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Hi, I have a friend who has bought a French Peugeot Expert van for the purpose of converting it to a camper van.  I understand the change of use process which she'll have to go through but the problem is the conversion company is English and can only fit UK 3 pin sockets (C-Line CPE) these are a modular design and I would assume the UK 3 pin part of the socket would be interchangable with a French 2 pin + earth part.  Does anyone know if this is the case? Failing this could anyone reccoment a manufacturer of suitable sockets? Thanks a bunch Neil.

I agree but it's not the value once registered it's the fact that I can buy a UK one for £1000 and spend £500 importing and registering or I can buy a French one for double. In fact the last one we bought cost us 1500€ imported 5 years ago and we recently sold it for 1400€ so in the long term it is worth it.

Thanks for the advice!! Actually we did this 5 years ago and it was relatively straight forward. The problem now is that Suzuki aren't passing on the technical info. In fact we paid £1000 for the car and a comparable French one would cost 3500€ so it will be worth it once we've jumped through the required hoops.

We are starting the process to import our Japanese built uk registered Suzuki SJ413. We wrote to Suzuki France who said we need to pay then 76€ for a certificate of non-conformity. We sent the cheque and they sent ONLY a letter saying it doesn't conform as French cars were made in Spain and ours was made in Japan. We've spoken to the DREAL/DRIRE who asked us to complete form RT101.2 (tech details of the car). Has anyone completed form RT101.2 without knowledge of the technical details of their car?

Hi, I'm wondering what, if any, restrictions there are importing a beach buggy. I know that beach buggies, or kit cars, are no longer permitted to be built in France since the change of regulations (though I don't know the date the regulations changed). I have seen buggies in France and would like to import mine, if my understanding is correct I can import one but it has to satisfy certain regulations. Does anyone know/understand these regulations?

HI, I have a Suzuki SJ413 with 6 months CT REMAINING. I can't seem to find out what length of CT a car must have to be sold. I've read that the CT must be dated no more than 6 months but I'm not sure if this means remaining or 6 months ago (so 18 months remaining). Does this really matter as long as the buyer is aware of the amount of MOT on the car? Regards and thanks in advance.

I ought to say I used to work in IT in a major high street bank and, on their system at least, there is/was a field in the system called the CNP (card holder not present) field. This was always set to 100%. What it meant was that if the card holder was not present when the transaction took place (i.e. internet, phone, etc.) the retailer was 100% liable for any chargeback. If I get into difficulties charging something back I ask what this field is set to and this usually let's them know I know what I'm talking about. Obviously I don't know if other banks use the same terminology. Obviously 2. IF you start to chargeback loads of transactions the bank will no longer believe you.

Thanks for the link, it helped a lot. I think overall we may be better using our UK card for international purchases and our French CC for French purchases Thanks to all those you comented.

Johnnyboy, That's exactly what we do except we use HSBC as we used to work for them and the took over CCF so we get free transfers between £'s and €'s. However, if we use the HSBC CC we are charged a conversion fee. I would like to use our Credit Agricole account for 'iffy' purchases in France though.

Hi, Can anyone help. I know French CC's are not the same as UK ones (more debit than credit cards) but I'm wondering if the same rules apply regarding charge backs. I.E. If I buy goods or services which aren't satisfactory how/can I charge the transaction back to the retailer? Similarly does French Paypal have the same dispute rules as the UK? At the moment we still use an English CC for purchases which we feel could result in a charge back (from U.S. or China) as we know the UK rules.

Firstly thanks to everyone who contributed to this post. I know it's a while ago since I started it but we now have our English caravan FULLY immatriculated in France. We did this by applying to the F.F.V.E. (Federation Francais de Vehicule Epoque) for a cetificate to use instead of the Certificate Of Conformite. We sent them EVERY document we have about the caravan, they sent the certificate which we took to the Prefectaire, paid the 71.50€ and a few weeks later we received the Carte Grise. I estimate we saved 1500€ over buying a fully French caravan. Obviously if we sell it we would have to swap the sockets and, probably, accept less for it as the door is on the wrong side. There are plenty of old caravans in the UK which could be imported into France but they must be old enough. Result!!

Hi, We have bought (although I believe it's actually rented for a one off fee) the white satellite/ADSL TV decoder box from orange - the one which cost 50€. It worked fine until before Christmas when all the indicator lights on the front ceased to work. Now all that happens when it's switched on at the back is that the power light flashes once. N.B. This is not the 'LIVEBOX' for internet access. Can anyone shed any light on what's happened? We've been through the orange.fr help screen but they leave us at the Orange Chat screen and then nothing. It's such a faff calling out Orange and dealing with them so I'd like to get as much info as possible before calling them. Personally I think the box is dead and needs replacing.

Re: insurance companies you're absolutely right. French companies are worse that those in the UK - unless it's just because English is my first language and I can argue better using it. We towed our's back using the French car and put the car's plate on the back. We could have used the WW provisional system but that only lasts for 3 weeks and can only be renewed once. We will use that system when we have to have it inspected. I agree with you about the UK and large trailers needing an MOT and V5c. The sequence of E_Mails re: insurance was: Ins Co. - send the CG Me - It's a UK caravan and they don't have CG's but we intend to import it. Ins co. - please send the make, year and weight Me - I sent a scan of the tech spec Ins Co. - replied with the cost and asked for the Id no of the caravan. The ins Co. then sent the insurance documents. It may be relevant that we have the tow car, a 4x4, old motorbike and 3 old cars insured with them. If anyone is interested the broker is SM3A.

