Car Importation Challlenges...

[Le Pop]

Some of you may know that a certificate of conformity costs a few bob to get (£70 upwards unless you are the first owner).

So I was pleased to discover that the local Prefecture may not now need the full certificate of conformity in order to 'matriculate' my cars since we moved here, as there is an EU conformity reference number on the UK V5 registration document. Yippee.

So I then went to book the first car in for it's controle technique, only to be told that before they can test it they need the full certificate of conformity! New regulation!

D'oh.

[Marcellus]

that is sooo French!!

so if my car has a controle technique do i now not need to take the certificate de conformite to the prefecture?

[Le Pop]

Marcellus said:

so if my car has a controle technique do i now not need to take the certificate de conformite to the prefecture?

'Fraid not, you do still have to go and complete the matriculation process at the prefecture to get your car French registered. I think they have simply devolved the process of checking the CoC to the CT stations, or it may be a step towards 'encouraging' British car owners to actally go through the matriculation process rather than simply getting a CT certificate every other year and never bothering to formally register in France...

I'm off to my local tax office tomorrow to get yet another form which confirms no tax outstanding on the car, prior to applying to the FFVE to get an 'attestation' so that I can get my old Ford Pop to go through a control technique and eventually registered, along with our two other 'regular' cars!

I love a lot of aspects of French life, but the bureaucracy is not one of them!!

[Le Pop]

Another challlenge (sic) was that the CT station I visited with my CoC in my hand (so to speak) were thinking about refusing it as it is in English and not French. I pointed out that it is an EEC document and in common usage across the patch, but you know how touchy they can get!!

C'est la vie.

[need45peed]

Le Pop said:

... So I then went to book the first car in for it's controle technique, only to be told that before they can test it they need the full certificate of conformity! New regulation!

I've had CT done before getting CofC or registering while the cars were still on British plates. As far as I've experienced, the CT station only need the VIN.

[IanA]

Le Pop said:

... as there is an EU conformity reference number on the UK V5 registration document.

Where is this number to be found please???
I have a kit car which a buyer wishes to register in France.
Cheers
Ian

[Le Pop]

IanA said:

I have a kit car which a buyer wishes to register in France.

Not wishing to be negative, but from all accounts it could be an uphill struggle to register a kit car in France. I'd suggest looking at the forums (total France and Anglo info) as there's lots of contributions on related matters there, but suffice to say it's a tortuous process.

I sold my personally-imported Corvette prior to emigrating to France as the importation process for grey imports is a nightmare, but its worse for kit cars by all accounts.

Sorry, but good luck...

[Marcellus]

You do very, very, very occassionally see a Catherham (or Caterham type) car on French plates, but it is very very very rarely.

I share Le Pops thoughts on this.... numerous trips to the DRIRE I suspect.....

[rdjohn]

During Easter I went to Abeville with LoT and spoke to a French guy there who was a UK kit-car enthusiast, who had already built and registered a Tiger car and was looking for a second project.

He assured me that it was possible to register kit cars in France, the problems was only pesuading a "jobsworth" to sign it off. He took his car to a plating station and was told the car was very nice and that he had to make a minor modification to the headlights and to make another appointment in 3 months.

3-months later, jobsworth gave him the name of another guy who, it turned out, was an enthusiast and he signed it off immediately.

Unfortuneately, I forgot to ask him about how he insured it afterwards, but his tale seemed completely at odds with some of the experiences described on this forum.

I know that holomogated versions of Caterhams and Westfields are available here; Licensed Caterham kits are also available and are called Martins.

[Marcellus]

rdjohn said:

...... but his tale seemed completely at odds with some of the experiences described on this forum.

But totally in line with all french red-tape.. if you have the right friends then everything is not only possible but very easy... might cost you a lunch or two!

[lowdrag]

My car was originally Danish so LHD and headlamps pointing the right way on dip. However, the UK CoC, I was advised by Mercedes UK, is not acceptable in France and I need an "attestation" from my local Merc dealer that it conforms with French law. I also emailed Merc France and they confirmed that not only do I need the attestation but then I have to pay 140€ for a French CoC before the car can be given a carte grise. Plus of course the cost of the carte grise but still, it's worth it when the cost of insurance and the road tax are concerned - £600 difference a year less here. Incidentally, this was only last month so is pretty up to date.

[rdjohn]

Marcellus said:

rdjohn said:

...... but his tale seemed completely at odds with some of the experiences described on this forum.

But totally in line with all french red-tape.. if you have the right friends then everything is not only possible but very easy... might cost you a lunch or two!

In fairness, I did not get the impression it was just a case of red tape, or knowing the right people. It was just a case of man No1 being fearful that signing off a hand-built car with no crash testing could result in negative consequences for him in the event of it crashing.

Guy No2 was just an enthusiast and could see that it had been built with a lot of TLC and the driver had the most to loose if it was involved in a crash. I am sure there were no free lunches - just the mutual respect of two petrolheads and the open mind of guy No2.

I have also seen these Martins built here so finding a sympathetic guy must be resonably common.

I imported a FIAT Barchetta from the UK in 2005 (assisted by a French friend) and I have to say, it took a month for the prefecture to do the paperwork, but apart from a morning with CT and visiting tax offices, it seemed a very simple process and certainly did not involve producing a CoC. Of course, ir was LHD, so it looked very straightforward.