Driving Papers [Subject heading edited for SHOUTING]

[RogerManley]

Earlier this year I had all my papers stolen, passport, UK driving licence etc. I am, therefore, reluctant to carry my papers with me.

As I am aware of frequent roadside checks by gendarmes I was wondering what the exact, legal situation is? What must I produce at the roadside? Will photocopies suffice? Is there a procedure for subsequent production of documents at a Gendarmarie (as in the UK).

Incidentally, I now have a French driving licence which has my permenant French address in it. This helps as a UK Passport does not have an address and, therefore, one has to carry some other proof of residence.

I explained at my Marie that I wanted a carte de sejour but they said they coud no longer issue them. I explained that the EU rling said they could not insist on folk posessing one but that they could still issue them on request. But no luck, the Marie just insists that "Paris said they mus not be issued".

[RogerManley]

I quite accept that caps. in the message body is shouting but in a title it is quit helpful and normal.

Grow up Editor!

Guess this will now be edited as being abusive and politically incorrect.

Merde!

Roger.

[Kay]

Emphasising everything by underlining, making it bold, or SHOUTING, really doesn't result in emphasising anything at all.

Grow up? Yeah. I'm nearly 50 years old and have no plans to do so - life's too much fun!

If you don't like our rules you're free to go elsewhere. Maybe you'd fit in better with the grown-ups on some other forum.

But if you want a serious answer to your question - which seemed, at least to me anyway, as a very valid problem - then please read our guidelines, join in and make the most of being part of our community. You'll be made very welcome.

This issue you mention about your stolen papers seems very serious indeed, and I hope you can get it sorted soon. It must be a real worry.

Do you have to carry all papers with you in France? Where we live it's usually acceptable to have photocopies on your person, with originals at home ready to be produced if demanded.

[RogerManley]

sorry kay, i was shooting from the hip! committed the cardinal sin of emailing and pressed "send" before reviewing my thoughts and message !!!!!!!

i accept that caps. in the body of a message amounts to shouting and that too frequent, use of some, punctuation, renders the message as -senseless.

guess i was havinga senior moment or else i was being childish and proved that i am younger than you even at 63!

The serious point of my message is that I had huge problems recovering all my papers after the theft and so I do not want to risk loosing them again.

Do you have to carry your papers? I asked a local notaire and he simply replied "Do what the gendarme tells you". Which is no accurate answers as most gendarmes tell you many things well outside their powers. Unlike police in the UK who are there to "Serve and Protect" the Gendarmarie are there to control and are unapproachable.

Joke told to me by a Frenchman. "If you need to tell a genarme anything, find one with dog, tell the dog and it will patiently explain things to the gendarme".

So come on folk, answers to my question, "D you have to carry your papers"?

Roger.