Price, validity, rules
CACES validity: working out the end date
Enter the date you obtained your CACES and the date of your medical certificate: the tool gives both expiry dates and the date to book a refresher.
Independent site, not linked to the French Health Insurance (Assurance Maladie), the INRS, testing bodies or training centres.
CACES expiry
14 March 2027
in 139 days
| Book the refresher by | 14 December 2026 |
| Medical certificate ends | 20 November 2030 |
| Authorisation to review | 14 March 2027 |
The CACES expires before the medical certificate: you must retake the test to keep the authorisation.
A CACES is valid for 5 years for R489 forklifts, R485 pedestrian stackers, R486 aerial lifts and R490 lorry loader cranes, and 10 years for R482 construction machinery. The period runs from the date obtained, meaning the date the second of the two tests, theory or practical, was passed, not the date of the course. The CACES expires on the anniversary: obtained on 14 March 2022 under R489, it is valid until 14 March 2027. To keep operating, both tests must be taken again before that date, after a refresher course. A second deadline matters just as much: the certificate of no medical contraindication, issued by the occupational health service, is valid for 5 years under article R4323-56 of the Labour Code as worded since 1 October 2025. A fitness opinion issued before that date stands in for it for 5 years from its issue. The employer can only authorise operation while both are valid.
Can my employer authorise me to operate?
Authorisation
Not as things stand
| CACES | valid (5 years) |
| Medical certificate | expired: occupational health visit |
| Issued by | the employer, in writing |
Questions, explanations and calculations by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
Periods, recommendation by recommendation
| Recommendation | Machines | CACES validity | Former recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| R489 | Ride-on industrial trucks | 5 years | R.389 |
| R485 | Pedestrian stackers | 5 years | none |
| R482 | Construction machinery | 10 years | R.372m |
| R486 | Aerial lifts | 5 years | R.386 |
| R490 | Lorry loader cranes | 5 years (practical up to 10 years under conditions) | R.390 |
Three worked cases
- Fail then pass: theory passed on 10 June, practical failed then passed on 2 September. The CACES is obtained on 2 September; it expires five years later, on a 2 September.
- New category: a driver holding category 3 adds category 5 within the following year, without retaking the theory. Category 5 expires on the same date as category 3.
- 29 February: a CACES obtained on 29 February expires on 28 February of the expiry year if it is not a leap year.
Until when is my CACES valid?
Expiry
2027
| Valid for | 5 years |
| Refresher | before the 2027 anniversary |
Exact date: same day and month as when it was obtained.
The medical certificate
Since 1 October 2025, Labour Code article R4323-56 requires a certificate of no medical contraindication, valid for 5 years, instead of the former fitness examination; on the same date, the order of 26 September 2025 replaced the 1998 order on operator training. The tool adds it to the calculation: the operating authorisation holds until the nearer of the two deadlines. Refresher steps are on the CACES refresher page, and the employer’s role on the operating authorisation page.