Thank you for the very even handed, clear approach when explaining the basics that are pretty much not available from any French govt website. My spouse passed both written and in- car test because he has a pretty good comprehension of the French language. I gave up. I was on the FB Americans Driving in France site. It’s got great info and a kind support group. So glad you made the grade and passed both tests. It REALLY is an accomplishment! Congrats!
Hi thanks for your question. It depends on the location and the school. Those in bigger cities will be more pricey. In Paris I saw schools charging something like 65 euros per hour, and a little bit less in the French countryside where I finished my lessons. I think that was like 57 euros. But it will vary. The problem is that even after driving for more than 35 years, they wanted me to do 15 hours of driving lessons. Then you have to pay for the exam itself and the time for your instructor to accompany you. And if you fail you may have to wait for another test, plus the school may require you to pay for more lessons to "improve." And you'll pay again for the exam. I spent more than 1,000 euros. To be clear, I do believe in taking a few lessons if you move to France, even if you have a license that is exchangeable, because the laws are different. But I did not have a good experience, just personally. Hope that helps!
Great vlog Karen! Do you happen to know/have a list of the U.S states that can exchange their DL to the French one? Also, when applying for a French visa (long stay), do you need your birth certificate or just your passport? I've heard from others that only a passport is needed. Thanks
Hello! Here is the official list and a great place to find info in general. You can read it in French or English. I will answer your other questions in another reply! www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F1460?lang=en
For the visa, here is the page with the guidelines. It will depend on your situation what docs you need, and most US docs will need to be officially translated by un traducteur assermenté (meaning state-approved) so make sure to find one! Hope this is helpful! Thanks for watching!
Thanks so much for this video! Did you do manual or automatic? I'm still a little undecided as I didn't learn how to drive manual in the US yet so part of me is thinking maybe it's a good time to learn since I have to take lessons anyway (I have a NY driver license like you).
I think it's good to get manual if you can while you are doing the test. I do drive manual but I only did the test for "boite automatique" because my husband (a car engineer) says we will likely never have a manual car. But I kind of wish I had done both just to have it in case I want to get a vintage French car at some point :-)
Yes, it really is. You can do the written test with a translator, but as I understand it, the practical (road test) has to be done in French. Even though I was technically "fluent" before taking my test, I had to learn so many vocabulary words that I had never needed before. I'm still having nightmares about the experience of getting my permis de conduire. Thanks for watching and for leaving a comment!! :-)
Thank you for the very even handed, clear approach when explaining the basics that are pretty much not available from any French govt website.
My spouse passed both written and in- car test because he has a pretty good comprehension of the French language. I gave up. I was on the FB Americans Driving in France site. It’s got great info and a kind support group. So glad you made the grade and passed both tests. It REALLY is an accomplishment! Congrats!
Thank you and congrats to your spouse as well. Whew--not for the faint of heart !! Bonne continuation :-)
Bonjour , How much do these ecoles charge and how long is the process , thanks
Hi thanks for your question. It depends on the location and the school. Those in bigger cities will be more pricey. In Paris I saw schools charging something like 65 euros per hour, and a little bit less in the French countryside where I finished my lessons. I think that was like 57 euros. But it will vary. The problem is that even after driving for more than 35 years, they wanted me to do 15 hours of driving lessons. Then you have to pay for the exam itself and the time for your instructor to accompany you. And if you fail you may have to wait for another test, plus the school may require you to pay for more lessons to "improve." And you'll pay again for the exam. I spent more than 1,000 euros.
To be clear, I do believe in taking a few lessons if you move to France, even if you have a license that is exchangeable, because the laws are different. But I did not have a good experience, just personally. Hope that helps!
@@karenbussen good to know .. , thanks
Great vlog Karen! Do you happen to know/have a list of the U.S states that can exchange their DL to the French one? Also, when applying for a French visa (long stay), do you need your birth certificate or just your passport? I've heard from others that only a passport is needed. Thanks
Hello! Here is the official list and a great place to find info in general. You can read it in French or English. I will answer your other questions in another reply! www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F1460?lang=en
For the visa, here is the page with the guidelines. It will depend on your situation what docs you need, and most US docs will need to be officially translated by un traducteur assermenté (meaning state-approved) so make sure to find one! Hope this is helpful! Thanks for watching!
@@karenbussen Hi Karen, thanks for your reply. However, the page with the Visa guidelines is missing. Please provide me the link. Thanks
Thanks so much for this video! Did you do manual or automatic? I'm still a little undecided as I didn't learn how to drive manual in the US yet so part of me is thinking maybe it's a good time to learn since I have to take lessons anyway (I have a NY driver license like you).
I think it's good to get manual if you can while you are doing the test. I do drive manual but I only did the test for "boite automatique" because my husband (a car engineer) says we will likely never have a manual car. But I kind of wish I had done both just to have it in case I want to get a vintage French car at some point :-)
The language is a huge barrier.
Yes, it really is. You can do the written test with a translator, but as I understand it, the practical (road test) has to be done in French. Even though I was technically "fluent" before taking my test, I had to learn so many vocabulary words that I had never needed before. I'm still having nightmares about the experience of getting my permis de conduire. Thanks for watching and for leaving a comment!! :-)
@@karenbussen thank you I finally pass the code is now the driving.