Administrative suspension of driving license

Verified 28 May 2025 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Do you have to go through a medical check to get your driver's license back after a administrative suspension ? We will inform you about the suspension of the permit decided by the prefect, following a traffic offense or for medical reasons.

FYI  

Following a serious traffic offense, several procedures may lead to the withdrawal of a driving license: invalidation, administrative suspension, judicial suspension and judicial annulment of the permit.

Traffic Offense

When law enforcement authorities find an offense that can be punished by a administrative suspension of the driving license, they transmit a copy of the minutes the prefect (or sub-prefect). For some of these offenses, law enforcement has to conduct a pre-charge investigation retention of the driving license.

The prefect can carry out the suspension procedure after retention of driving license as a result of of infringements following:

  • Driving under the influence of alcohol or obviously intoxicated
  • Driving after drug use
  • Refusal to comply with alcohol or drug testing
  • Excess speed ⩾ at 40 km/h
  • Driving while holding a telephone in hand when the driver is at the same time committing certain traffic offenses: failure to comply with driving rules, failure to observe safety distances between vehicles, crossing and overlapping of continuous lines, failure to comply with traffic lights, failure to comply with speed rules, failure to comply with certain passing rules, failure to comply with signs requiring vehicles to stop or give way, failure to comply with the priority given to pedestrians.
  • In the event of a traffic accident resulting in the death of a person or causing bodily harm, if you are suspected of having violated the rules of use of the telephone held in hand, speed, crossing, passing, intersection or priority of passage
  • Refusal to comply.

The prefect may also take a suspension measure if he is informed by a report of an offense punishable by additional penalty suspension of the driving license. For example, any acrobatic maneuver on a lane open to public traffic, irregular crossing of a grade crossing.

The procedure varies depending on whether the permit has been held in custody or not.

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In case of prior retention of the driving license

The Prefect shall suspend the license within the following periods:

  • In the 72 hours of retention of the license
  • Or in the 120 hours in the case of an offense related to alcohol or drug use and requiring verification.

The decision is yours notified directly if you report to the department indicated in the retention notice. Otherwise, the decision will be notified to you by letter with AR: titleContent.

The administration keeps your permit for the period fixed by the prefect.

If you fail to comply with the suspension order, you may be sentenced to 2 years in prison and a fine of €4,500.

Please note

If the 72-hour or 120-hour deadline could not be met, the prefect may take a suspension measure if he is informed by a report of an offense punishable by a additional penalty suspension.

If you have kept your driving license

Upon receipt of the report of the offense, the prefect may decide to suspend your driving license.

The decision is yours notified by mail with AR: titleContent.

You must hand your permit over to the prefectural services.

If you refuse to surrender your license, you face a 2-year prison sentence and a fine of €4,500.

FYI  

In case alcohol-related offense, the prefect may also decide to restrict your right to drive to a vehicle equipped with ignition interlock device (EAD).

In general, the maximum duration of the suspension is 6 months.

It may, however, be increased to 1 year in the following cases:

The suspension decision shall take effect from the date of notification of the decision. However, if your license has been surrendered, the suspension takes effect from the beginning of the license suspension period. retention of the license.

In the event of a decision to judicial suspension it shall take place before the end of the administrative suspension period and shall automatically replace it. The two sanctions are not cumulative.

Example :

If the judge suspends the license for 12 months and the administrative suspension is 6 months, you will get your driver's license back after 12 months and not after 6 months of administrative suspension.

Warning  

The administrative suspension of the license cannot be adjusted. There is no blank permit.

In case of suspension longer than 1 month, you must pass a medical examination so you can get your driver's license back.

In addition, if the suspension is 6 months or more, you must take a psychotechnical examination before going through the medical.

You must undergo the medical examination without waiting for the end of the suspension period. It is recommended that this be done approximately 1 month before the end of the suspension period.

Medical appointment

The approach varies depending on the offense committed.

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Alcohol or drug related offense

You must make an appointment with the medical commission on the website of your prefecture.

It may also be, on a decision of the prefect, the medical commission of department where you committed the offense.

