Code de la Route: Passing the French Driving Theory Test

If you've been driving in India for years, the idea of sitting a theory test feels strange. You already know how to drive. But the French system does not care about your experience behind the wheel. It cares whether you know French road rules, and it tests that knowledge in French. This guide covers what the exam actually involves, how to prepare efficiently, and which parts of French driving logic trip up Indian drivers most often.

2026 Regulatory Update: A new decree published in April 2026 tightens exam centre organisation rules. You must now register for your ETG exam slot at least one day in advance (same-day registration is no longer possible). Anti-fraud measures at exam centres have also been strengthened. The exam content itself remains 40 questions with a 35/40 pass threshold.

Why You Cannot Just Exchange Your Indian Licence

India does not have a bilateral licence exchange agreement with France. This means you cannot swap your Indian driving licence for a French one the way someone from, say, Japan or South Korea can. Your Indian licence is valid for driving in France for one year from the date you establish normal residence. After that year, it is no longer legally recognised. You must earn a French licence from scratch.

This applies whether you hold a two-wheeler licence, a car licence, or both. There is no shortcut and no administrative workaround. The good news: the process is straightforward once you understand the two stages. Stage one is the code de la route (theory). Stage two is the conduite (practical driving exam). This guide deals with stage one.

The Exam Format: What You Are Actually Sitting

The code de la route, formally called the epreuve theorique generale (ETG), is a multiple-choice exam with 40 questions. You need at least 35 correct answers to pass. The exam lasts 30 minutes and is taken on an individual tablet at an approved exam centre.

Each question shows you a photo or short video of a driving situation and asks what the correct action or rule is. Some questions have one correct answer. Others have two or three, and the question will tell you whether multiple answers are expected. You score zero for a question if any part of your answer is wrong.

The exam is conducted entirely in French. There is no official English-language version. This is the single biggest challenge for most non-French speakers, and it is worth taking seriously. Understanding the vocabulary of road signs, vehicle components, and traffic situations in French is half the battle.

Your ETG result is valid for five years. Once you pass, you have five years to complete the practical driving exam before the theory expires.

Getting Your NEPH Number: The Administrative Prerequisite

Before you can register for the exam, you need a NEPH (numero d'enregistrement prefectoral harmonise). This is your unique candidate number in the French driving system.

You apply for it through the ANTS portal (France Titres). You'll need a valid identity document, a recent photograph, and proof of address. Processing typically takes a few days to a few weeks depending on demand.

Once you have your NEPH, you can register with any approved exam operator to book your test slot. You do not strictly need to be enrolled in a driving school to take the ETG. Independent candidates (candidats libres) can register directly.

Where and How to Book the Exam

Five approved operators administer the ETG across France: La Poste, SGS, Dekra, Pearson VUE, and Bureau Veritas. La Poste is the most widely available, with exam slots in post offices across the country.

You book online through the operator's website. Pick a date, a centre near you, and pay the fee (verify the current amount on service-public.gouv.fr, as fees may change). Remember that since April 2026, you must book at least one day in advance. Same-day walk-ins are no longer accepted.

On exam day, bring your booking confirmation and a valid identity document. Nothing else is provided or allowed. No phones, no notes, no dictionaries.

How to Prepare: The Realistic Approach

Most people who use an app or online platform daily pass the code within two to four weeks of focused preparation. If you are starting with limited French, add another two to four weeks for vocabulary acquisition. Six weeks total is a realistic window for someone who studies 30 to 45 minutes per day.

The best preparation platforms, used by the vast majority of French learners:

En Voiture Simone offers full online preparation with video explanations, practice series of 40 questions mirroring the real exam format, and a progress tracker. It also offers a full driving school package if you want to bundle code and conduite. Pricing is competitive compared to traditional auto-ecoles.

Codeclic provides both free practice series and paid unlimited access. The free tier is enough to test your level. The paid version gives you access to thousands of questions grouped by theme.

Ornikar is another online driving school with a strong app. Their code prep includes unlimited practice series and video lessons explaining each theme.

All three platforms present questions in exactly the format you'll see on exam day: a situation photo or video, a question in French, and answer options. Train on these until you consistently score 37 or above on practice tests. Passing at 35 is the minimum, but scoring just at the threshold means any one unlucky question could fail you.

