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Car insurance in France with a foreign licence

American, British, Canadian or anywhere else — and living in France. You do not need to exchange your licence to be insured. Cover from 1 to 90 days, certificate by e-mail in minutes.

My short-term insurance →My vehicle paperwork →

✅ No licence exchange needed✅ No claims record required✅ 1 to 90 days✅ English-speaking adviser

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Short answer : you do not need to exchange your licence to be insured. A licence from the European Union is accepted with no extra condition. A licence from outside the EU — American, British, Canadian, Australian, South African, and every other — is accepted with a valid French residence permit or a passport carrying entry stamps. Two years of driving experience, ages 21 to 90, certificate by e-mail in minutes.

The rule that overrides everything else. The cover applies in France. Abroad, the countries covered are those listed and not crossed out on the green card issued to you when you take out the policy. Check it before you travel: that document is what counts, not a general list.

The confusion that costs people months

Exchanging a licence and being insured are two different things, handled by two different bodies, and one does not wait for the other. People assume they must first swap their licence for a French one before any insurer will look at them. That is not how this contract works.

	Exchanging your licence	Getting insured with us
Who decides	The French administration, through ANTS	The insurer, on the contract conditions
How long	Often several months	Minutes
Depends on	Bilateral agreements, which vary by country and, for the United States, by state	Your licence being valid, plus a residence permit or a stamped passport
Needed to drive legally	Within the deadline that applies to you	No — the two are independent
Needed to be insured here	No	—

In practice this means you can be covered while your exchange application is still sitting at ANTS, and you can be covered even if no exchange is possible for you at all.

Where each nationality actually stands

The rules below concern the exchange, which is a French administrative matter and changes over time — always check the current position with the French consulate or ANTS. Our insurance conditions, on the right-hand side, do not change with your nationality.

You hold	Exchange in France	Insured with us
A licence from an EU or EEA country	Not required — it stays valid	Yes, no extra condition
A British licence	Since Brexit this is a non-EU licence. Specific arrangements apply to residents.	Yes, with a residence permit or stamped passport
A United States licence	Agreements are signed state by state, not nationally. Many states have none, and their holders cannot exchange at all.	Yes, with a residence permit or stamped passport
A Canadian licence	Agreements vary by province; Quebec has its own long-standing arrangement.	Yes, with a residence permit or stamped passport
A licence from anywhere else	Depends on whether an agreement exists with that country.	Yes, with a residence permit or stamped passport

The American case is the one worth spelling out. Because reciprocity is negotiated state by state, a driver from a state without an agreement cannot exchange at all — the only route to a French licence is sitting the French test, in French. Meanwhile that same driver can be insured on this contract today.

Why the big French insurers say no and we say yes

It is rarely personal. A French annual motor policy is priced on your relevé d'information, the claims record your previous French insurer issues. If you have never been insured in France, that document does not exist, and a lot of underwriting systems simply stop there — or quote a price that reflects the unknown rather than the risk.

Short-term cover does not work that way. No relevé d'information is required, and drivers whose previous policy was cancelled are accepted too. What is checked is simple: the category of the vehicle, the country that issued its registration document, your age and your years of driving.

The situations we actually see

You have just arrived and your residence permit is still being processed. A passport with entry stamps does the job in the meantime.
You bought a car before sorting the paperwork. You need to drive it home this weekend, not in three months.
Your exchange application is pending at ANTS. You are covered throughout.
A partner or visiting family member needs to drive your car for a fortnight without being added to an annual policy.
You are moving back and need cover for the handover period before selling or exporting the car.
You brought a British car over — that is a different matter, see UK vehicles and border insurance.

Your car matters more than your passport

What decides eligibility is the country that issued the vehicle's registration document, not your nationality. France and the European Union are accepted — with one exception: Italian, Polish and Romanian registration documents are refused by the insurer. This concerns the registration document only: an Italian, Polish or Romanian driving licence is accepted like any EU licence.

A vehicle registered outside the European Union — including a car still on British plates — falls under border insurance instead: 30 or 90 days, cars and vans only. No French registration document yet? A transfer form, a temporary registration certificate or WW plates are all accepted.

What you get

Cover from 1 to 90 days across 35 European countries, third-party liability, legal defence and recourse, plus roadside assistance for cars and vans. Subscription is online 24/7, the certificate arrives by e-mail within minutes, and an adviser answers in English Monday to Saturday, 9am to 9pm. The eligibility checker gives you a reasoned answer in thirty seconds without asking for your name or phone number.

Check my situation and get covered →

Not sure your licence qualifies ? Send us a photo on WhatsApp, +33 6 49 26 74 62 — we check before you pay.

Frequently asked questions

Can I insure a car in France with an American driving licence ?

Yes. A US licence is a non-EU licence: it is accepted with a valid French residence permit, or a passport carrying entry stamps. You do not need to exchange it first, which matters because exchange agreements with France are signed state by state and many states have none.

Do I have to exchange my licence for a French one first ?

No. Exchanging is an administrative process handled by ANTS and is entirely separate from insurance. You can be insured while your exchange application is pending, or if no exchange is possible for you.

I am British and live in France. Is my licence accepted ?

Yes. Since Brexit a British licence is treated as a non-EU licence, accepted with a valid residence permit or a stamped passport. The rules on exchanging it are a separate matter and are set by the French administration.

Does a Canadian or Quebec licence work ?

Yes, on the same terms as any non-EU licence: a valid residence permit or a stamped passport. Exchange arrangements differ by province, but they have no bearing on whether you can be insured.

Do I need an International Driving Permit ?

Not for insurance. An International Driving Permit is a translation of your licence, not a licence in itself. Your original licence is the document that counts.

French insurers refused me because I have no claims record. Can you help ?

Yes. No relevé d'information is required on this contract, and drivers whose previous policy was cancelled are accepted. That is the single most common reason people reach us.

How long does it take to get the certificate ?

A few minutes, by e-mail, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week including nights, Sundays and public holidays.

Can I insure a car registered in someone else's name ?

Yes. The registration document does not need to be in your name. What matters is the designated driver: aged 21 to 90, with two years of driving experience in the category of the vehicle.