This part will be updated soon.

2. Short Stay Visa:

If you have come to France for a short stay (for example - Holidays, Short Term work, Attending Conferences/Workshops, etc), you can drive with your Indian DL or IDP.

  • The DL is valid during the entire duration of the stay.

  • The driver and the DL should satisfy the same conditions as mentioned in the Students section above.

3. Long Stay Visa:

If you have a long stay visa (for example - people with Salaried Visa, Talent Passport, etc), you can drive upto one year.

  • The driver and the DL should satisfy the same conditions as mentioned in the Students section above.

  • The Indian DL or IDP is valid upto 1 year from the starting date mentioned in the 1st Residence Permit Card or OFII sticker (whichever is applicable to your situation).

If you want to continue driving after this period of 1 year, you should obtain a French DL (For example - Permis B). The Indian DL or IDP cannot be exchanged with a French DL.

Additional Information:

French DL has a points system (0-12 points). Upto 6 points can be reduced for a single traffic violation. Also, there are chances of losing all the points simultaneously, if multiple violations are committed. As a result, a DL with 0 points will become invalid. So, Follow the Code de la route (Traffic Rules) rigorously.

The Code de la route can be checked here.Securite-routiere.gouv.fr and Legifrance.gouv.fr

Recently, the Code has been modified. So, the points system is applicable to people driving with an Indian DL or an IDP too. Points will be reduced virtually and you will be informed about it electronically or via a letter. It will be done after the payment of the corresponding fine amount. The process for recovering the points lost is same as the one for a French DL. However, there is a lack of clarity about the virtual system of tracking the points for foreigners. This information will be updated soon. Source: Legifrance.gouv.fr

All the info about driving rules in France and the fines to be paid incase of traffic violations can be found here. Service-public.fr

Finally, driving without a valid DL in France may lead upto 1 year imprisonment and a fine of 15000 €. So, Please don't take any unnecessary risks. Service-public.fr

“Drive safely. Respect the rules. Enjoy your drive in France.”