Vehicle export
Discussion
Hello fellow 'Frenchies'.
So I've done the appropriate searching and have come to the conclusion that I am going to need a wealth of documents to register my UK vehicle in France.
As far as I can gather I need:
-A declaration of ownership and no tax to pay form (from local 'impost' office)
-A certificate of conformity (the reason for this post, see below)
-A CT
-Insurance
-A Carte Grise obtained by handing the previous over to the 'Prefecture'.
That will then allow me to get a number plate. Et puis voila.
Now, I own a Mitsubishi L200 and have tried to get a certificate of conformity (COC) from Mitsi UK - who have been nothing but helpful - but, they have informed me that because it is classed as a LGV/commercial vehicle (light goods vehicle) the COC doesn't exist. Instead a document called a UK Type Approval can be obtained. However, the lady I spoke to wasn't sure that this document would facilitate the re-registering of my truck in France.
Do any of you knowledgeable types know if this will work? Before I go and spend £120 getting it, finding out it wont work it would be nice to know.
The alternative is pay €250 to Mitsubishi France and get them to potentially issue the same document for twice the price - but if the documents are going to be different then I would prefer to spend as little money as possible.
Whilst I'm here, have i missed anything off my list?
Many thanks.
So I've done the appropriate searching and have come to the conclusion that I am going to need a wealth of documents to register my UK vehicle in France.
As far as I can gather I need:
-A declaration of ownership and no tax to pay form (from local 'impost' office)
-A certificate of conformity (the reason for this post, see below)
-A CT
-Insurance
-A Carte Grise obtained by handing the previous over to the 'Prefecture'.
That will then allow me to get a number plate. Et puis voila.
Now, I own a Mitsubishi L200 and have tried to get a certificate of conformity (COC) from Mitsi UK - who have been nothing but helpful - but, they have informed me that because it is classed as a LGV/commercial vehicle (light goods vehicle) the COC doesn't exist. Instead a document called a UK Type Approval can be obtained. However, the lady I spoke to wasn't sure that this document would facilitate the re-registering of my truck in France.
Do any of you knowledgeable types know if this will work? Before I go and spend £120 getting it, finding out it wont work it would be nice to know.
The alternative is pay €250 to Mitsubishi France and get them to potentially issue the same document for twice the price - but if the documents are going to be different then I would prefer to spend as little money as possible.
Whilst I'm here, have i missed anything off my list?
Many thanks.
I paid the extortionate sum that Mazda France wanted for a Certificate of Conformite (€120 from memory). I suspect that anything that isn't clearly marked as a CoC and is in French will be rejected. I don't recollect needing to produce proof of the insurance either at the Bureau des impots or the Prefecture, but things may have changed since I registered my car 3 years ago.
You also didn't mention your cheque book, as the Prefecture charges a fee for issuing a new registration. There is a table online at most Prefectures' websites as to how much they charge.
You also didn't mention your cheque book, as the Prefecture charges a fee for issuing a new registration. There is a table online at most Prefectures' websites as to how much they charge.
Thanks very much for the info. I assumed it would be a case of bending over (as usual) and taking the expensive route. Yes the French can sometimes be very fussy about certain documents...
Well done mitsubishi, you won €250.
Oh well, I'll just be heading down to pole emploi to get my chomage....
Well done mitsubishi, you won €250.
Oh well, I'll just be heading down to pole emploi to get my chomage....
BackPedal said:
Well done mitsubishi, you won €250.
Can't see Mitsu France issuing a UK Type Approval certificate, so hopefully you should at least get a usable CoC out of it. Better to pay the €250 once and get it right, than pay £120 then have to fork out the €250 anyway when the UK cert gets refused.Without wishing to cause undue alarm, is it a Jap import/grey market car? If so, I'm afraid you may still have some hoops to jump through. Let us know how you get on.
Yeah, I totally agree - €250 is better than £120 plus €250 when I need to get it again!
Luckily, it's a UK Mitsubishi, not an imported one. I was pretty careful to buy a UK one, knowing full-well that I would eventually export it. But thanks for the heads up.
Headlights are getting changed on monday (I tried, but mechanical ineptitude meant I failed), then it's waiting on the COC for the CT, then we're pretty much there! Fingers crossed...
Luckily, it's a UK Mitsubishi, not an imported one. I was pretty careful to buy a UK one, knowing full-well that I would eventually export it. But thanks for the heads up.
Headlights are getting changed on monday (I tried, but mechanical ineptitude meant I failed), then it's waiting on the COC for the CT, then we're pretty much there! Fingers crossed...
Proof of insurance is not required when registering a vehicle.
A CoC is normally obtained from the manufacturers agent or concessionaire in the country in which the vehicle was first registered as that was the market the certificate stated it conformed to.
A CoC issued by the French representative will only be partial because they cannot attest to the lights having been modified principally.
