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FACT
FILE: Buying and selling cars
in France
See
also: Driving
in France and Monaco
For
a French registered car to be driven legally on the road, it
will need a carte grise, insurance and a vaild contrôle
technique.
The
Carte Grise - Certificat d'immatriculation- When
you own a French (registered) car you are obliged to arrange
for a new carte grise that registers the vehicle in your
name at your address at the préfecture. This procedure must
be completed within 15 days of the sale. The price of
the carte grise depends on the size of the engine.
Registration
of a new car -The
dealer from whom you bought the car from, should arrange the
issue of a new carte grise.
Registration
of a second hand / used car - (Voiture d'occasion) If
you purchase a used car from a dealer, they should issue you
with a carte grise. If you purchased it privately then the following
procedure applies: You must go to the préfecture or sous-préfecture
with the following documents.
- Cancelled
carte grise that came with the car (don't purchase one without
this- it could be a stolen vehicle!)
- Certificat
de vente - sales certificate that was given to you by the
seller.
- photocopy
of your passport.
- Proof
of address of residency - electricty - phone bill etc
- Certificat
de situation - available from the préfecture, this ensures
that the car has no outstanding legal payments with it.
Contrôle
Technique - A
car over three years old must have a
contrôle technique.This is to check that the card is road worthy.
It must be completed every two years at an authorised garage.
Check that your garage can carry out the contre-visite
(the second visit after essential repairs have been carried
out) is free. When your car passes the contrôle technique you
are given a macaron - a sticker that is displayed on
your windscreen. If you are planning to sell your car you must
have a contrôle technique completed within 6 months
of the sale.
Changes
to French registration plates from 2009 - Black on White registration
plates on French cars from 2009.
From
the 15th April 2009 the department number will no longer be
on the French registration plate. The registration plates will
no longer be black on white at the front and black on yellow
at the rear as in the UK, but black on white on the front and
rear as in Portugal, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany,
Poland and many other European countries.
From
the 15th April 2009 the département number will no longer be
on the French registration plate. The registration plates will
no longer be black on white at the front and black on yellow
at the rear as in the UK, but black on white on the front and
rear as in Portugal, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany,
Poland and many other European countries.
 They
are made up of two letters, three numbers and two letters these
are separated by hyphens(e.g. DE-354-FG) and will be allocated
to a vehicle for life unlike presently if the owner moves from
département to département. The new plates do not contain any
element that identifies where the car owner lives.The Government
claimed that this would facilitate police dealing with stolen
or suspect vehicles. There was opposition from the suppression
of department numbers (75,62,48,06 etc) on the registration
plates and there was a Government climbdown. A car owner may
add the official logo of their a French département to the their
new style plate together with the département number below it
on the right hand side of the number plate. This does not have
to be the département where the owner lives.
Second
hand cars: The new regulations apply to second hand cars
from the 15th June 2009 will get these as well when la carte
gris (registration document) is updated with a new address or
owner.
If
you are moving to France from another EU country uyou can keep
your old British, Irish, German registration plates, but you
must display where relevant Contrôle Technique. However if you
are caught by a speed camera, don't think your foreign plates
will help you.According to Transport Minister Dominique Bussereau
the British are the worst followed by the Germans. Drivers will
be tracked down to their French home address or via the home
country of the registration plate.
N.B.
This information should not be relied on for accuracy and is
presented here without the responsibility of jml Property Service
and the website it is being displayed at. ©jml property Services
07-05
See
also the experiences of an English Couple who moved to France
to the Midi-Pyrenees
region and the problems involved registering in France a second
hand Citroen AX and a Fiat Camper Van. Click
here
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You
will need Travel insurance for your holidayin the South of
France and if you are renting a car don't rent before you
take out a car rent excess policy
or
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