PErhaps I didn't say in the OP but I do have insurance with the same company as the tow car (Generali) who are covering the 'van using the chassis number. I have a seperate vignette (although I don't know where to display it) so I am legal from that point of view. The company ARE aware that it is a UK 'van.

Firstly thanks to ALL those who have replied it always amazes me that people will take the time to help a total stranger. There's alot to think about here and I was aware the difficulties of importing but it's relief to know it can and has been done. I have made copies of various posts which contain specific information which I will refer to later. It seems to me the main problem will be the CoC as the 'van was made in 1989 and we are waiting the CoC from Alko but they are having some difficulty in tracking it down. Is it possible to import the 'van without it? In a similar way to the old SVA test in the UK.

We're English and have lived in France for 6 years. We've just bought an English caravan and are about to start the importing process (we've imported 6 cars and are ok with the red tape). We will be using the caravan (weight 800kg) with the towing car's plaque and have insured it using the caravan chassis number (we are aware of the WW provisional plaque system but this doesn't work for us as we're still waiting for UK technical papers) SO now to my questions 1.- throughout France you see motor homes parked at the side of the road and in Aires but not so often caravans. Why is this? Is it because there are different regulations for caravans? Or is it because motor home owners are more adventurous and happy to spend a night at the side of the road and most people with caravans prefer to go to recognised sites? We wouldn't be wild camping in in aires de chainages but there are often very large lay-bys with toilets & cafes. 2 - In many villages & towns the mayor provides facilities for motor homes to stay one or two nights, does anyone know if these areas are open to caravans. Finally - if anyone reading this has successfully imported a UK caravan into France would they please get in touch as it'd be nice to have a contact whose done it. Thanks a bunch.

Firstly thanks for reading this. I have read the 'sticky' entitled "FAQ - Importing and registering your UK car to France" by Sunday Driver and I am well versed in importing UK cars into France (currently 4) and Historic Cars (currently 7) but I now have the chance to get my hands on a rather nice Toyota Hilux Surf currently registered in the UK. Importing Japanese/grey cars was outside the scope of Sunday Driver's post but it was mentioned that it was more involved and costly. Has anyone out there ever successfully imported one of these cars or does anyone know the process? I expect I will have to book an appt. with the DRIRE and get them to inspect the car but when I've done this previously I had the Partial CoC from Suzuki. If there is no Coc how does the DRIRE know what norms to check for. Any help, VERY, gratefully received

I'm talking about trailers with a Carte Grise and would like to know how insurance works. I do not have a car trailer (to carry a car) but I could borrow one. I do not know any of the following: 1. Does the trailer need it's own insurance policy? 2. If no to 1. above do I need to be the owner of the trailer to be insured on my cars policy? 3. If I borrow a trailer will I need to insure it separately? 4. Can I borrow a UK trailer (i.e. no CG) and tow it with a French registered car? 5. If yes to 4. above what no. plates do I display? I'd appreciate it if some one could clarify it all for me. Thank in advance.

Does anyone know the legal situation with using an 'A' Frame in France? I have heard so many conflicting stories, some people seem to use them with impunity while others tell horror stories about the Gendarmes refusing to allow them to continue. I ought to say that the car(s) I will be towing will be less than 750Kg (MG Midget, Hillman Imp, Mini)so there ought not to be weight issues, I will use a trailer board, and the car(s) will be MOT'd or CT'd. The main reason for towing is to save on petrol and the comfort of a modern car. If this is completely legal etc. can anyone recommend a manufacturer?

Wow!.  You certainly need to jump through alot of hoops.  I think it'll be far easier to buy a trailer in the UK and get the manufacturer to supply a Cert of Conformity. As this trailer was home built we don't have any of the info on the max capacity of the axles etc. Thanks to all who responded.

Thanks, I tried that link but I don't think it's valid any longer.  I've replied to SD'd post asking if he/she knows the new location.  Any other ideas?

Cher SD, I have another post relating to a self buld trailer which pointed me to your post referring the original 'poster' to a DRIRE but I think the link is no longer valid.  Do you know the new location?

Does anyone out there know how easy/difficult it is to register a home built trailer in France? I have just bought a trailer in the UK and used it to transport a car to France and now, if possible, I'd like to get it registered in France.

Well it all seems very complicated much more so than importing UK cars but as Glacier1 wrote it seems strange that in the EU we are all one happy family. As this car is my brother's the way forward may be to write to Toyota and ask them when certificate they'd be willing to provide, try to get a french tech spec for a Toyota Hilux and see if I can determine what needs changing. The advantage for us is that we have access to the car before buying. Alternatively..............just drive on UK plates.............but that's a whole other can of worms. Anyway thanks to all those who replied you've all given me alot to think about, I suppose the puzzling thing is why does the UK government allow Japanese cars into the EU (at least the UK bit of it).

Hi, I have quite alot of experience of importing original UK cars into France but none of importing cars originally sold in Japan and subsequently imported into the UK into France. I.E. The Toyota Surf. Can anyone forewarn me of any problems I might expect?