The French passenger transport licence: which one, when, and the capital behind it
A transport licence is not an exam: it is the document a company receives on the day it joins the register.
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In France, the licence de transport is issued by the regional prefect to a public road passenger transport company when it is entered on the register (Transport Code, article R3113-8). Its type depends on the vehicles. A Community licence is issued when the company runs one or more buses or coaches, meaning vehicles with more than 8 seats besides the driver; a domestic transport licence covers every other vehicle. It lasts up to 10 years and can be renewed, is made out in the company’s name, cannot be transferred, and comes with one numbered certified copy per vehicle. To obtain it, the firm needs a transport manager holding the competence certificate, good repute, and capital and reserves of €1500 per light vehicle, €9000 for the first coach and €5000 for each further coach (article R3113-31). A taxi licence is an entirely different document.
Which licence for your vehicle?
Licence issued by the regional prefect
domestic transport licence
| Certified copies, one per vehicle | 1 |
| Maximum term, renewable | 10 years |
| Occasional service allowed with this vehicle | yes |
The licence comes at the end of registration
A public passenger transport company cannot operate without being entered on the register kept by the State (article L3113-1 of the Transport Code). Entry rests on four conditions: an establishment in France, the good repute of the managers and the transport manager, financial standing and professional competence. Once the company is registered, the regional prefect issues the licence. It is a business document, not a qualification: nobody sits a transport licence; a firm earns it by meeting the conditions.
Professional competence, held by the transport manager, has its own guide: passenger transport competence. This page covers what follows: choosing the licence, the capital to set aside and the duties that come with it.
Community or domestic: the vehicle decides
Article R3113-8, in its version of 13 August 2022, provides two licences:
- the Community licence, when the company uses one or more buses or coaches;
- the domestic transport licence (licence de transport intérieur), when it uses one or more vehicles other than buses or coaches.
To place a vehicle, turn to the Highway Code. Its article R311-1 defines a bus as a public transport vehicle used to carry people and their luggage, and a public transport vehicle as one of category M2 or M3, that is with more than 8 seats besides the driver’s. A coach is a bus used for long-distance journeys. A people carrier or van with 8 passenger seats is category M1 and falls under the domestic licence; a sixteen-passenger minibus is M2 or M3 and calls for the Community licence.
The calculator at the top of the page sorts this out from the number of passenger seats, and flags when a light vehicle cannot run an occasional service.
What the licence says and what it forbids
| Rule | What it means | Text |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | the regional prefect, on entry to the register | R3113-8 |
| Term | up to 10 years, renewable | R3113-8 |
| Holder | the company, in its own name; no transfer to anyone else | R3113-8 |
| Copies | one numbered certified copy per vehicle | R3113-8 |
| Original | kept at the main establishment | R3113-8 |
| End | returned on expiry, suspension or withdrawal | R3113-8 |
| Penalty | copies may be withdrawn for a time or permanently | L3452-1 |
The link between copies and vehicles is the core of the system: each vehicle in service has its copy, and the number of vehicles also sets the capital required. Adding a vehicle means asking for one more copy and proving the financial standing that goes with it.
Financial standing, vehicle by vehicle
Article R3113-31 sets the capital and reserves the company must have each year:
| Vehicle | Capital and reserves required |
|---|---|
| Vehicle with 9 seats or fewer, driver included | €1,500 per vehicle |
| First bus or coach | €9,000 |
| Each further bus or coach | €5,000 |
Where own funds fall short, the company may provide a guarantee from a financial institution, but it cannot cover more than 50 % of the amount required (article R3113-32). On registration, the company supplies accounting, statutory or bank documents showing what is available. After that, the check happens after each financial year, on annual accounts certified by a chartered accountant, an auditor, an approved management centre or an approved accounting association (article R3113-34). Articles R3113-34-1 to R3113-34-4 arrange for tax data to reach the authorities; failing to supply it, after formal notice, can lead to suspension.
Financial standing to prove for the register
Capital and reserves required
€3,000
| Share a bank guarantee may cover, at most | €1,500 |
| Own funds to show, at least | €1,500 |
| Certified copies of the licence | 2 |
Scale: €1,500 per light vehicle, €9,000 for the first coach, €5,000 for each further coach.
A domestic licence does not open every door
The domestic licence covers light vehicles, but their use for occasional services is limited. Since 1 January 2021, article L3112-1 has required that, where an occasional journey starts and ends in the area of a single transport authority obliged to adopt a mobility plan, it runs with a vehicle that has more than 8 seats besides the driver’s. The same article subjects occasional services in light vehicles to the bans in article L3120-2: no picking up on the street without a prior booking and no waiting about for passengers.
In short, a domestic licence does not turn a people carrier into a taxi or a private hire car. It allows organised group transport, booked in advance, within those limits.
Transport licence, taxi licence, VTC register
Three documents have similar names and nothing else in common:
- the transport licence, Community or domestic, issued by the regional prefect to a company on the passenger carriers’ register;
- the taxi licence, the autorisation de stationnement (ADS), issued by the mayor or the prefect for one area and one vehicle and explained on the taxi licence page;
- the VTC register entry, for businesses running private hire cars, covered on the VTC register page.
Road haulage has its own licences, issued by the same regional prefect under similar rules (article R3211-12); they fall outside this site, which is about carrying people.
The steps, in order
- Appoint the transport manager and obtain their competence certificate, full or limited to light vehicles.
- Set up the company and gather the capital and reserves matching the planned fleet, or a financial guarantee for up to half.
- File the registration request with the regional prefect’s services, with proof of establishment, good repute and financial standing.
- Receive the licence and its certified copies, one per vehicle.
- Keep the original at the main establishment, send in the accounts each year, and ask for another copy before putting an extra vehicle into service.
All of this runs in French with the regional administration, so allow time for forms and correspondence. For the driving itself, coach drivers need a D licence and the initial qualification: see becoming a bus driver. To see whether private passenger transport would suit you better, the taxi or VTC page compares the two trades.