General case
Who shall I contact

Other Offense

You must speak to a city doctor approved by the prefect of your department.

This doctor should not be your doctor.

You can consult the list of accredited doctors on the websites of the prefectures. The list of accredited doctors is also available in the prefectures, sub-prefectures and in the town halls of certain municipalities.

FYI  

You can take the medical examination with a doctor registered in a department other than your residence. In this case, it is prudent to attach to your file the explanation of the use of a doctor other than that of your department of residence.

Psychotechnical examination

In case of suspension of 6 months or more, you must take a psychotechnical examination with a registered psychologist at the prefect's office.

The examination lasts at least 40 minutes. It includes a personal interviewand one or more psychotechnical tests.

The average cost of the psychotechnical examination is €100 about.

The list of registered psychologists is available on the websites of the prefectures.

General case
Who shall I contact
In Paris
Who shall I contact

Documents to be provided during the medical examination

On the day of the medical examination, prepare the following documents:

  • Cerfa Form No. 14880 pre-filled
  • Proof of identity
  • Suspension decision and letter of notification of the suspension
  • Results of biological examinations if requested in the letter of notification
  • Result of psychotechnical examination if necessary.

Conduct of the medical examination

The medical check is on your physical fitness, cognitive and sensory to drive.

Of additional examinations and advice from qualified healthcare professionals may be requested.

The medical officer may also request that you be summoned to the departmental medical committee. You then have to make an appointment on your prefecture's website.

Who shall I contact

Price of medical examination

  • Before a licensed doctor: €36
  • Before the Medical Committee: €50

The average cost of the psychotechnical examination is €100 about.

The health insurance does not cover the costs of the check, nor any additional examinations.

However, medical check-ups are free of charge for a disabled person whose recognized rate of disability is 50% or more.

Result of the medical examination

The approach varies depending on whether the opinion is favorable or unfavorable.

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If the opinion is favorable

The medical opinion is given to you.

The medical opinion has a validity of 2 years.

If the opinion is unfavorable

A decision to be unfit to drive is notified.

The letter sets out the remedies and time limits for appeal.

The approach varies depending on the offense committed.

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Suspension for alcohol or drug-related driving offense

You can only get your license back if you have been recognized fit to drive as a result of the medical examination.

The permit application is made online on the website of theANTS: titleContent.

You must attach the following documents in digital format:

Driving license: application for manufacture following suspension of the driving license

Warning  

Check if your driver's license has a validity limited to 6 months or 1 year. If this is the case, you will have to go through a medical check-up again at the end of this period.

Suspension for another offense

Gait varies with the duration of the suspension.

Suspension of 1 month or less

You get your license back to your prefecture.

Who shall I contact
Suspension greater than 1 month

You can only get your license back if you have been recognized as fit driving following the medical examination.

The permit application is made online on the website of theANTS: titleContent.

You must attach the following documents in digital format:

  • Digital photo-signature. If you do not have access to a photo and digital signature service, you are invited to fill in and mail a photo-signature form (FPS) during the teleprocedure.
  • ID
  • Proof of domicile
  • Medical Opinion Form postponed at the end of the medical examination
  • Decision to suspend the driving license.

Driving license: application for manufacture following suspension of the driving license

Warning  

Check if your driver's license has a validity limited to 6 months or 1 year. If this is the case, you will have to go through a medical check-up again at the end of this period.

The means of appeal shall be indicated on the decision to suspend the driving license.

You can make a administrative appeal with the prefect and a contentious appeal before the administrative court.

Medical Reasons

The prefect may decide to suspend the driving license if the departmental medical commission or the authorized doctor considers, after a medical examination, that you are unfit to drive.

In addition, the prefect may decide to subject you to a medical examination if he has information that would make it possible to consider that your state of health may be incompatible with the maintenance of the permit. In the light of the medical opinion, the prefect may then decide to suspend your driving license.

If you refuse to submit to the medical examination, the prefect can also decide to suspend your driving license.

The prefect will notify his decision by letter.

The letter sets out the remedies and time limits for appeal.

Not known

You have to pass a new one medical examination before you can get your driver's license back.

Who can help me?

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