Both Ukrainians and France drive on the right hand sight of the road.

Main driving rules:

• You must be at least 18 years old and have a valid driving license in order to drive a car in France.
• Drivers in France are required to have a self-test breathalyzer kit that conforms to French safety NF standards in their cars. They must also have a reflective triangle and vest in case of breakdowns or other emergencies
• All passengers in a car must wear seat belts, even in the backseat. Children under 10 must sit in the backseat unless it is impossible, as in a two-seater. Children must sit in the correct car seat until they are big enough to use a regular seat belt.
• Using headphones or earpieces while driving is illegal.
• Drivers with less than three years of experience have a lower blood alcohol limit of 0.2 grams per litre. For other drivers the limit is 0.5 grams.

Speed limits

• Motorways — 130 km/h in normal conditions, 110 km/h in rain, 50 km/h when visibility is under 50 metres.
• Dual carriageways or inner city motorways — 110 km/h in normal conditions, 100 km/h in rain, 50 km/h when visibility is under 50 metres.
• Other roads — 90 km/h in normal conditions, 80 km/h in rain, 50 km/h when visibility is under 50 metres.
• Urban/built-up areas — 50 km/h in all conditions.

Ukrainians who make it to France can receive an autorisation provisoire de séjour (APS) which means they will be allowed to stay legally for six months.

If you hold a Ukrainian driving license, you can use it to drive in France for as long as you have APS status.

You will need an official translation to show to law enforcement officers in case you are stopped.

Those who stay in France beyond three years under the APS and apply for a titre de séjour will eventually need to have a French license.

If you do not have APS status

You can drive in France on your foreign driver’s license for 12 months. However, if your license isn’t from the EU or is in a language other than French, you will need an official translation of your license or an international driving license (ITCA) to comply with French law. This is where a professional translation service such as lingoking can help.

Notably, if you plan to stay in France for more than one year, you will need to get a French driving license.

You can bring your own vehicle into France, without needing to register it, for short stays of up to six months in the country. However, if you are staying for more than six months, you will have to register your car within one month of establishing residency in France.

You can register a foreign car in France (l’immatriculation d’une voiture étrangère) online through the French government’s official website . To receive your proof of registration, you will need to complete Cerfa form 13749*05 and provide some additional documentation; for example, your ID, proof that the car has passed inspection, proof of your address, and proof that the appropriate VAT tax was paid on the vehicle. You will then need to pay the vehicle registration fee.

If you are not the owner of the car you are driving, it is useful to carry a written authorization from the actual car owner with you including substantial details, such as the license plate and the insurance number of the car in case authorities might ask for it. Further, the owner should contact the motorist insurance to cover possible damages caused by the third party.

Non-residents can drive foreign cars covered by insurance from their home country, as long as the insurance meets the French minimum requirements. You need a green card that shows that you have sufficient coverage for your vehicle.

If you are a French resident, you will need to take out car insurance in France and make sure that your car has a French number plate. Citizens from EU countries can continue to use insurance from their home countries.

To drive in certain cities, you will need to display a vehicle emissions sticker on your windscreen, known as a Crit’Air vignette. There are six categories of sticker, which are colour-coded according to how much vehicles pollute. They range from the cleanest (Crit’Air 1) for electric vehicles to the most polluting (Crit’Air 6).

Find out when you need a French clean air sticker and how to buy one here .

Whatever you do, don’t park up on a single yellow line. In France this means that both parking and stopping are forbidden, and parking will get you a fine and your car could be towed away. If the line is broken you can stop, to load or unload for example, but you cannot park. It is also forbidden to park in front of a fire hydrant, and on roads with a yellow curb. Local parking restrictions will be indicated by signs.

Parking in France isn’t always easy as the spaces are often quite tight, both when parking on the street and in parking garages. You can find the nearest public parking lots by following the signs with a large ‘P’ in blue.