A CoC is normally obtained from the manufacturers agent or concessionaire in the country in which the vehicle was first registered as that was the market the certificate stated it conformed to.
A CoC issued by the French representative will only be partial because they cannot attest to the lights having been modified principally.
Expatloon said:
Proof of insurance is not required when registering a vehicle.
A CoC is normally obtained from the manufacturers agent or concessionaire in the country in which the vehicle was first registered as that was the market the certificate stated it conformed to.
A CoC issued by the French representative will only be partial because they cannot attest to the lights having been modified principally.
In Belgium (one of the few remaining countries still uing the COC) you have to actually take the car to be examined by the concessionaire, and they issue all the papers. A CoC is normally obtained from the manufacturers agent or concessionaire in the country in which the vehicle was first registered as that was the market the certificate stated it conformed to.
A CoC issued by the French representative will only be partial because they cannot attest to the lights having been modified principally.
P.S. I've never imported from the UK - so haven't had to deal with lights etc. - only from other European countries. Belgium wouldn't even accept a French COC - I had to get a Belgian one for a car I bought in France!
Expatloon said:
sunbeam alpine said:
In Belgium (one of the few remaining countries still using the COC)
I don't think so.We know France wants them as do DVLA in UK plus of course every new car produced for the European market comes with one.
Hi,
For cars predating the ECE COC procedure, it is sometimes possible to get a full french COC if the vehicle matches a type previously registered in France.
In case of partial compliance, additional tests will be done by DRIREs / DREALs (the dreaded "Réception à Titre Isolé" procedure).
Keep calm, all this can last a certain time, as French administration doesn't really follow this ECE directive :
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?...
Éric Masson
BackPedal said:
-A certificate of conformity (the reason for this post, see below)
In France, the simplest way to register a car previously registered abroad is a ECE COC (except for older cars that can apply for FFVE passport).For cars predating the ECE COC procedure, it is sometimes possible to get a full french COC if the vehicle matches a type previously registered in France.
In case of partial compliance, additional tests will be done by DRIREs / DREALs (the dreaded "Réception à Titre Isolé" procedure).
Keep calm, all this can last a certain time, as French administration doesn't really follow this ECE directive :
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?...
Éric Masson
What year is the car and where in France are you? The fact that different prefectures seem to adhear to different rules creates a bit of a problem with any advice given on here. We live in 16 and have registered cars with full UK COC and a Dutch one. I know people who have done it without any COC of the relevant numbers are on the V5. You might need to be a bit persistent in the Prefecture too. My first port of call would be to go to a CT station and ask if they can CT your car with the info on the V5.
Simple steps to follow though are:
Change headlights.
Get COC or V5 if okay.
Take this to your CT station and get a CT (CT's are really lenient, here any way.
Take CT, EDF bill (you are no one without an EDF bill), passport, V5 and any other important piece of paper you can think of that might help you to your local Office de Impots and get your Quittas Fiscal (French spelling isn't my best subject).
Take your COC, CT, EDF bill, passport, V5, Quittas fiscal and form called Demande de certificat d'immatriculation d'un vèhicule to your local prefecture or sous prefecture together with a cheque. You can download the last one, if you Google cerfa_13750 it's the first one you see.
Get a provisional reg number, go and get plates. Remember to take EDF bill too, they love your EDF bill here.
One thing to bare in mind though. Recently they introduced an ECO tax on importing any car under 10 years old, the newer it is the more it costs. This charge is based on your vehicles fiscal power, don't ask me how they work that out, it's complicated but not the same as your BHP. This is on top of the cost of registration which again is based on the fiscal power. For example we paid over 300€ to import a 1.9 VW T5 before the ECO tax was introduced, the tax can be more than the import costs.
I would only officially import a vehicle if I was 100% certain I was staying long term. There is a very small market for RHD cars here and exporting back to the UK is, s I have been told, harder than importing here.
Good luck.
Simple steps to follow though are:
Change headlights.
Get COC or V5 if okay.
Take this to your CT station and get a CT (CT's are really lenient, here any way.
Take CT, EDF bill (you are no one without an EDF bill), passport, V5 and any other important piece of paper you can think of that might help you to your local Office de Impots and get your Quittas Fiscal (French spelling isn't my best subject).
Take your COC, CT, EDF bill, passport, V5, Quittas fiscal and form called Demande de certificat d'immatriculation d'un vèhicule to your local prefecture or sous prefecture together with a cheque. You can download the last one, if you Google cerfa_13750 it's the first one you see.
Get a provisional reg number, go and get plates. Remember to take EDF bill too, they love your EDF bill here.
