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How to register your car in France
To register an imported Vehicle in France:
- Certificat de Dédouanement: Take the vehicle's original registration documents, receipt of sale, identification document (passport/birth certificate), proof of address (domestic bill) to your Centre d'Impots . You will be issued with a certificate fiscal or tax clearance form. In some instances, there are customs and tax charges payable, depending on the age or mileage of the car.
- Request an attestation de conformité (certificate of conformity) from the vehicle manufacturer or a certified representative. (This identifies that the vehicle is of a recognised type in France or in the European Union).
- If the car is more than four years old it will need to pass a côntrole technique (MOT). To check: vehicle identification, brakes, tyres, emission and noise levels, lights, steering and chassis condition. Only if it passes on all requirements, will you be given the certificate.
- Apply to the motor registration department at your Préfecture or Sous-Préfecture for a demande d'immatriculation. This initiates the process of registration. A dossier will be opened.
You will need to supply them with:
- Proof of your identity (passport or carte de séjour)
- Proof of your residence (EDF or telephone bill)
- A copy of the foreign registration certificate
- Copy of the attestation de conformité (issued by the manufacturer or their agent)
- A copy of the certificate of purchase and customs clearance certificate (issued by the Centre d'Impots)
- Côntrole technique certificate if required.
Your documents may be sent to the Service des Mines or DRIRE which verifies that your vehicle's make, year and chassis number correspond to French homologation standards, La fiche d'homologation. This process can take two or three weeks.
Providing you have provided all the necessary documentation (you can never carry enough, as there is always something they will ask you for that you may have forgotten. (Marriage certificate, divorce papers, bank statements, Auntie Mary's dental records), you will be notified when you should return to the Préfecture or Sous-Préfecture, where your registration document, the Carte Grise and new registration number will be issued. All that remains is to have new number plates made and fitted.
Registering a vehicle from a non-European Union country:
- Take the vehicle's original registration documents and receipt of sale to the Centre d'Impots. You will be issued with a fiscal certificate or tax clearance form. There are customs and Tax charges payable, depending on the age/mileage of the car. You will be issued with certificat de dédouanement 846A
- Apply to the motor registration department at your Préfecture or Sous-Préfecture for a demande d'immatriculation. This initiates the process of registration. A dossier will be opened.
You must supply them with:
- Proof of your identity (passport or carte de séjour)
- Proof of your residence (EDF or telephone bill)
- A copy of the foreign registration certificate
- Copy of the attestation de conformité (issued by the manufacturer or their agent)
- A copy of the certificate of purchase and customs clearance certificate (issued by the Centre d'Impots)
- Côntrole technique certificate if required
You will have to complete a déclaration de mise en circulation and a form for additional information about your vehicle. Your dossier will be sent to the DRIRE, which will notify you by mail when to present your vehicle for examination at the DRIRE testing centre.
If it passes the test, DRIRE will issue a statement of approval. Take this and the other documents to your Préfecture or Sous-Préfecture, which will release your Carte Grise and new registration number. All that remains is to have new number plates made and fitted.
The DRIRE
(Directions Régionales de l'Industrie, de la Recherche et de l'Environnement)
You must go in person to the Service des Mines - otherwise known as DRIRE - Premier Avenue 63/63, 06517 Carros. Tel: 04 92 08 21 90 (answering service in French).
Take with you:
- Your car
- Proof of your identity (passport or carte de sejour)
- Proof of your residence (EDF or telephone bill)
- A copy of the foreign registration certificate
- A copy of the certificate of purchase and customs clearance certificate (issued by the Centre d'Impots)
- Driving licence
- Cheque book.
Your vehicle will be inspected and verified that the make, year and chassis number correspond to French homologation standards, la fiche d'homologation. This process can take two or three weeks. If your car conforms to these standards, there will be a fee to pay, varying on the vehicle.
Note: Even if the vehicle is homogene, there are certain things that may need changing because, for example the engine you have does not have the same number as the one in the French homologation fiche, or the optics are not the same. You may, therefore, be required to have the changes made and to take your vehicle back to the Service des Mines to be re-inspected and approved. You will be permitted to drive your car in the interim.
You can ask us for an insurance quote online by clicking here.
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