Foreign License in Caen

With its 109,400 inhabitants reported by INSEE, Caen is a medium-sized city located in department 14 (Normandie). Getting your Foreign License here requires understanding local road-network particularities and knowing which funding schemes are available to candidates in the department.

Caen is in 14, in a region marked by closeness to the sea, the Seine and Vire estuaries and wide farmland. Main local axes include the A13, A28 and A29, linking Paris to Le Havre, Caen and Cherbourg. Access to the ports of Le Havre, Cherbourg, Caen-Ouistreham or Dieppe generates heavy truck traffic towards the UK and Ireland. In Caen, a medium-sized town, driving combines commercial centre, ring roads and business zones. Roundabouts are frequent and access to supermarkets or retail parks creates many intersections to master.

The average waiting time observed in department 14 for the practical Foreign License exam is around 63 days (national average). The Prefecture of Caen coordinates session scheduling via the licence-and-road-safety inspectors.

In parallel, the highway code theoretical test (ETG) can be taken with several state-approved operators. La Poste, one of the most widespread, offers an official search tool allowing candidates to book a session close to home.

The 1st-attempt B licence pass rate is 55.1% in department 14 according to data published by the ONISR. This rate is lower than the national average of 58.0%, which reflects the demanding exam conditions often observed in dense urban areas. For the Foreign License, the actual result also depends on the training plan and the assigned exam centre.

For administrative procedures linked to the Foreign License, candidates in Caen deal mainly with the Prefecture of Caen and with the ANTS portal for digital requests. Expected processing times depend on the department workload; keep all original documents on hand and anticipate the validity of your health check-ups when required.