John Doe

Hi Many thanks for your help again. The guy in the prefecture wasn't able to register the car as he told us it was already registered in France With the original owner. We don't have the carte Gris - we used the uk v5 document. When I bought the car I found the cert de cession forms and an attestation form - all still blank. So I'm guessing this must have a large part to play in the confusion! I have spoken with the original owners daughter and she is happy to help in any way. They also have the original french plates which they could send with the cert de cession if we thought it would help - they have looked for the carte grise but cannot find it. The v5 states in special notes that it was registered overseas. I have spoken to the dvla and they say all they can do is issue Another v5. The previous owners live very close and I trust there's nothing dodgy going on. I've just got to get this next bit right first time! Thank you again for everyone's advice

Many thanks for the response - unfortunately it simply is possible as I have already tried to register the car at the local prefecture. All documents were in order but the guy dealing with case informed us he was unable to issue the carte gris as the car was still registered in France to the original owner. I shall persue the Cert de Cession with the original owners daughter and see how I go - currently I cant see any other way to proceed that wont incur a potential French paper work nightmare. With regards to the Spanish car and the certificate of conformity - does anyone have any recommendations where to get one cheap and quick? might one from the UK surffice? (depending on the prefecture and their levels of pedanticism) or do I need to go to Renault in France? Many thanks again!

Many thanks for all your help! and while I'm here - just on the off chance - might you know the best route to go down if you have bought a car from the uk (now registered in the uk but exported from France a year after manufacture) which turns out to be still registered to the original owner in France?! The original owner was British and gave the car to his daughter in the UK a year after buying it - she then sold it to someone else in the UK and then I bought it off her and then found out it had never been de registered in France. The original owner died some years ago. I thought perhaps it would be worth filling in the cert de cession from when the car was given to his daughter? She could sign for herself and as him and use the original dates maybe? would that be enough for the prefecture to de register it from France? or is there an simpler way? I was also a bit concerned about tax issues as the car was transferred to his daughter only a year after purchase from new? - does tax apply if it was a gift? A bit of a convoluted story and a testing one! I could see it getting heavily bogged down in paper work if the prefecture was told the original (and current, according to their records) owner is dead. Any suggestions would be warmly welcomed! Cheers!

Hello, I have just joined the forum and all due to this great thread which I have read a couple of times. I am also in the same boat - about to buy a Spanish car (from an owner in the UK) which is still registered in Spain with Spanish plates etc. I am going to take the car straight to France and re register it there (Brittany) - I have residency there. So, I know I ought to be able to glean everything I need to do from such a thorough thread but I just want to make sure that from a buyers point of view I've got it straight - I hope you'll humour me?! 1, Download a Certificate de Cession and get the seller to complete it - addresses etc as on his Spanish documents. (fill in as per your previous suggestions) 2, Create an invoice/reciept in English, signed/dated by each party. 3, Get the Ficha Technica from the owner(similar to Carte Gris)and Permis de Circulacion (basic car information and owners details) - Would the car normally come with a certificado de conformidad? or will I just need to get a certificate of conformity from France? and the Spanish side of things must be taken care of by the seller. Once in France with the car: Get Certificate of Conformity, Control Technique (if ness). Visit  my local prefecture with: Certificate of Conformity, Control Technique, Certificate de Cession, Ficha Technica, Permis de Circulacion, a French utility bill (in my name) and my passport. And then with any luck secure a Carte Gris?! Many thanks for your help!