Before you start

A valid residence permit and a French address
Your foreign licence, with a sworn translation if not in French
A vehicle registration document, for Crit'Air
An ANTS account for the licence exchange procedure

Step-by-step

1
Check whether your issuing state has a reciprocity agreement
France exchanges licences only with states it has an agreement with, and for federal countries the agreement is often with individual states or provinces rather than the country. Two Americans from different states can have completely different answers. Check the published list before assuming anything.
OnlineWho: YouBefore the one-year window closes
2
Apply within one year of your residence permit starting
The window for exchanging a non-EU licence runs one year from the date your first residence permit takes effect, not from arrival. Miss it and you must take the French test — code and practical — regardless of your experience. This deadline catches a large number of people.
OnlineWho: YouWithin 1 year of the permit's start date
3
Submit the exchange through ANTS
The procedure is online through the national vehicle and licence agency, with a sworn translation of your licence, proof of residence and identity documents. Your foreign licence is surrendered when the French one is issued.
OnlineWho: You
4
Order a Crit'Air sticker before you drive in the zone
Every vehicle in the low emission zone needs a windscreen sticker classifying its emissions, ordered from the official site and posted to you — which takes days, so do it before you need it. Beware unofficial sites charging several times the real fee for the same document.
OnlineWho: You
5
Check the vehicle's class against announced future restrictions
The Métropole's low emission zone restricts progressively worse classes over time on a published schedule. A car that is legal today may not be in a year or two. If you are buying, check what is announced rather than what applies now.
OnlineWho: You
6
Consider not owning a car at all
Lyon has four metro lines, two funiculars, extensive trams, a large bike-share system and a compact centre. Between that and the TGV — two hours to Paris, ninety minutes to the Alps — a great many residents run no car. The case for one here is weekend mountains, and renting for those is usually cheaper than owning.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Foreign driving licence and a sworn translation
Residence permit
Justificatif de domicile
Passport
Vehicle registration document, for the Crit'Air application

Things most newcomers don’t know

The one-year clock runs from your residence permit, not from your arrival.

The window to exchange a non-EU licence is one year from the date your first titre de séjour takes effect. People count from when they landed, or assume the deadline is generous, and discover too late that the only remaining route is the full French test — code and practical, in French, through an auto-école, at a cost of well over a thousand euros. Diarise the date the moment your permit is issued.

Source: service-public.fr

For federal countries the agreement is per state, not per country.

France's reciprocity arrangements with the United States, Canada and others are concluded state by state or province by province. A licence from one American state may be exchangeable and one from the neighbouring state not. The list is published and specific. This is the single most misunderstood point about French licence exchange and it is easily checked in five minutes.

Source: service-public.fr — échange d'un permis de conduire étranger

Buy the Crit'Air sticker from the official site and nowhere else.

The genuine sticker costs a few euros from the government service. A cluster of lookalike commercial sites charge many times that for the same document, and they rank well in search results. There is exactly one official source and it is worth taking thirty seconds to confirm you are on it.

Source: certificat-air.gouv.fr

Lyon's ZFE ratchets, so check the schedule rather than today's rule.

Low emission zones in France tighten on announced timetables, progressively excluding worse Crit'Air classes. A vehicle that is compliant when you buy it can become non-compliant within the period you expect to own it, at which point its resale value inside the zone collapses too. Buying against the announced schedule rather than the current rule is the only sensible approach.

Source: Métropole de Lyon

Common mistakes to avoid

Counting the one-year exchange window from arrival rather than from the permit's start date.
Assuming a country-level reciprocity agreement when France concludes them state by state.
Buying a Crit'Air sticker from an unofficial reseller at several times the price.
Buying a car that meets today's ZFE rule but not the announced schedule.
Owning a car in central Lyon before testing whether the metro and trams already cover your week.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.