Even though it may seem like a trivial document, the international driving permit will be required if you want to rent a vehicle during a trip or if you're stopped by the police while driving abroad (mainly outside the European Union).
We’re going to break down and explain the steps you need to follow to apply for this document and get it in time for your trip.
To apply for and obtain your international driver's license, you must already have your national driver's license (in this case, French). And as you can imagine, we're not here to help you get that… Sorry.
Let's focus on the international driver's license. The application process itself isn’t too long, but be warned, the processing time is END-LESS! Yes, really! Out of two applications we made for an international license, we only received one, and the other… we're still waiting for it...
So, it's absolutely crucial to apply well in advance if you want to have a chance to go on vacation with it!
Regarding the process, you first need to submit a pre-application online on the ANTS website (after creating an account in your name).
The following supporting documents will be required:
Once the online pre-application is completed, you should receive an email with your "International Driving Permit Application Receipt." This document must be printed and sent by postal mail (yes, they apparently haven’t switched to digital yet) to the ANTS within two months of receipt (otherwise, your application might be rejected).
The postal address is provided directly in the email, but just in case, here it is again:
Yes, don’t be surprised by the address. We were also puzzled by it for a long time because it’s quite unusual, but it’s the correct one.
In this letter, don’t forget to include:
Then, you just have to wait for the ANTS to process your request and send you your international driving permit. Easy and quick, just like sending a letter in the mail.
Yes, it sounds easy, but we do want to warn you that ANTS is overwhelmed (like all public services in France…), and it can be really difficult, if not impossible, to reach them.
Since November 2020, it seems they’ve updated their service and now have a phone number available for contact (though I haven’t tried it). I only know that before it was IMPOSSIBLE to reach them—neither by phone nor by email. Only by postal mail, which was quite frustrating.
So, we strongly recommend that you start at least three months in advance and be very careful not to make any mistakes in the information you provide and send. Even a small error could delay or even cancel the processing of your application.
In a word: it's a NIGHTMARE.
For a bit of history and personal feedback, I sent my application by mail on July 1, 2018. On the same day, I realized I had made a mistake in my application... Oops... A simple typo in my street number. A very small error, but it caused me quite a bit of stress.
Once I realized it, I immediately tried to reach ANTS by all possible means for a full two weeks, every day. To no avail!
In the end, I learned that the only way to contact them (at the time) was to send a letter by mail… What a hassle (or how to waste two weeks fixing a mistake that could be resolved in less than 5 minutes).
Anyway! I had to send them a registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt (to ensure they received it). In this letter, I included all the initial elements of my file again, along with a handwritten letter explaining my mistake and asking them to consider my request for a change when processing my file.
I never heard back from them… I actually thought I would never receive my international driving permit… I thought it was a lost cause… And yet! I received it in my mailbox on August 20, 2018. So more than a month and a half after my request.
So, my story ends well, but as I mentioned earlier, Simon wasn’t as lucky… He sent his application almost a month before me, without errors, and yet he never received it (even to this day)…
The moral of the story is that if you have any doubts, it's best to send a registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt. I genuinely believe this is what saved me and made my application process faster than usual.
Of course, when you travel, be sure to bring both your French and international driver's licenses to avoid any issues!
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If you don’t have time to apply for an international driving permit in France or don’t receive it before your departure abroad, there is a solution!
To still drive legally, you just need to have your French driving license translated by a lawyer practicing in the country. This process, unlike with the ANTS, is not time-consuming (it can be done in about an hour), but it does come with a small cost: we paid 50 NZD (New Zealand dollars), which is about 28€.
The legitimate question here is: why go through the hassle of handling these procedures in France?
Simply because, although it's longer, it's free (only the cost of mailing), and the ANTS issues an "international" permit, which is valid worldwide, whereas a locally translated permit is paid and only valid in the country of issuance.
How about we chat?