Converting an Australian Driver Licence in France

France exchanges Australian car and motorcycle licences, categories B and A, without a test. You can drive on your Australian licence for one year after settling in France, then must exchange it. The exchange needs the original licence and a translation by a translator sworn before a French court. A NAATI translation made in Australia is not enough.

Key takeaways

• France's list of countries whose licences can be exchanged, updated 1 May 2026, includes Australia, for categories A and B.
• An Australian licence is recognised in France for one year after you acquire normal residence there. An international driving permit does not extend that year.
• The exchange needs a translation by a translator sworn before a French court, unless the licence is written entirely in French.
• If you are not an Australian citizen, you may need to prove you lived in Australia for at least six months around the date you got the licence.
• France's licensing agency, ANTS, asks for original documents, because it checks that the licence is genuine.

Can you exchange an Australian licence in France?

Yes, for cars and motorcycles. France exchanges foreign licences only with countries that practise reciprocal exchange. The French foreign ministry's list of those countries, updated on 1 May 2026, shows Australia with categories A and B exchangeable: motorcycle and car. Heavier categories are not on the list for Australia, so a truck or bus licence would need French tests.

ANTS adds two points. Reciprocity is assessed on the day your application is examined, not the day you file it, so the list could change while you wait. And the categories must originally have been obtained by theory and practical examination and must still be current, not suspended.

How long can you drive on your Australian licence?

ANTS says a licence from a country outside the European Union and European Economic Area is recognised for driving in France until one year after you acquire normal residence in France. That date is the start of validity of your first residence permit, other than a student one. After the year, the licence is no longer recognised, and ANTS says presenting an international driving permit does not restart it.

During that year, ANTS says the licence must be valid, issued by the country where you had your normal residence, not suspended, and either written in French or accompanied by an official French translation, legalised or apostilled, or by an international driving permit. For most Australians, carrying an international driving permit with the licence is the simpler way to meet that condition while the exchange is processed.

ANTS also advises applying for the exchange as soon as your first residence permit is issued. It warns that processing takes more than three months, and that an application is pointless if your residence permit expires within that time, because a French licence cannot be issued without a valid permit.

Why is a NAATI translation not enough?

This is the point that catches Australians out, because an Australian licence is in English and a NAATI translation carries weight at home. For the exchange itself, ANTS says a translation of the licence by a translator sworn before a French court (traducteur assermenté auprès d'une juridiction française) is among the documents needed, and must always be provided unless the licence is written only in French. A NAATI translation, or a translation notarised in Australia, is not a sworn French court translation. ANTS points to the list of sworn translators kept by the Paris Court of Appeal.

That makes a notary unnecessary here. Paying for a notarised translation in Australia would not meet the French rule. The translation is best arranged in France, once you know which office will handle your file.

What if you are not an Australian citizen?

This matters for many migrants who learned to drive, or converted a licence, in Australia. ANTS says a condition of exchange is that you had your normal residence in the country that issued the licence before settling in France, and that normal residence is presumed if you hold that country's nationality. Normal residence means living somewhere for at least 185 days a calendar year.

So an Australian citizen with an Australian licence is presumed to have lived in Australia. Someone with, for example, a Nepali or Indian passport and an Australian licence may need to prove it. ANTS says that without a certificate from the relevant consulate, you must provide evidence that you lived in the country for at least six months including the date you obtained your driving rights, such as electricity, gas or phone bills, rent receipts, school records or transcripts, an employment contract or payslips. Australian international movement records from Home Affairs can also show your time in Australia.

Your situation	Normal residence in Australia	What to prepare
Australian citizen, Australian licence	Presumed	No extra residence evidence usually needed
Non-Australian passport, Australian licence	Must be shown	Evidence of at least six months in Australia, including the date you got the licence
Licence obtained during a short visit to Australia	Unlikely to be met	Ask ANTS before applying

Why does ANTS ask for originals?

ANTS explains that, before exchanging a licence, the authority checks that it is genuine and that the driving rights on it are real, and that this check requires original documents. When your file has been examined, the office asks you to send the original Australian licence. In return it issues a secure deposit certificate, the attestation de dépôt sécurisée, valid for four months and downloadable from your ANTS account, which lets you drive while the French licence is produced. ANTS says the certificate cannot be extended once it expires.

Because the original leaves your hands, keep a colour copy of both sides, and do not plan to use the Australian card for visits home while the exchange is under way.

Do you need a notary or an apostille?

Not for the exchange. ANTS asks for originals, a French sworn translation and, where relevant, residence evidence. A notarised copy of the licence would not replace the original, and a notarised translation made in Australia would not replace the French sworn one. ANTS does mention an apostilled or legalised official translation as one way to meet the conditions for driving during your first year, but an international driving permit meets the same condition more simply.

A move to France may involve other documents that do need a notary or an apostille, for example for a long-stay visa, marriage or property. Only DFAT issues apostilles in Australia; an apostille confirms the signature and seal on a document, never its contents. France's status is shown on the HCCH status table, and our guides to apostilles for France and French visa documents cover documents that do need one.

How do you exchange an Australian licence in France?

1. Check your licence is valid and was obtained by test in Australia; expired cards are not exchanged.
2. Get an international driving permit in Australia before you leave, to drive during your first year.
3. Gather residence evidence for Australia if you are not an Australian citizen.
4. Apply as soon as your first residence permit is issued, following ANTS's instructions for a non-European licence.
5. Arrange a translation by a translator sworn before a French court.
6. Send the original licence when asked, and keep the secure deposit certificate with you while you drive.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Waiting until the year is nearly up. Processing takes months, and an international permit does not extend the year.
• Paying for a NAATI or notarised translation in Australia for the exchange.
• Letting the Australian licence expire. France does not exchange expired cards.
• Forgetting residence evidence if your passport is not Australian.
• Applying with a residence permit about to expire. ANTS says the application will be rejected.
• Expecting heavy categories to transfer. Only A and B are on the list for Australia.

Here is an illustration, not a real case.

A chef who grew up in India, moved to Melbourne, and got a Victorian licence eight years ago takes a job in Lyon. Before leaving, she gets an international driving permit and gathers old lease agreements and payslips from the months around the date she got her licence, because her passport is Indian and residence in Australia is not presumed. When her first residence permit is issued, she applies for the exchange straight away, arranges a translation by a translator sworn before a French court, and sends her original licence when the office asks. She drives on the secure deposit certificate until the French licence arrives.

In short

France exchanges Australian licences for categories A and B without a test. You can drive on your Australian licence for one year from your first non-student residence permit, and an international permit does not extend that. Apply as soon as the permit is issued, with the original licence and a translation by a translator sworn before a French court. If you are not an Australian citizen, bring evidence of at least six months' residence in Australia around your licence date. No notary is needed. Our guide to driver licences and notaries covers other uses of an Australian licence overseas, and our document translation page explains how translation works for Australian authorities.

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