One thing to bare in mind though. Recently they introduced an ECO tax on importing any car under 10 years old, the newer it is the more it costs. This charge is based on your vehicles fiscal power, don't ask me how they work that out, it's complicated but not the same as your BHP. This is on top of the cost of registration which again is based on the fiscal power. For example we paid over 300€ to import a 1.9 VW T5 before the ECO tax was introduced, the tax can be more than the import costs.
I would only officially import a vehicle if I was 100% certain I was staying long term. There is a very small market for RHD cars here and exporting back to the UK is, s I have been told, harder than importing here.
Good luck.
sunbeam alpine said:
Expatloon said:
sunbeam alpine said:
In Belgium (one of the few remaining countries still using the COC)
I don't think so.We know France wants them as do DVLA in UK plus of course every new car produced for the European market comes with one.
Expatloon said:
sunbeam alpine said:
Expatloon said:
sunbeam alpine said:
In Belgium (one of the few remaining countries still using the COC)
I don't think so.We know France wants them as do DVLA in UK plus of course every new car produced for the European market comes with one.
emss said:
In France, the simplest way to register a car previously registered abroad is a ECE COC (except for older cars that can apply for FFVE passport).
For cars predating the ECE COC procedure, it is sometimes possible to get a full french COC if the vehicle matches a type previously registered in France.
In case of partial compliance, additional tests will be done by DRIREs / DREALs (the dreaded "Réception à Titre Isolé" procedure).
Keep calm, all this can last a certain time, as French administration doesn't really follow this ECE directive :
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?...
Éric Masson
It's a Mitsubishi L200, with equivalent models here in France so shouldn't need any further tests...!For cars predating the ECE COC procedure, it is sometimes possible to get a full french COC if the vehicle matches a type previously registered in France.
In case of partial compliance, additional tests will be done by DRIREs / DREALs (the dreaded "Réception à Titre Isolé" procedure).
Keep calm, all this can last a certain time, as French administration doesn't really follow this ECE directive :
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?...
Éric Masson
Thanks for the information, though.
crossy67 said:
What year is the car and where in France are you? The fact that different prefectures seem to adhear to different rules creates a bit of a problem with any advice given on here. We live in 16 and have registered cars with full UK COC and a Dutch one. I know people who have done it without any COC of the relevant numbers are on the V5. You might need to be a bit persistent in the Prefecture too. My first port of call would be to go to a CT station and ask if they can CT your car with the info on the V5.
Simple steps to follow though are:
Change headlights.
Get COC or V5 if okay.
Take this to your CT station and get a CT (CT's are really lenient, here any way.
Take CT, EDF bill (you are no one without an EDF bill), passport, V5 and any other important piece of paper you can think of that might help you to your local Office de Impots and get your Quittas Fiscal (French spelling isn't my best subject).
Take your COC, CT, EDF bill, passport, V5, Quittas fiscal and form called Demande de certificat d'immatriculation d'un vèhicule to your local prefecture or sous prefecture together with a cheque. You can download the last one, if you Google cerfa_13750 it's the first one you see.
Get a provisional reg number, go and get plates. Remember to take EDF bill too, they love your EDF bill here.
One thing to bare in mind though. Recently they introduced an ECO tax on importing any car under 10 years old, the newer it is the more it costs. This charge is based on your vehicles fiscal power, don't ask me how they work that out, it's complicated but not the same as your BHP. This is on top of the cost of registration which again is based on the fiscal power. For example we paid over 300€ to import a 1.9 VW T5 before the ECO tax was introduced, the tax can be more than the import costs.
I would only officially import a vehicle if I was 100% certain I was staying long term. There is a very small market for RHD cars here and exporting back to the UK is, s I have been told, harder than importing here.
Good luck.
Ah yeah, the classic EDF bill necessity syndrome.Simple steps to follow though are:
Change headlights.
Get COC or V5 if okay.
Take this to your CT station and get a CT (CT's are really lenient, here any way.
Take CT, EDF bill (you are no one without an EDF bill), passport, V5 and any other important piece of paper you can think of that might help you to your local Office de Impots and get your Quittas Fiscal (French spelling isn't my best subject).
Take your COC, CT, EDF bill, passport, V5, Quittas fiscal and form called Demande de certificat d'immatriculation d'un vèhicule to your local prefecture or sous prefecture together with a cheque. You can download the last one, if you Google cerfa_13750 it's the first one you see.
Get a provisional reg number, go and get plates. Remember to take EDF bill too, they love your EDF bill here.
One thing to bare in mind though. Recently they introduced an ECO tax on importing any car under 10 years old, the newer it is the more it costs. This charge is based on your vehicles fiscal power, don't ask me how they work that out, it's complicated but not the same as your BHP. This is on top of the cost of registration which again is based on the fiscal power. For example we paid over 300€ to import a 1.9 VW T5 before the ECO tax was introduced, the tax can be more than the import costs.
