Do you now have to see a doctor to continue driving after age 65? This question comes up regularly, particularly since the adoption of new European rules on driver’s licenses. In France, the answer remains no: as of September 1, 2026, no medical certificate is automatically required to retain a Class B driver’s license after age 65.
Age alone, therefore, does not trigger either a mandatory medical examination or a new driving test. For credit-card-style driver’s licenses, the license must be renewed every 15 years, but Service-Public specifies that this is a simple administrative procedure: no medical examination or driving test is required at that time under the current French system. A Category B license remains valid for life, unless there are individual restrictions.
When is a medical exam required to keep your driver’s license?
However, a medical evaluation may be required regardless of age if a health condition poses a risk of being incompatible with driving. The regulations specifically target certain medical conditions or situations that could impair a driver’s physical, cognitive, or sensory abilities.
Note that a medical examination is required if the driver’s health condition has already led to a restriction on the license’s validity period. In such cases, the examination must be conducted by a physician approved by the prefecture, who cannot be the driver’s primary care physician.
Specific rules also apply to certain professional categories and commercial driver’s licenses, for which validity and medical examinations may depend on age. These should not be confused with the Class B license used to drive a passenger car.
What the new European rules will change after age 65
A European directive adopted in October 2025 is contributing to some of the confusion. It stipulates that European Union member states may reduce the administrative validity period of driver’s licenses for drivers aged 65 and older in order to organize more frequent medical examinations, self-assessments, or refresher training. However, this is an option left to individual member states, not a European medical examination automatically required of all drivers upon turning 65.
For driver’s licenses, member states may also opt for a self-assessment of health instead of a routine medical examination at the time of renewal.
Most importantly, these new provisions do not yet apply in France. Member states must transpose the directive by November 26, 2028, and apply the main new rules starting November 26, 2029.