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Post by JohnP on Oct 16, 2013 13:36:04 GMT 1
My photocard is about to expire on my UK driving licence so I decided to exchange it for a French one........Simples!
As I want to keep my extra groups I understand I will need a medical so I ask my friend to telephone the sous prefecture in Lorient to get a list of approved doctors who can do the medical. The lady in the sous prefecture said you don't need a medical for an exchange licence so I download the relevant forms, fill them in and with my brand new passport I head for Lorient the following week(70Km round trip) Fill in yet more forms, hand over 4 photos, get my receipt and homeward.
2 weeks later I receive my new French permis de conduire but when I check I have lost all my groups except for a basic car. I get my friend to telephone sous prefecture and am told "oh you need a medical" so get a list of approved doctors( nearest one in Lorient, another 70Km round trip and 33€ fee)
This morning headed for Lorient for an appointment with the doctor who passed me BUT as I had a heart operation 4 years ago, I have to be passed fit by a cardiologist before the doctor can sign me fit.
Well that is OK says I because I see my cardiologist every year and have fitness reports from him. Ah says doctor, your cardiologist is not on the approved list. So now I have an appointment with an approved cardiologist at the end of November in Lorient( yes, another 70Km round trip, fee unknown) then back to the doctor to get the forms signed then to the sous prefecture to hopefully get my licence upgraded to what I had before this all started.
Bureaucracy..........................what bureaucracy!
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Post by Elkay on Oct 16, 2013 14:21:14 GMT 1
You could do the licence in Pontivy if that is more convenient - you don't have to do it in Lorient
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Post by Elkay on Oct 16, 2013 14:29:24 GMT 1
By the way, John, talking of French red tape - we had to get a doctor to certify that we were healthy enough to get married (we married here in 2007) in case we were planning to have babies - and you KNOW how old we are  |
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Post by meldrew on Oct 21, 2013 15:18:01 GMT 1
Elkay, I knew about this point and that is why we decided to get married in Jersey - 3 days residence for one of the couple only and no red tape!!!!
Plus a much nicer wedding ceremony than in the entry hall of our local Maire, overseen by our Communist Mayor, with people passing through the room to complain that their bins had not been emptied!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love life in France but not this bit!!
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Post by Elkay on Oct 21, 2013 16:08:07 GMT 1
Elkay, I knew about this point and that is why we decided to get married in Jersey - 3 days residence for one of the couple only and no red tape!!!! Plus a much nicer wedding ceremony than in the entry hall of our local Maire, overseen by our Communist Mayor, with people passing through the room to complain that their bins had not been emptied!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love life in France but not this bit!! It wasn't like that for us, Meldrew, we were very lucky. We had loads of friends and family who attended and the Mayor made a joke in English, which he then translated into French so our French friends would understand too (he had rehearsed it well as he doesn't speak English) before he began the ceremony. It was held in a room away from the office where people go for queries and yellow sacks etc and there weren't any interruptions. |
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Post by Ali on Oct 21, 2013 20:41:55 GMT 1
Tape red = France! Jobs for ....... people .... grrrrrrr too
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Post by JohnP on Nov 30, 2013 21:56:47 GMT 1
UPDATE Headed for Lorient last week(third time in the driving licence saga) for an appointment with the approved cardiologist at 10.00. Finally got seen at 10.45 then another 20mins for the secretary to type the report but passed OK. Then to the Doctor with the report so he can sign the form for the prefecture. 20min wait to see the doctor so mad dash to the prefecture which has just closed at 12.00 And yes you guessed it, they don't process driving licences in the afternoons so off to Lorient AGAIN next Wednesday and assuming everything will be ok then it will be 93€ in fees and 280Km of driving to exchange my licence  |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2013 19:10:33 GMT 1
What a complete pain.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2013 22:26:31 GMT 1
We didn't bother having a medical as neither of wants our hgv license now.Both of ours were done in Carhaix.Mine came back in a few days,when oh didnt arrive within a week of that I went to the marie and asked if they could find out for me what was going on .Lo and behold next day oh license arrived.
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Post by JohnP on Dec 3, 2013 8:16:11 GMT 1
I have held my driving licence for 44 years. As such, apart from the PCV and LGV groups to the licence which I have no use for here, my standard licence also has many extras which a basic French licence does not offer. For example: 7.5 ton vehicle as opposed to 3.5 ton, unlimited trailer, 16 seat minibus, tractor etc. I was concerned that if I should ever be forced to return to the UK and change my licence back to a UK one, I want to be able to at least have a full car licence that gives me the entitlements I came here with.  OOOh...................just made 1000 posts.  Only took me nearly 4 years! |
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