UK motorcycle licence deal reached with French authorities

British motorcyclists who have relocated to France can now retain their rights to ride ‘category A’ vehicles when swapping their licence, thanks to a new agreement between French and British driving authorities. 

The British Embassy in France announced the new agreement between the DVLA, the UK Department of Transport, and French ANTS (Agence nationale des titres sécurisés) in its June 2024 newsletter. 

The Connexion has previously highlighted a number of issues, where Britons needing to exchange their licence from a British to a French one were unable to retain their ‘category A’ status, which allows them to ride larger motorcycles. 

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In some cases, only the lower ‘A2’ category was granted, meaning motorcyclists were prohibited from riding certain bikes, and in others, no version of the category was given. 

As a result, Britons had to retake a French ‘category A’ test to ride a motorcycle on French roads, which involved a two year wait.

Now, Britons exchanging their licences will be able to retain their full ‘category A’ status, providing they fulfil the other conditions to exchange their licence.

In addition, Britons who have already exchanged their licence for a French one can re-apply to have the status added to it.

A correction for your licence can be made through the ANTS website, using the signaler une erreur sur votre permis de conduire button. 

The Embassy recommends adding a letter of supporting evidence from the DVLA to your application, showing that your UK licence included category A’ status, as your French licence will not show this.

You can find out how to contact the DVLA to get the supporting letter here.

What was the issue? 

The issue affected motorcyclists who had received their licences before 1974. 

When the DVLA digitised their records in 1974, licences awarded before this time which had two categories on, gave the dates the categories were granted as the same day. 

“French authorities had interpreted this to mean that category A was awarded without a test and therefore refused to exchange it,” said the British Embassy on its Voisins Voices newsletter. 

With the new agreement that is in place, however, ANTS will now no longer refuse to exchange licences that have the pass-dates for both category A and B on the same day. 

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