Today Alexis Goldberg of the France Buying Guide answers a reader question about life in France. If you have a question that you would like to ask Alexis, you can email her at France@overseasguidescompany.com..
Article written by The Overseas Guides Company
“My wife and I are moving to France at the end of the month and are wondering what is involved in re-registering your car. Is it a long-winded process and will it cost us a fortune?”
Before you start panicking – I must stress that re-registering your car in France is not difficult – it just involves a lot of paperwork. The process is as follows:
1 – Notify the DVLA
You need to fill in Section C of your V5 registration document and then return it by post to the DVLA. Shortly after, you will receive a Certificate of Permanent Export.
2 – Visit the French tax office
Take all of your vehicle documents and proof of ID to your local Centre des Impots (tax office) in order to get a Certificate of Acquisition to prove that the vehicle in question does in fact belong to you.
3 – Give it the once over
The next step for cars that are over four years old is to have a Controle Technique (MOT) carried out. You wont find it hard to find a garage offering this service – they tend to be in every French town. Remember that the Controle Technique is required every two years.
4 – Certificate of Conformity
It may be necessary to acquire a Certificate of Confirmity which states that that the vehicle passes EU standards. This can be easily obtained from your car manufacturer.
5 – Compile documentation
Gather all of your documents together and pay a visit to your local Prefecture. You will need to take your Certificate of Conformity, Controle Technique document, all documents required to import the car and proof of ID and your new address. On a good day, the prefecture will issue you with your new registration documents on the spot but sometimes this can take longer so be prepared to be asked to return later. Remember, you are on French time now!
6 – Finishing touches
Once everything has been processed, your vehicle will be issued with a new registration number and a temporary Carte Grise (vehicle licence). Your actual Carte Grise will arrive in the post a few weeks later. You then take your proof of registration documents and your new French registration number to a garage and they will make your new licence plates for you.
And how much does it cost?
To get the plates made will set you back just €20 (approx. £17) and all in all, you should expect to pay between €300 – 400 for the whole thing!
Anyone on the verge of buying a property in France, who will need to transfer Sterling to a euro account to pay for their purchase, should consider using Smart Currency Exchange, as they consistently offer better exchange rates than banks. For more information on this, visit the Currency Zone or download Smart’s free report here.
To understand the full step-by-step process to buying a property in France, collect The Overseas Guides Company’s ‘France Property Buying Guide’
The views and comments herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Rightmove Overseas, Rightmove Group Ltd or Rightmove Plc