Included with the draft 2026 budget was a proposal to charge foreign driving licence holders €40 to exchange their licence for a French one - changing the process that is currently free.
The justification for the idea, introduced as a budget amendment by the right-wing MP Charles Alloncle, is as following: "Since 2000, the flow of migrants onto French soil has been particularly accelerated . . . this costs our country.
"Those present on our soil benefit from numerous facilities, without condition of work or nationality . . . and the bill for this is born by the French."
His amendment also proposed increasing costs for a number of other processes such as getting or renewing a residency card.
However, during the chaos and deal-making that surrounded the parliamentary journey of the 2026 budget the amendment was withdrawn, meaning that the idea dies.
The situation for foreigners needing to swap their driving licences therefore remains the same.
And what is that situation, exactly?
If you live in France and you have a foreign driving licence, you may need to swap it for a French one.
Holders of EU/EEA licences are not generally required to swap them, although they may be ordered to if they pick up points on their licence or are convicted of a traffic offence.
Non-EU licence holders, on the other hand, are required to swap their licence for a French one within their first year of residency.
The exception to this is holders of a UK or NI driving licence - they still have to swap, but the time period is slightly different, due to the post-Brexit agreement between the UK and France - full details here.
When it comes to making the swap, there are two pathways; holders of a licence from a country, a US state or a Canadian province that has a bilateral agreement with France can simply exchange their foreign licence for a French one.
Holders of a licence from a place that doesn't have a swap agreement have to take a French driving test.
Find the list of swap/non-swap licences HERE.
For those lucky enough to be able to do a simple swap, the process itself is free and is done online. The actual swap process is not particularly complicated, but it can take some time (six months is normal), so people are advised to start the process as soon as they are eligible.
READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: How to swap your driving licence for a French one✎
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