Help Please. Registering an Imported Car that does not have a COC

[Tony M]

Whilst in the UK, I bought a Mitsubishi Pajero that was a LHD import from Dubai.

Since the cost of travelling back and forth by car is greater than Air Travel, I have decided to register the car as a French Vehicle and leave it here on our return trips to the UK.

I phoned the local 'MOT garage to book the car in for a test in order to register the vehicle , but they will not test it without sight of a COC.

In which order of steps do I progress to get a non EU car registered here ???

[Sunday Driver]

As always, the first step is to find out if it is possible to obtain a certificate of conformity before buying such a vehicle...[;-)]

If you are very lucky and it was originally a European spec car which the original owner exported to Dubai and which was subsequently exported to the UK, then you may have a chance.  You can verify this by checking the manufacturer's plate for the e* type approval number.  If you find it, then you can obtain an EU certificate of conformity from Mitsubishi UK.

If not, then the vehicle is likely to have been originally manufactured for commercial sale in the Middle East so it won't comply with European type approval.  That means you'll have to submit the vehicle for a DREAL single vehicle approval inspection (réception de titre isolé).  For this, the DREAL will require you to obtain a partial or non-conformity certificate (attestation d'identification) from Mitsubishi France as well as independent test reports covering emissions, braking system, sound levels, radio suppression and field of rear view vision.  These tests are carried out by UTAC who are based at Montlhery just south of Paris and will typically cost around 2,500€.

 

[Tony M]

Thanks for your comprehensive reply.

The vehicle ,as far as i am aware, was manufactured in Japan for export to the Middle East.

The vehicle was imported into the UK and has a normal Registration document, so as far as the uk is concerned it is an Approved vehicle.

Is the UK registration document of little help in this instance or do I need to consider selling the vehicle in the UK and starting again ?

maybe I should return the vehicle to the UK ,have it MOT'd each year and keep it as a UK car in France !

[Rabbie]

[quote user="Tony M"] maybe I should return the vehicle to the UK ,have it MOT'd each year and keep it as a UK car in France ![/quote]How would you insure it legally then?

[Chancer]

There was an english guy around here that successfully registered a Japanese import Pajero, twas around 2006/7, I tried to glean what i could from him at the time but as his French was not very good he really wasnt sure what was going on or being asked of him.

I dont think he had a partial COC but I may be mistaken, at the time i got my barré rouge from the DRIRE at Amiens who he was dealing with but they would not allow him to do the same and he returned several times for tests, I know he didnt have to go to Paris or pay out any money, the tests or verifications were of E numbers on seat belts, mirrors etc, at the end the vehicle type bacame part of their database and theoretically the next person could have just paid for the barré rouge like anyone else. It would appear that DREAL as it is now no longer supply/sell these, twas already a nice little earner for them, I assume now even more so if everyone has to undergo the tests even after that type of vehicle has been accepted.

It might be worth trying at your DREAL to see if they will sell you a barré rouge, if not you could at least try to see if a Pajero appears on their database.

[Sunday Driver]

This DREAL guidance note explains the process for obtaining single vehicle approval for a non-conforming imported vehicle:

Voitures particulières, camionnettes et véhicules automoteurs spécialisés importés non conformes à une réception par type nationale française ou une réception européenne