Generally, you have to pay to park on city streets. You will find small machines called horodateurs nearby where you input your license plate number and the time needed. You can then pay by card, change, or telephone, and place the ticket on your dashboard (on the side closest to the street).

Street parking is often limited to a maximum of two to six hours, depending on the location and the city. However, parking in public lots is usually free at night and on Sundays. You can expect to pay between €2 and €6 per hour for parking depending on the location.

In Paris, street parking is free from 20:01 to 08:59 from Monday to Saturday and all day on Sundays and bank holidays. Otherwise, it costs approximately €6/hour in the city center and €4/hour further out.

Parking garages are often underground in cities, so look for entrances at street level or below. You can also reserve a parking spot ahead of time by using apps such as Zenpark, Onepark, and Parclick.

In France, there are 4 main types, divided in “classes”, of offences penalties. Those are valid for minor to medium offences. When it’s more serious, you will have to go to the court and the judge will determine the fine amount.

• First Class fine: €11 (no discount for quick payment – €33 for late payment): parking offences (except no payment in case of paid parking. In that case it’s the municipality that fixes the price of such offense).
• Second Class fine: €35 (€22 for quick payment – €75 for late payment): offences related to unpaid toll road, proof of insurance or turn without winker.
• Third Class fine: €68 (€45 for quick payment – €180 for late payment): speeding offences less than 20 km/h, and when max speed limit is above 50 km/h.
• Fourth Class fine: €135 (€90 for quick payment – €375 for late payment): most road offences, like driving without a seatbelt, dangerous overtaking, crossing or overlapping a continuous line, mobile phone usage while driving, etc.
• Fifth class: €200 (no discount for quick payment – €450 for late payment): speeding 50 km/h above the limit.

As you can see most driving offences in France lead to a fourth class penalty. You have 45 days to pay the standard amount. To avail the discount for quick payment, you need to pay within 15 days by cash or cheque or within 30 days online. If you were handed the ticket, you must pay within three days. It is always advised to pay online as you just have to provide the offence reference (E-payment no and key) to the system to know the exact amount to pay. It’s also easier to trace the payment when paying online. To pay, click on the link .

What is the fine for speeding in France?

• Speeding up to 20 km/h above the limit outside cities: EUR 68.
• Speeding up to 50 km/h above the limit: EUR 135.
• Speeding exceeding 50 km/h above the limit: Up to EUR 1,500 (amount will be determined by a judge), up to EUR 3,750 in case of recidivism.

In France, speeding cameras apply a tolerance margin of 5%.

Any towable vehicle (including farm trailers) with a maximum gross vehicle weight (GVW) of more than 500 kg must be registered to travel legally on French roads.

The procedure for registering a trailer is identical to registering a car. Once registered, the trailer will be issued with a French number plate.

Once the vehicle has arrived in France, you must register it and obtain a Carte Grise (Certificat d’Immatriculation) or Grey Card. The immatriculation is a vehicle's registration. The details of a vehicle's registration are carried in the Certificat d'immatriculation (Carte Grise, grey card). Foreign-registered trailers vans imported for use in France must be re-registered in France.

Registration is generally only available online , and you will need to log in with your digital national identification number. In some rare cases it may be possible to register the caravan with a local licenced assessor or the local prefecture however there are no consistent rules on this and it is important to check directly with your prefecture

Registration must be done within one month of import or four months if the vehicle requires a single vehicle approval inspection.

There are no restrictions on what you can buy and take with you when travelling within the EU provided that the bought products are for you own use and not for resale. Taxes on are already included in the retail price of the product. To determine if the products purchased are intended for your own use, customs authorities may verify the products, e.g. the packages or the quantity. In order to prove that goods are for your own use, authorities may ask to see the receipt or other proof of purchase. If you cannot provide sufficient evidence, you might have to pay duties or the products can be confiscated.

If you carry 10,000 euros or more in cash, alcohol drinks, tobacco products, fuel or other goods including perfume, certain restrictions may apply regarding the quantity and value of the products. For more information please check this site .