Caravans

[fish4information]

Is there any truth in the rumour that British caravans are difficulat to register in France? Is it compulsory to register a caravan and has anyone encourntered any real problems with importing and using a British caravan?

[Quillan]

Yes - Thats the simple answer as all caravans are braked and anything braked needs to be tested and have its own plate.

Yes - They require their own numberplate which is different to the one on the car and is unique to the caravan.

Some have been OK and others not, it would seem that the age of the van has something to do with it because of the chassis not having EU/French conformity documents (its so old nobody can get them anymore). If you tow it with a UK (legal) plated car you should not have a problem.

This subject has come up many times over the years and you might try a search in this section using the words Caravan Registering there are around 3 or 4 pages of posts on the subject.

Personally I would flog yours back in the UK and buy one in France or if you want a new one you can buy them in Germany, collect it and register it in France. They will provide all the paperwork for it and registering will be quite simple. You will be supprised how cheap some of the new ones are there(and they are better quality). If you want more details I can give you some website address's.

[Jonzjob]

We had a caravan in the U.K. and the simple answer for us, we sold it before we moved. It can be a nightmare, as Quillan has said, and we did not want to do it. The other thing is that we live near Carcassonne and there id SO much to see here that the van would not be used for a few years and would fall into disrepear, so it's not worth it. You have to think that when you move over such a lot that you would use the van for is so close that you can go for a weekend and stay at an auberge for nearly the price of the van at a site, especially when you take into account the cost and agro of registering it here in the first place...

We will be buying a van here and, after reading about the German vans, may well look that way too. That's in the future though as ther is still loads to see within a daze ride of here or a night in an auberge.

Good luck with whatever you decide... It's lovely living here, especially retired!

[Sunday Driver]

As Will says, all imported road vehicles (including caravans) need to be type approved for use in France before they can be registered here.  UK caravans must undergo a single vehicle approval inspection for which you'll need to obtain conformity certificates for the braking system and towing hitch from the caravan manufacturer.  The van will need to be inspected by the DRIRE (French equivalent of the UK vehicle inspectorate) to make sure everything matches the paperwork.  In addition, you'll need a separate independent inspection of the gas and electricity installations for compliance with French regulations on risks of asphyxiation and electrocution.

Whilst these tests are reasonably straightforward, they are time consuming and expensive, so it's often a better idea to sell your van in the UK and buy a French/German one when you get over here.

Continental vans are generally of higher quality and the equipment levels reflect life camping in summertime Europe.  They tend to prefer things like larger capacity fridges and decent showers, even external shower attachments and barbeque gas points.  It's also quite unusual to find a van with a traditional english oven!!

 

 

[Jonzjob]

[quote user="Sunday Driver"]

 

Continental vans are generally of higher quality and the equipment levels reflect life camping in summertime Europe.  They tend to prefer things like larger capacity fridges and decent showers, even external shower attachments and barbeque gas points.  It's also quite unusual to find a van with a traditional english oven!!

 

 

[/quote]

Or carpets normaly. In the U.K. they are a good idea, but over here a lino type floor is a big advantage. Easier to keep clean and who wants a carpet when it's already roasting. Lots of vans have removable carpets, so if you go away in winter time they are handy.

[absolut]

My experience will answer your question.

I left the UK in 2002 with my 'Top of the Range' English caravan.

D.R.I.R.E  (French vehicle inspectorate) would not accept it and after lots of  form filling, I had to:-

Provide full details of relevant European Specifications (from the manufacturer)

Arrange a visit to my French Home by the French equivalent of British Standards to examine the caravan and check that all equipment was safe and conformed to their requirements.

Had to take it to a Coach Builders, who prepared a technical drawing of the chassis, complete with all required dimensions and  stress calculations.

Had to take it to a Weighbridge so that I could provide Gross weights and Noseweights.

Had to return to DRIRE for them to re-inspect, re-measure and verify that the info I had provided was correct.

All this took about 3 months and cost a lot of money.

I would advise you not to try it!

[Sunday Driver]

Absolut is right in what he says.

All road vehicles (which includes trailers and caravans) need to be type approved for use in France before they can be registered for use on the roads.  For caravans, type approval covers the chassis elements, braking systems, tow hitches etc to ensure they comply with French safety standards.  Furthermore, the gas and electricity systems need to comply with French standards to avoid risks of asphyxiation and electrocution.

The problem with English caravans (and camper vans) is that the manufacturers built them essentially for the home market and rarely exported them to France or anywhere else in Europe.  That means they never obtained any series foreign type approval - so it's the current owner who has to submit them for this process.  That's why Absolut had to go through all the technical hoops himself to prove to the French vehicle inspectorate that the van was safe for use in France.

As he has demonstrated, it can be done, but one should always consider the hassle and cost before deciding to bring a UK van over to France.

 

[absolut]

Just another point of interest.

The inspector who checked my caravan at home, actually condemned it as unsafe, because, the  (I think there are 5)  gas pipes, under the sink, were not labelled, and it would be impossible to know which one to isolate should the need arise. 

He wanted me to rectify the matter and for him to make anothe visit at 180€. He eventually agreed that we do the job, photograph it, and personally deliver the photos to him. This I did, another 65miles round trip.

He was of course correct, but it does amaze me that a UK manufacturer can get away with marketing a caravan which the French would condemn as unsafe.

[Sunday Driver]

Safety cut-off valves are one thing they are very hot on.  We were fortunate in that our German Hymer camping car has all the cut-off valves marked with a pictogram of the fridge, boiler, hob, etc.  The only problem we had was with our older German 50mBar regulators - we had to change them for new 37mBar ones (8 euros each from our Brico). 

The inspector told us to replace them, take a digital photograph, then e-mail the picture to him.  Once he received it, he signed the report and posted it off to us.

The whole episode meant a two hour round trip to Poitiers and back plus a 215 euro bill for the report.  That said, I've absolutely no complaints because it's a critical safety check - as Absolut has already pointed out.

 

[P]

A slightly different question. We have a van that was bought new in late 2004 (complies with the european standard for a fixed gas regulator). Hopefully, we will soon own a French property but will not be moving over permanently for a year or two.

Any opinions on the legality of, whilst towing with a legal UK registered car, submitting the van for registration in France (if any problems can sell the van in Uk before we leave the UK) and if registered it will obviously get its French papers and registration plate. However, continue to tow with the UK cars registration plate (as per UK requirements). Then, when we do come to France permanently, and naturally register the cars, place the French registration plate on the van.

Paul

[Sunday Driver]

Paul

No problems with the scenario you suggest.  However, the van will still need to go through the SVA/gas test inspection route as outlined above.

 

[P]

SD

Thanks for the answer to this question - yes I do realise it would need to go through the whole thing - thought it easier to do whilst easily able to sell it in the UK if it proves too much of a problem.

Thanks for your other answers as well.

Regards

Paul