Can French police suspend foreign driving licences?
Departments are cracking down on mobile phone usage behind the wheel
Depending on the offence, fines are often issued on top of the suspension, which also apply to non-resident drivers.
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Reader Question: I know some French departments now suspend driving licences for people on mobile phones when driving. Can French police suspend non-French licences? What about tourists on holiday?
Several departments in France have authorised on-the-spot licence suspensions for drivers caught using their mobile phone behind the wheel.
You are correct to believe that this applies to all drivers, not just French licence holders.
The exact penalties depend on the offence and residency status of a driver.
Tourists and drivers transiting through France (so, driving on a foreign licence and with their main residency elsewhere) can still have their licence suspended by French authorities.
“If you are only visiting France, the prefecture where the violation occurred will keep your license for the duration of the suspension or return it to the issuing country if the suspension period exceeds the length of your stay in France,” states the Loire-Atlantique prefecture on its website, although these rules apply across all departments.
As suspensions run from one to several months (including for being caught on your mobile phone in the departments where this rule is in place), it is possible a visitor will not receive their licence until returning home.
Depending on the offence, fines are often issued on top of the suspension, which also apply to non-resident drivers.
Unlike traffic fines, which are sent to addresses, these are on-the-spot fines issued by officers.
Residents in France require licence exchange
For those living in France full-time but driving on a non-French licence, licences are also confiscated and suspended on the spot.
This includes for EU/EEA licence holders or those holding a British licence first issued before January 2021, as well as those who have recently moved to France and are yet to exchange their licence.
Once a licence is confiscated, it is held by the prefecture where the incident took place (so not necessarily the department the driver lives in).
The driver must apply for the licence to be exchanged through the ANTS/France Titres website, through the ‘Annulé/Suspendu’ section.
If you hold an EU/EEA licence and do not complete the exchange request, or if the request is denied by ANTS, the licence is sent back to the country of origin and you will need to contact them for information on how to collect it.
For non-EU/non-EEA licences where exchanges are refused/the driver does not apply for it, the licence is returned by French authorities.
However, it will no longer be valid for use in France, and potentially the EU due to information sharing over driving offences (although it will potentially remain valid elsewhere including the country of origin).
