Can over-70s renew UK driving licences from France?
Non-UK residents should not renew their licence with British authorities
The UK driving authorities are strict on licence exchange rules
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Reader Question: I am a UK driver who is over 70 and have to renew my licence every three years since 2020. I last renewed it in 2023 but my main home is in France. Will it be valid if I later apply to swap it for a French licence?
We are concerned that you may have incorrectly had your licence reissued by the British driving authorities in previous years.
The DVLA states that driving licences cannot be issued to non-UK addresses, and in the situation of a person that lives outside of the UK and needs a licence renewal, they should exchange their licence for one in the country they are residing in.
Using a UK address that is not your main address (such as if you have a second home in the UK and a main home in France) is not permitted by the DVLA.
You may have been using an incorrect address to renew your UK driving licence as opposed to exchanging it for a French one, as depending on how long you lived in France you should have done this prior to coming up to age 70.
UK driving licences issued prior to January 2021 hold the same authority as EU licences in France, meaning they do not need to be exchanged within 12 months after moving, which is the case for other non-EU licences.
Note this is based on when the licence was first issued, and not the date of moving to France (although logically all those who moved to France prior to January 2021 and had a UK licence keep their EU-style licence rights).
Difficult situation for over-70s
What makes this situation difficult is that UK licences are invalid if not renewed at age 70 (at which point a declaration of not having health or eyesight problems incompatible with driving is also required), however residents in France are strongly advised to swap for a French one before this due to the rules against renewing them if living in France.
As a reminder, there are currently no mandatory medical checks upon licence renewal in France.
In your case, we advise you to apply to swap your UK licence for a French one as soon as possible as opposed to waiting for the renewal date, to ensure you do not continue to fall foul of any driving rules.
As long as the licence is within its validity period, this should be possible.
