Car back to UK

[The Ps]

Has anyone any experience of exporting a car to France, registering it here and then exporting back to the UK and reregistering there?   We have a car we are thinking of giving to a family member to use back in the UK that we brought with us originally.

I guess the questions are; is it do-able (I am sure it must be) and how re the export procedure here and DVLC there.

[banyuls diver]

Why don't you contact the DVLA? Unlike France, this is a "pne-stop shop". As a start to contact them, do you still have the Btitish registration number?

[AnOther]

This is a completely standard procedure so just follow the instructions in the 'sticky' at the head of the section. You may also find THIS thread of interest as the origin of the sticky.

The assumption is of course that it was properly exported in the first place, i.e. the export slip from the V5 was sent to DVLA. If it was SORN'd or just 'disappeared' then problems can arise.

PS: One point to bear in mind, whilst as far as France is concerned there is no formal export procedure you will however have to cancel the insurance which can only effectively be done if the vehicle is scrapped or exported. Speak to your insurance company on the procedures for doing this.

[The Ps]

I guess I could have asked DVLC but figured they would know nothing of the French end and that they will be a one stop shop for the other end only.   Of course, I could ask the French end as well but wanted to avoid being passed from pillar to post when life is so short and I still have the will to live.

I don't have the original plates but I know what the original registration is.    I am sure I have some documentation from this time and will have to dig it all out.   It seemed pointless keeping the old plates.    What I did notice a few months after obtaining the new carte gris was that they have put down incorrect information.   It states that the car was first registered in 1997 when it was 2000.   I think they may have confused the 'cc' of the car with the date of registration.   It didn't seem important at the time but I will see what happend at the DVLC end - fortunately they have an office in Portsmouth which is the cars' final destination so sorting issues should be less time consuming; though they have the obigatory long queues of such places as well.

The car was exported in the proper fashion and not disappeared.   I am not sure what SORN is but I am one of those types that has to do things the proper way regardless of others.   I sleep better for it. 

Thank you both for the advise.    I'd forgotten about the insurance.   I have cancelled when selling a French car before so I am sure there must be some procedure for export and will contact them.