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Comment: French passengers applaud the pilot for more than just relief
The tradition persists in France much to the bemusement of travellers from the UK and US
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Comment: US-style hen parties are one import Paris can do without
Columnist Nabila Ramdani is sceptical of a decadent new trend among American influencers
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Comment: Leaders of France and Britain start to talk tough on immigration
Columnist Simon Heffer notes that public opinion appears to have shifted on both sides of the Channel
Driving licence swap rejected
More than two months ago, we applied to Nantes to exchange our UK driving licences for French licences.
We have had our applications returned with a refusal.
Apparently, as we do not fall under one of the obligatory categories (eg. imminent expiry for a driving offence) we should continue to use our British licences and wait for further advice to be issued. We applied early as we have an overseas trip planned and will need valid drivers’ licences and international licences.
Mary Jane Michael, Hautes Alpes
We reply: The CERT in Nantes states that it is no longer processing non-obligatory exchange requests received after December 15, 2018, pending more information about procedures after Brexit. In a deal, UK licences would be valid until the end of 2020, and in a no-deal, France says there would be a grace period to change them, probably of a year. Unfortunately, you cannot get an international licence to accompany a UK licence without a UK address.