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About this tool
Check whether France needs an International Driving Permit with your licence, and when the one-year resident limit starts.
This checker tells you whether France expects an International Driving Permit alongside your national licence, based on where the licence was issued, how long you are staying and your age. It applies the arrete du 12 janvier 2012, which lets a non-EU licence be used in France only if it is written in French or accompanied by an official French translation, with an IDP accepted as that translation. It also dates the one-year limit that starts once you are normally resident.
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Every verdict names the arrete or Code de la route article it comes from.
For residents the tool returns the calendar date the foreign licence expires in France.
Reminds you about the reflective jacket, warning triangle and Crit'Air sticker for low-emission zones.
Only if your licence was issued outside the EU or EEA and is not written in French. The arrete du 12 janvier 2012 requires such a licence to carry an official French translation, and an International Driving Permit is accepted as that translation. EU and EEA licences are recognised outright under Article R222-1 of the Code de la route, UK photocard licences are accepted without an IDP, and a Quebec permis printed in French already meets the test.
For the whole of a genuine visit, and for one year once you are normally resident. The arrete counts that year from the start of validity of your residence permit or long-stay visa. Normal residence follows the EU definition of at least 185 days in a calendar year, so a very long stay starts the clock even if you think of yourself as a visitor.
Both. France is a contracting party to the 1949 Geneva Convention and the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, so either format satisfies the translation requirement. The Geneva permit is valid for one year from issue and the Vienna permit for up to three years or until the national licence expires, whichever comes first.
Then you need an official French translation instead, made by a traducteur agree - a translator on a French court's list of experts - or by your country's consulate in France. Only states that are party to the 1949 or 1968 Convention can issue a recognised IDP, and it always has to be obtained before you travel, in the country that issued your licence. This is general information rather than legal advice; check your own position with your prefecture.