I did a search but couldn’t not find the answer, so here goes…
We are French resident with TdS/CdS. I am here in France at the moment, but my husband spends time (within the limits) in the UK doing stuff for his elderly parents. In the UK he has access to and is insured to drive a UK reg car (insurers aware of situation). He wants to drive it down here, but I thought I’d read somewhere that a French resident can’t drive a UK reg vehicle. Is this correct? He doesn’t want to import it or leave it here, just drive down and back. Personally I think Ryanair is cheaper but I’d like to know what legal situation is, if anyone knows?
He’s got a UK licence because it is not near expiry so cannot be changed. (Oh and it is same address as car, as we used to live with them - long story)
I don’t know but might be of significance, hence the question for completeness.
ISTR there was previously an issue for a UK resident driving a FR registered car in UK (but that was pre Brexit) but, like you, can’t find a recent reference the other way round post Brexit that I can suggest as a reliable resource.
Oh my… this has been chewed on and thrashed about over time… hasn’t it
If I recall, for a limited time any French Resident driver with a valid driving licence can drive a car with a foreign registration… of course, insurance should be in place
I think this is likewise in place for a those in UK… for a limited period… can’t find a link, but seems reasonable… perhaps someone does have the actual link…
One aspect jumps into my mind… lorry drivers who make long-distance deliveries across europe and into England and beyond…
heaven knows in which country the Driver is Resident, or the nationality of his DL (or the vehicle come to that)… but they come and go with little/no hassle…
Thank you so much (so much more helpful than another virtual group I tried to ask in). I appreciate your thoughts, and had never come across Stack Exchange before.
I think you may have a point Graham about the licence … maybe I am thinking it was French licence + UK car which was a no, no.
A UK resident cannot drive a foreign registered car in the UK. UK traffic police are seizing cars on a regular basis - mainly ex-East Europeans but a couple of French and Spanish also where the driver is identified as a UK resident.
Equally, a French resident cannot drive a UK registered car in France unless intending to re-register it there and must declare it on entry as an import.
@b33jay On the other hand, a CdS-WA holder is permitted to leave France and return within specified limits so I don’t think it is quite as simple as you indicate. Hence the further investigation seeking valid legal references.
I think it’s actually 1 month … the timescale for declaring a vehicle as an import… and then moving on towards French immatriculation… if that is indeed the plan.
Very pertinent to my situation. I have a van in UK. @fabien has drawn up an insurance quote for it, while still on GB plates but with the intention to import it and immatric etc etc. Much doings with Douanes will be the order of the day.
Meanwhile, it’s got to go to Spain to collect all my stuff. As far as I understand it, if I intend to import it and can show that the process is in hand, for some specified time limit - can’t rememeber - I can drive it. Having a Spanish driving licence may be an advantage or muddy the waters - I dunno.
Not sure if this helps but our son came over from UK in September for a few days and wanting to give him some freedom we gave him the use of our Smart car. I contacted our insurers and this was entirely in order but only to a maximum 2 week period.
I haven’t yet got a definitive legal reference to share but anecdotally for the moment it would seem that someone regarded as a French resident no matter what licence is held is not permitted to drive a foreign (ie not French) registered vehicle in France. This would seemingly also apply, for example, to a Lithuanian national resident in France driving other than a French matriculated vehicle. There may be special arrangements in respect of vehicles declared to the Duane at the border as intended for import or where special trade licence plates are in use.
AFAIK Lily, it won’t but I think there are special provisions for hire vehicles including keeping a copy of the hire contract available for inspection in the vehicle. I’m not sure that other than a bone fide hire car company would work, if that is to what you allude…
For many years while UK residents we used to come over to visit friends in France, and drive their cars. His car insurance had the standard clause that about only drivers with minimum two years driving experience, and only third party not fully comp. he checked with his insurance company and they said fine, as it was the car that was insured rather than the driver. Whether that was because we were only here a few weeks at a time don’t know…
I know someone who drives his sister’s UK car when she visits him over here… he’s insured to do so, of course.
Perhaps it’s one of those strange things which folk do without even thinking they might be “in the wrong”… and, indeed, who really knows if that is the case anyway…
“Insurance, Permission and Permit” provided one has all 3 perhaps the gendarmes are not really interested in digging further…
they seem more interested in drugs/alcohol/excessive speed… and all dangerous stuff
Can’t help with the OP but @Stella and @Lily , rules for hire cars and lorries are entirely different. This was evidenced by the lorry that forced me off the road in France a couple of years back. It was a Slovakian tractor driven by a Romanian driver towing an Italian trailer. All perfectly legal and full restitution was received in due course.
Apologies for the Anglo-Saxon language, and the bloke in the blue T-shirt is the, very helpful, Romanian driver.
It is forbidden for French registered cars to tow foreign registered (or non registered heavier UK ones) trailers/caravans in France. Once again the rules for lorries are different, hence the myriad divergence all over Europe with tractors and trailers.
@LizzieB The SE question has not produced any meaningful verifiable legal reference unfortunately.
My correspondent couldn’t find any plain language information from official sources like service-public.fr for example. Some sources mention the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic and décret n°77-1040 but not a specific article which would finally determine the position for you.
The fact there is an exception for vehicle imports (with a rather limited time frame) also strongly suggests the default rule is that it’s forbidden - as indeed seems to be the position the other way round in the UK. @Stella As for the Gendarmes, they may not necessarily be the problem. AFAIK, France still has Douanes roaming the countryside on motorbikes and the like - their powers to seize are far greater and they don’t give waivers
So, finally, I think the only advice available to the OP is that it carries enormous risk and therefore should not be contemplated.
One cannot properly claim to be a visitor to France when actually resident and in possession of a CdS - it’s one or the other and if discovered being “economical” with the truth, the penalties could be severe. Border crossings will be a matter of record in the future when ETIAS becomes fully operational and your husband may unhappily find himself excluded if the numbers don’t add up with a consequence that his CdS could be pulled, if any subterfuge is discovered.
I hope that helps.
but I’d like to know what legal situation is, if anyone knows?
