France Code de la Route Study Guide 2026

How to get a car licence in France

In France the car licence is called the permis B. You can hold it from 17. There are several ways to learn, and they differ mainly in the age you start and how much you drive with a family member before the practical test.

In accompanied learning, the accompanying person must have held a B licence for at least 5 years and must not have lost a licence in the last 5 years. Two meetings with the driving school (rendez-vous pédagogiques) are compulsory. A sticker or magnetic sign goes at the rear left of the car.

What you need before you book

• A NEPH number, which is your driving licence file number from France Titres (ANTS). A driving school can request it for you.
• Proof of identity, proof of address and a photo with digital signature.
• If you are under 21, the school road safety certificate (ASSR) or the adult version (ASR).
• If you are not an EU citizen, proof that you live in France legally.

The theory test (code de la route)

The car theory test is the general theory test (épreuve théorique générale, ETG). It is taken on a tablet or computer at an approved exam centre. Centres are run by approved companies such as La Poste, SGS, Dekra, Pearson Vue and Bureau Veritas.

• 40 multiple-choice questions, drawn at random from an official bank of more than 1,000 questions.
• You pass with 35 or more correct answers. That means 5 mistakes at most.
• Each attempt costs €30. If you fail, you pay again.
• A pass is valid for 5 years. You can take the practical test as many times as you need in that time.
• You can sit the test from 16, or from 15 in accompanied learning.

Many questions show a photo or video of a real road situation. Since the question bank was renewed in September 2023, the vehicles you must think about are outlined in yellow, some photos are taken from drones, and some questions ask you to see the scene as a pedestrian, cyclist or truck driver would. When a question has more than one correct answer, the screen tells you.

The practical test and the probationary licence

First-time candidates need at least 20 hours of practical training, including at least 15 hours on public roads (13 hours for an automatic-only licence). The practical test lasts 32 minutes, with at least 25 minutes of driving. You pass with 20 points or more and no eliminatory error.

Your first years: the probationary licence (permis probatoire)

Your first licence starts with 6 points out of a maximum of 12. You gain points each year if you commit no offence that costs points. You must display the 'A' sign at the rear of your car for the whole probation.

An optional one-day course (formation complémentaire), taken between the 6th and 12th month after you pass, shortens probation: to 2 years on the traditional route, or 18 months after AAC.

• Lose 3 points or more in one offence and you must take a road safety awareness course.
• Lose all 6 points and your licence becomes invalid. You wait 6 months, pass a medical check and take the exams again.
• The alcohol limit is 0.2 g/l of blood and speed limits are lower (see the next chapter).

Speed limits

France has general limits that apply unless signs say otherwise. They drop in rain and are lower for new drivers. Town limits start at the town name sign and end at the crossed-out town sign.

• When visibility is under 50 metres, the limit is 50 km/h on every road, motorways included.
• On a motorway, the left-hand lane has a minimum speed of 80 km/h when traffic flows freely and the weather is good.
• Learners in accompanied driving follow the same lower limits as probationary drivers.
• Many towns use 30 km/h zones. In a shared zone (zone de rencontre) the limit is 20 km/h and pedestrians have priority.

Priority, roundabouts and vulnerable road users

The basic French rule is priority to the right (priorité à droite): at a junction with no signs or signals, you give way to traffic coming from your right. Signs change this rule, so look for them as you approach every junction.

At a roundabout (carrefour à sens giratoire), drivers entering give way to traffic already on the ring, which comes from the left. A give way sign at the entry, often with the words 'Vous n'avez pas la priorité', reminds you.

Pedestrians and cyclists

• Give way to pedestrians who are crossing or clearly about to cross. Failing to give way to a pedestrian costs 6 points.
• When you overtake a cyclist, leave at least 1 metre in a built-up area and 1.5 metres outside built-up areas.

Alcohol, drugs, phones and points

The legal alcohol limit is 0.5 g/l of blood (0.25 mg/l of breath). For probationary drivers, learners in accompanied driving and drivers who must use an alcohol interlock, it is 0.2 g/l. From 0.8 g/l drink-driving is a criminal offence (délit). Refusing a test is also a délit. You do not have to carry a breathalyser in your car.

Holding a phone while driving is banned. So is wearing earphones, an earpiece or a headset, even for hands-free calls.

Getting points back

• A single lost point comes back after 6 months without a new offence.
• All points come back after 2 years without an offence, or 3 years after a délit or a serious offence.
• A voluntary awareness course gives back up to 4 points, once a year, up to the 12-point maximum.

Equipment, children, documents and foreign licences

• Keep a high-visibility vest within reach inside the car, and put it on before you get out after a breakdown.
• Carry an approved warning triangle. Place it at least 30 metres behind a stopped car that is a danger, and switch on your hazard lights, unless that would put you in danger.
• In listed mountain communes, from 1 November to 31 March, you need winter tyres or must carry snow chains or snow socks.
• Children under 10 must use an approved child seat or booster. They ride in the back, except in limited cases such as a rear-facing seat with the front airbag switched off. The driver is fined if a child is not properly restrained.
• At a roadside check, show your licence and the vehicle's registration certificate (carte grise). Since April 2024 you no longer need to show insurance papers, because police check a national database.

Driving on a foreign licence

A valid licence from an EU or EEA country can be used in France. You must exchange it only in certain cases, for example after an offence in France that costs points, or when it expires. A licence from outside the EU is recognised for 1 year from the start of your normal residence in France. To keep driving after that, exchange it if your country is on the exchange list, or pass the French licence.