French Driving Licence 2026 The Complete Guide

The total cost for a permis B (car licence) is typically €1,500–€2,000. This includes: auto-école enrolment €150–300, theory preparation €20–300, ETG exam €30, a minimum of 20 hours of practical lessons €900–1,575, licence issuance via ANTS €25, and ID photos €5–10. Costs vary significantly by region, with Paris being the most expensive.

The épreuve théorique générale (ETG), commonly called the Code de la route exam, is a multiple-choice paper of 40 questions; you need at least 35 correct answers (87.5%) to pass. No official text sets an overall time limit for the exam. It is a State exam — the Sécurité routière (ministère de l'Intérieur) owns the questions and the marking — but the sessions are run by approved private operators (La Poste, SGS, Bureau Veritas, Pearson VUE, Dekra), who charge €30, due again at every attempt. The result is valid for 5 years.

Autoroute: 130 km/h (110 in rain, 110 for novice drivers). Dual carriageway: 110 km/h (100 in rain, 100 novice). Secondary roads: 80 km/h (some départements have restored 90). Urban: 50 km/h. Zone 30: 30 km/h. Zone de rencontre: 20 km/h. In fog with visibility under 50m, the limit is 50 km/h on all roads.

The general limit is 0.5 g/L (0.05% BAC). For novice drivers (permis probatoire, first 3 years) and professional drivers, the limit is 0.2 g/L. Between 0.5–0.8 g/L: €135 fine + 6 points. Above 0.8 g/L: criminal offence with up to €4,500 fine, 6 points, licence suspension, and possible imprisonment.

All new licence holders enter a probationary period (permis probatoire): 3 years normally, or 2 years if you completed conduite accompagnée (AAC). You start with 6 points (out of 12) and gain 2 per clean year (3 with AAC). Taking the optional 7-hour formation complémentaire between the 6th and 12th month shortens the probation to 2 years, or 1 year and 6 months after AAC. During this period, lower speed limits apply and the BAC limit is 0.2 g/L. Losing 3+ points in the first year requires a mandatory awareness course.

France uses a 12-point licence system. New drivers start with 6 points and build up to 12 over 3 years (2 with AAC). Points are deducted for offences — the more serious the offence, the more points lost (1–6 per offence, max 8 per incident). Losing all points invalidates the licence. You can recover up to 4 points by attending a voluntary awareness course (once per year, €200–250). Points are automatically restored after 2–3 offence-free years.

Conduite accompagnée (Apprentissage Anticipé de la Conduite) allows young people to start learning to drive from age 15. After completing initial auto-école training (20h minimum), the learner drives with an accompanying person (at least 5 years' licence, no serious offences) for at least 1 year and 3,000 km. Benefits: can take the practical test at 17, shorter probationary period (2 years instead of 3), and statistically lower accident rates.

If you plan to drive in any of France's 43 ZFE (Zones à Faibles Émissions) cities — including Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Strasbourg, and many others — you need a Crit'Air vignette. It costs €3.72 and classifies your vehicle by emissions (0 to 5, plus unclassified). Order it from certificat-air.gouv.fr. Driving in a ZFE without the correct vignette: €68 fine.

Nearly all French autoroutes are tolled (péage), operated by private companies (Vinci Autoroutes, Sanef, APRR). You can pay by cash, card, or electronic tag (télépéage). A Paris–Lyon journey costs approximately €35, Paris–Marseille approximately €55. Some urban motorways and sections in Brittany are toll-free. The toll network covers about 9,000 km.

Mandatory items: a reflective vest (gilet jaune) accessible from inside the vehicle and a warning triangle (triangle de signalisation). Fine: €135 if missing. While an éthylotest (breathalyzer) was technically made mandatory in 2012, there is no fine for not carrying one — the penalty clause was never enforced. Recommended but not mandatory: first aid kit, fire extinguisher, spare bulbs.

EU/EEA licences are valid indefinitely in France. Non-EU visitors can drive with their licence plus an International Driving Permit (IDP) for up to 1 year. After establishing residency, you generally have 1 year to exchange your licence. Some countries have bilateral agreements allowing direct exchange; others require passing the French theory and/or practical tests.

The contrôle technique is a mandatory vehicle inspection. For private cars: first inspection at 4 years, then every 2 years. The inspector checks 133 points covering brakes, steering, lights, emissions, and safety. Vehicles failing critical items (défaillances critiques) cannot be driven until repaired. Since 2024, motorcycles and scooters over 125cc also require a contrôle technique. Cost: approximately €70–90.

If your permis à points reaches 0 points, your licence is invalidated. You must surrender it within 10 days. You must wait 6 months before reapplying (1 year for repeat offenders). You must pass a medical and psychological examination, pass the Code de la route (ETG) again, and for those who held their licence less than 3 years, also retake the practical test.

Most traffic fines (amendes forfaitaires) offer three tiers: minorée (reduced, pay within 15 days or 30 days online — 33% discount), forfaitaire (standard amount, pay within 45 days), and majorée (increased, after 45 days — typically 2.5x the standard). For example, a €135 forfaitaire fine becomes €90 if paid early or €375 if paid late.

Yes, since January 2024, the minimum age to obtain the permis B and drive solo was lowered from 18 to 17. With conduite accompagnée (AAC), supervised driving can begin from age 15. This change aligns France with several other European countries including the UK (17) and Germany (17 with BF17).