Before you start

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

Step-by-step

1
Check whether your issuing state has a reciprocity agreement with France
France exchanges licences only with states it has an agreement with, and for federal countries those agreements are concluded state by state or province by province. Two Americans from neighbouring states can get entirely different answers. The list is published — read it before assuming.
OnlineWho: YouBefore the one-year window closes
2
Apply within one year of your residence permit taking effect
The exchange window runs one year from the start date of your first titre de séjour, not from the day you arrived. Miss it and the only route left is the full French test — code and practical, in French, through an auto-école — however long you have been driving.
OnlineWho: YouWithin 1 year of the permit's start date
3
Submit the exchange through ANTS
Entirely online, with a sworn translation of your licence, proof of residence, identity documents and an electronic tax stamp. Your foreign licence is surrendered when the French one is issued, which matters if you also drive in your country of origin.
OnlineWho: You
4
Order a Crit'Air sticker from the official government site
The métropole's low emission zone is in force but restricts private cars far less than Paris, Lyon or Grenoble do, and no further tightening is imminent. Get the sticker anyway — it costs a few euros from the official service and you will need it the moment you drive to another French city. Lookalike commercial sites charge many times that for the same document and rank well in search results.
OnlineWho: You
5
Think about which side of the Seine you live and work on
The river runs through the middle of the métropole and there are relatively few crossings, so a commute that has to cross at peak is a different proposition from one that does not. This is a housing decision far more than a vehicle one — and the Astuce network's tram runs under the centre and over the river, which is the reason a great many residents cross without a car at all.
In personWho: You
6
Learn the free chain ferries before you plan a weekend
Below Rouen the Seine loops through the countryside with very few bridges, and the crossings are made by free chain ferries — the bacs — which take cars, bikes and pedestrians. They are how you make a circular route out of an abbey trip or a ride to Duclair and La Bouille without doubling back. They are also occasionally suspended for river traffic or high water, so check before relying on one.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

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

Things most newcomers don’t know

Rouen's low emission zone is much softer than the ones you may have read about.

France's ZFEs vary enormously between métropoles, and Rouen sits at the permissive end for private cars — older Crit'Air classes that are already excluded in Grenoble or Paris still circulate here, with no imminent tightening announced. Nationally the framework is unresolved after an attempt to abolish the zones was struck down on constitutional grounds rather than rejected on the merits. The practical consequence is that an older car is a viable purchase here in a way it is not in the Alps — but it may not be drivable into the cities you visit.

Source: Métropole Rouen Normandie / ministère de la Transition écologique

The one-year exchange 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 find out too late that the only remaining route is the full French test through an auto-école at a cost well over a thousand euros. Diarise the date the day your permit is issued.

Source: service-public.fr

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

France concluded its licence exchange arrangements with the United States, Canada and others state by state and province by province. A licence from one American state may be exchangeable and one from the state next door not. The published list is specific, it takes five minutes to check, and it is the single most misunderstood point about French licence exchange.

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

The river, not the ring road, is what makes a commute here painful.

The Seine cuts the métropole in two with few crossings, and the bridges concentrate traffic in a way that a newcomer reading a map does not anticipate. Living on the same bank as your work is worth more than any amount of horsepower, and the tram — which runs in tunnel under the centre and across the river — is the reason many residents simply take the crossing out of the equation.

Source: Métropole Rouen Normandie

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 an older car for Rouen's permissive zone and finding it barred from other French cities.
Buying a Crit'Air sticker from an unofficial reseller at several times the price.
Taking a flat that puts a Seine crossing between you and your office at peak hours.

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