I would only officially import a vehicle if I was 100% certain I was staying long term. There is a very small market for RHD cars here and exporting back to the UK is, s I have been told, harder than importing here.
Good luck.
Thanks for the info, too.
So CT requires COC and French lights... (but not always...?!) I've got the French lights fitted.
It's a 2010 Mitsubishi L200. I am aware of this tax dodar, the puissance fiscal of my L200 is either 8 or 10 CV so not too high. I'm pretty sure it's around €300 eco tax. There is a little calculator thing I used. I guess I might just risk it without the COC. Mitsi France still haven't sent me anything to obtain (on tomorrows list of to dos). Did you managed to do yours without the COC?
Also, the COC doesn't seem to exist for a commercial vehicle. So I would be interested to see how you got on with your T5? They are in the same LGV class as the L200.
Yes, this is a long term move. I've already been here 6 years. Now I'm looking to buy somewhere and really properly move here rather than just renting.
I accept that its going to be an expensive activity but it does then mean thats it done and running a car in France is cheaper than the UK!
I had COC for both my vehicles, one being too old to have the type approval number on the V5 and the other not having a V5 being Dutch. Take your car and V5 to a CT station and ask them to check if the number they need is there. If it is you might have to argue a bit in the Prefecture but got to be worth a punt. I was told the other day that COC's were being finished as of the end of the year, as in not needed to register a vehicle. Hope so, I have my eye on a few cars I'd like that would be a nightmare to import.
So I've literally just finished doing this.
What an interesting, but pretty easy experience. After all the scare mongering on the internet I was dead worried it would be a palaver.
So I needed:
V5
Certificate of conformity
Contrôle technique
This form: https://www.formulaires.modernisation.gouv.fr/gf/c...
Quitus fiscale (available from local impots place)
Proof of residency (EDF bill)
Passport
Proof of purchase
MONEY!!
I first went to the centre des impots and got my quitus fiscale - fairly easy, and free. Took about 10 minutes for the guy to stamp a lot of forms and sign some stuff.
Then to the sous-prefecture to get the Carte Grise. This was also very easy, and a total formality. I had already prepared using this web site: http://www.carte-grise.org/importation_vehicule_an... and the help on here. They took my papers, did some stamping and signing and that was it. Literally no hassle, no stress, no nothing. Incredible. Very un-French.
I guess the process was made smoother by my preparation and pretty good French (been here a long time!). But for anyone that is scared or worried about doing it really isn't that much for a trauma.
The worst bit is the amount it cost!!!
Headlights: €300
CT: €80
Carte Grise: €480!!!!!!!
COC: €250
But now it's all done and everyone, especially my insurers are happy.
This is just a little write up to help anyone that is preparing or prevaricating to do it.
Edit, totally forgot to the COC! This doesn't exist for commercial vehicles, but it appears to be required for the type approval thingy in order to get a CT and the eventual registration document.
What an interesting, but pretty easy experience. After all the scare mongering on the internet I was dead worried it would be a palaver.
So I needed:
V5
Certificate of conformity
Contrôle technique
This form: https://www.formulaires.modernisation.gouv.fr/gf/c...
Quitus fiscale (available from local impots place)
Proof of residency (EDF bill)
Passport
Proof of purchase
MONEY!!
I first went to the centre des impots and got my quitus fiscale - fairly easy, and free. Took about 10 minutes for the guy to stamp a lot of forms and sign some stuff.
Then to the sous-prefecture to get the Carte Grise. This was also very easy, and a total formality. I had already prepared using this web site: http://www.carte-grise.org/importation_vehicule_an... and the help on here. They took my papers, did some stamping and signing and that was it. Literally no hassle, no stress, no nothing. Incredible. Very un-French.
I guess the process was made smoother by my preparation and pretty good French (been here a long time!). But for anyone that is scared or worried about doing it really isn't that much for a trauma.
The worst bit is the amount it cost!!!
Headlights: €300
CT: €80
Carte Grise: €480!!!!!!!
COC: €250
But now it's all done and everyone, especially my insurers are happy.
This is just a little write up to help anyone that is preparing or prevaricating to do it.
Edit, totally forgot to the COC! This doesn't exist for commercial vehicles, but it appears to be required for the type approval thingy in order to get a CT and the eventual registration document.
Adding those numbers up makes you realise it's just not worth importing an old banger. I'd say costs were roughly 1k€ and that's before getting your self back to the UK if you live here and driving the thing back to France.
Worth mentioning the cost of your cart grise is associated with your fiscal power, then there is a tax applied. This tax gradually decreases the older the car gets until it's zero percent when the car is 10 years old. I just paid 200€ to register my 2007 bike
Worth mentioning the cost of your cart grise is associated with your fiscal power, then there is a tax applied. This tax gradually decreases the older the car gets until it's zero percent when the car is 10 years old. I just paid 200€ to register my 2007 bike
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