The Nine Themes You Will Be Tested On

The ETG covers nine official themes. The question breakdown is not evenly distributed, but you need competence in all of them:

• Road rules and traffic circulation (right of way, speed, lane usage)
• The driver (fatigue, alcohol, drugs, vision, reaction time)
• The road (types of roads, intersections, road markings)
• Other road users (pedestrians, cyclists, motorcycles, heavy vehicles)
• Road signs and signals (the full French signage system)
• Mechanical knowledge and vehicle safety (tyres, brakes, lights)
• Taking and leaving the vehicle (parking rules, safety before exiting)
• The environment (eco-driving, noise pollution, ZFE low-emission zones)
• First aid (what to do at an accident scene, PAS: Proteger, Alerter, Secourir)

The 2026 exam includes questions about low-emission zones (ZFE) and Crit'Air vignettes. If you drive in a French city, you'll need a Crit'Air sticker on your windscreen. The code tests whether you understand which zones restrict which vehicles.

Common Traps for Indian Drivers

If you learned to drive in India, certain French rules will feel counterintuitive. These are the points that trip up experienced Indian drivers most frequently.

Priorite a droite. On roads without explicit signage, vehicles arriving from your right have priority. You yield to them. This is the opposite of the might-makes-right approach common on Indian roads. On many small residential streets in France, there is no marking at all, and you are expected to slow down at every intersection and check your right.

Roundabouts. In most roundabouts (those with "cedez le passage" signs at entry), you yield to traffic already inside the roundabout. However, some older roundabouts, particularly in Paris, apply priorite a droite to vehicles entering. The signs tell you which rule applies. Watch for them.

Speed limits vary by road type and weather. In towns (agglomeration), the limit is typically 50 km/h. On open roads outside towns, the national default is 80 km/h, though about half of French départements have restored 90 km/h on parts of their network since 2019 (always check the signs locally). On dual carriageways (voies rapides), 110 km/h. On autoroutes, 130 km/h. When it rains, all limits outside towns drop by 10 km/h on national roads and 20 km/h on autoroutes (130 to 110). The exam tests whether you know these reductions.

Alcohol limits. The legal blood alcohol limit is 0.5 g/L for standard drivers and 0.2 g/L for new drivers (those with fewer than three years of licence history). Since you'll be a new driver when you get your French licence, the stricter limit applies to you.

Following distances. The two-second rule applies on all roads. On autoroutes, the exam expects you to know that the gap between two white lane markings plus the space of one marking equals roughly two seconds at 130 km/h. This is tested visually.

Parking rules. Parking on the left side of the road is illegal except on one-way streets. This surprises drivers from India where parking norms are more flexible.

After the Code: The Practical Driving Exam (Permis B)

Once you pass the code de la route, you move to the practical phase. This means driving lessons (minimum 20 hours is the legal requirement, though most people need 25 to 35 hours in practice) followed by the permis B exam.

You can take lessons through a traditional auto-ecole or an online driving school like En Voiture Simone or Ornikar, which pair you with independent instructors. Online schools are typically less expensive per hour.

The practical exam lasts about 32 minutes. An examiner sits beside you and evaluates your driving in real traffic. You need a minimum of 20 points out of 31 to pass, with no eliminatory errors (running a red light, causing danger).

The total budget for the full process, code through permis, typically runs between 1,200 and 1,800 euros depending on how many driving hours you need and whether you choose a traditional or online school. Verify current pricing directly with the school you choose, as rates vary significantly by city.

A Note for Students: Your Indian Licence During Studies

If you are in France on a student visa and not establishing permanent residence, your Indian licence remains valid for driving in France for the duration of your studies, provided it was valid before your arrival. You do not need to take the code de la route unless you plan to stay beyond student status and establish normal residence.

Once you transition to a work visa or long-stay residence, the one-year clock starts. Plan accordingly. Many people find it easier to start studying the code during their final year of studies so they are ready when the transition happens.

The Language Barrier: Practical Strategies

The French-only nature of the exam is the real challenge for most Indians in France. A few approaches that work:

Start by learning the 200 or so key vocabulary terms specific to the code. Words like "chaussee" (road surface), "accotement" (road shoulder), "ceder le passage" (yield), "agglomeration" (built-up area), "croisement" (intersection), and "depassement" (overtaking) come up in nearly every question. Most prep apps have themed vocabulary sections.

Use the prep app in French from day one. Do not practice in English first and then switch. Your brain needs to associate the French terms directly with driving situations.

If your French is below A2, consider taking a few weeks of intensive French before starting code prep. The investment pays off because the exam vocabulary is finite and learnable, but you need basic sentence comprehension to parse the questions.

This guide was drafted from verified service-public.fr sources. Always confirm details on the official website before taking action.