Driving in france with american drivers license

Driving in France Published on November 13, If you are on a short visit or short business trip less than 90 days You may drive with a valid U. Sending your car or motorcycle to France Pease visit the Embassy of France Customs Office For specific information in English regarding insurance, documentation of motor vehicles, sales, transfers of ownership, and driving schools with an English-speaking instructor, please refer to the website of the American Embassy in Paris.

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Useful Links elysee. Code s for the type s of vehicle you are licensed to drive. A typical passenger car is code B. If you're renting another type of vehicle, do a little searching to see what the code is and if your license is valid for it. Remember, dates should follow the Euro norm of day-month-year. Sure, it isn't certified. My guess is that unless you get a cop with a bad attitude maybe brought on by you?

Watch all the naysayers slam me for this post. I just want to say that I'm so happy you are being reunited with your kitty!! You must be very excited! We drove in France in May without one and survived. Then I came on this forum and got so alarmed that we got one for Tuscany last month.

Now I just kinda look at it as a silly 20 bucks spent. To each their own! While the OP may be a resident, she is driving with a U. It's not just a question of security, it's that it's legally required. Frankly, I think it's ridiculous, because I can't imagine a French policeman being confused by my US license, but I see no reason to flout the law, particularly when it's so easy to comply with it. And one of the pages is in French and one is in Italian , so it's not "still in English.

The disagreements here are all via keystrokes while we sit safely somewhere with our electronic devices. Now picture yourself somewhere in France, being asked by a police officer to produce your IDP. These arguments become irrelevant at that point. You either have it or you don't. The entire question boils down to whether or not you want to take that risk. Likelihood of a showdown seems small.

Consequences, because of the rarity of the event, seem a bit unclear. Because the law says the penalty can be this or that doesn't mean that it will, in practice, be as severe as possible.

I've travelled with my granddaughters and have, in the spirit of better-safe-than-sorry, obtained the necessary written permission from their parents before leaving. I've never been asked for that documentation, but I'll get it again next time as well. Even if the likelihood is small, the vacation would be severely impacted by our being denied boarding.

You can take the cautious "overly" cautious? Your choice. My local AAA office says that the OP's mother can obtain an IDP for her if they have two passport-sized photos, each signed on the back by the OP, the completed application form signed by the OP, and copies of the front and back of the OP's driver's license. So, cumbersome, but possible. Please sign in to post. What can I do? Thanks everyone! How lucky do you feel? That's difficult. We can only go on what you have provided.

But that's not your question. What do you risk? Can the driving idea. Take the Eurostar or fly to Paris. Simple is as simple does. Eef, great idea! I was able to get the PDF translated so I can read it now. That's not true, at least not as a categorical statement. Good luck! Ken Eurostar won't carry pets, and has no pet reception centre for them so that they are brought into the country legally.

These are the rules according to the Embassy of France in the U. One of the best responses in this thread was early on by Barbra: …until I hear bona fide reports that Americans have gotten into big trouble because they don't have an IDP. License issue date 4b.

License expiration date Five. License number Seven. Signature Nine. Tocard, "These rules are for visitors using a 90 day Schengen visa, not for EU residents. British citizens wishing to drive in France will need to find out about the rules applicable to their situation:.

Helpful tip : Licenses issued in countries located outside the European Economic Area, and which do not appear on the list of countries that have signed a bilateral agreement with France, will no longer be valid in France after a period of one year.

Holders of such licenses will need to take the French driving test. Individuals who do not speak French can take the driving theory test the code with the help of a translator. Themes Day-to-day life Driving in France. Coming to France and wondering whether you will be able to drive with your current license?

Driving in France with a license issued by a foreign country is permitted in the following cases: If you hold a driving license issued by a member state of the European Union, the European Economic Area : these licenses are valid in France indefinitely.