Change driving school with ease
License File Transfer
Wishing to switch driving schools mid-course? File transfer allows you to recover your validated driving hours and certifications and have them recognised by your new driving school. Since the Hamon law (loi n°2014-344), driving schools must return your training file and logbook free of charge within 7 days. Your NEPH number (Préfectoral Harmonised Registration Number), recorded with ANTS, belongs to you personally and remains valid indefinitely. If your old school refuses, you can refer the matter to the DGCCRF or to Service Public to enforce your rights. The transfer entails no loss of progress: passed code, driving hours already completed and assessed skills are recognised by the new school.
The essentials
Transferring a French driving school file is the procedure to change schools mid-training, regulated by the Hamon law (since 2014). The candidate is entitled to recover their NEPH file within 7 days at no cost. Already-paid hours (driving, code) are reimbursed by the original school in proportion to remaining services. Procedure entirely online via ANTS, no fee. Useful in case of dissatisfaction, geographical move or expensive prices.
How it works
01
Request from old school
Request your training file and the return of your logbook.
02
New school enrolment
Bring your complete file. Your NEPH number is reused.
03
Continuation assessment
The new driving school assesses your level to adapt the remainder of your training.
What's included
- Recovery of your training file (logbook, certificates)
- NEPH transfer to the new driving school via the ANTS procedure
- Driving assessment at the new school to resume training
- Return within 7 days from the old school (Hamon law)
Prerequisites
- Be enrolled at a driving school
- Have your NEPH number (visible on your logbook or via your ANTS account)
- No minimum seniority required at the old school
Frequently asked questions
Can I always change driving school mid-course?
Yes, there is no obligation to stay at the same driving school. Your NEPH file belongs to you personally and can be transferred at any time, with no need to justify your decision. No exclusivity clause can be imposed by the school.
Can my old driving school refuse to return my file?
No. Under the Hamon law (loi n°2014-344 of 17 March 2014), driving schools are legally obliged to return your training file on simple written request, within 7 days, free of charge. If they refuse, you can report the practice to the DGCCRF, file a complaint with the prefecture, or refer to the Tribunal administratif.
Are my completed driving hours transferred?
Hours validated in your logbook are recognised by the new driving school. However, a skills assessment at the new school is generally carried out to evaluate your actual level, regardless of the number of hours recorded. This assessment may suggest a few additional refresher hours.
Does my passed highway code remain valid after a transfer?
Yes, with no condition. Once the General Theory Test (ETG) is passed at an approved operator (La Poste, Objectif Code SGS, Pointcode), your code is valid for 5 years. You can transfer your file without losing your code, provided you take the practical exam within this period.
Can the transfer be refused by the new driving school?
A driving school can indeed refuse a registration, but this remains rare. Common reasons: full books, geographic area not covered, or disagreement on the skills assessment. In this case, you can turn to another school: DevisPermis connects you with several partner driving schools within 48h.
How much does a file transfer cost?
The transfer itself is free (the old school cannot bill the return). You remain liable for hours already consumed and the share of training already paid. Some schools offer a pro-rata refund if training is not completed. Check your initial contract on this point.
Which financial aids remain valid after transfer?
The Permis 1€/jour, the CPF (Mon Compte Formation), France Travail aid and regional grants remain valid because they are linked to the candidate, not the school. You will simply need to renew the agreement with your new school for the Permis 1€/jour. The CPF balance is unlocked at the new school if it is Datadock/Qualiopi referenced.
Does the transfer affect my exam slot on RdvPermis?
No. Practical exam slots are allocated via the RdvPermis platform (or by your driving school, which manages the queue). When transferring, your new school inherits your turn in the queue based on your eligibility date, but the slot itself is nominative and stays attached to your NEPH file.
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What is a license file transfer?
A license file transfer is the official procedure that lets a candidate change driving school mid-training while keeping all prior progress. The transfer of license file covers the NEPH number, the passed highway code, validated driving hours and the training booklet. Since the Hamon Act (Law 2014-344), the original school must return the educational file within 7 days, free of charge, on simple written request. No exclusivity clause can be imposed: the NEPH belongs personally to the candidate and stays valid without time limit, which makes the license file transfer a right, not a favour.
Why change driving school?
Reasons for a driving school transfer are varied and require no justification. Candidates most often request a license file transfer after a move to another city, when their teaching pace no longer matches, after repeated cancellations of driving lessons, when partner instructors change too often, or when transparency on prices and on the management of practical exam slots is missing. A change of driving school can also be triggered by a desire to access intensive training that the original school does not offer, or by quality of service issues observed during the first weeks. In all these cases, the transfer of license file is open without condition.
Procedures in 48h
Through DevisPermis, the operational part of the license file transfer takes 48h to be set up: connection with a Qualiopi partner driving school, written request template sent to the original school, ANTS pickup of the NEPH, then schedule for the continuation assessment. Administratively, the original school has up to 7 days to return the file, but the new school can already prepare its onboarding in parallel. The official ANTS migration relies on the NEPH number, the leaving certificate issued by the previous school, and confirmation of the candidate's identity. End-to-end, count 1 to 2 weeks to fully resume training, with zero impact on the existing practical exam slot.
Required documents
To prepare a license file transfer in good conditions, gather the training booklet, the certificate of attendance issued by the original school, proof of NEPH (visible on the logbook or on the ANTS account), a valid ID, proof of address less than 3 months old, and any certificate of passing the highway code (ETG) if already validated. If financial aid (CPF, Permis 1€/jour, France Travail, regional grants) is mobilised, the related decisions should be kept on hand: these aids remain attached to the candidate and follow the transfer of license file. Driving hours already paid and not consumed must be refunded pro rata by the original school, so the initial contract should be kept ready for verification.
Transfer price (regulated)
The transfer of license file is strictly regulated under the Hamon Act: the original school cannot bill the return of the educational file or the issuance of the leaving certificate, both being free of charge. The new school can apply administrative registration fees, the level of which varies depending on the establishment. Through our partner driving school network, the license file transfer is included in the standard onboarding package, with no markup linked to the procedure itself. The candidate then only pays for the hours of training actually completed in the new school, plus any administrative fees announced transparently in the quote. To compare offers without committing, DevisPermis collects free, no-commitment quotes from local Qualiopi partner driving schools.
Your rights as a candidate
The license file transfer protects several fundamental rights: free return of the file within 7 days, recognition of previously validated driving hours, conservation of the highway code passed at La Poste, Objectif Code SGS or Pointcode (valid for 5 years), preservation of the practical exam slot through the national RdvPermis queue, and pro-rata refund of unused hours. If the previous school refuses to comply, the case can be referred to the DGCCRF, a complaint can be filed with the prefecture, or the Tribunal administratif can be seized. In short, the transfer of license file is a right of the candidate, not a commercial favour from the school, and DevisPermis frames the entire process with its Qualiopi partner network to secure each step.
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