Registering a French Car without Docs

[Manda]

Hi ,

We have bought a left hand drive fiesta in england with French plates on it but all we have is a bill of sale from the supplier. Its come from ebay and was a damaged repairable. All ligit.

We are very confused on how to make this car legal.

We would like to drive it to France and leave it at our house for when we visit.

Is the best way to register it in England first and get all the paperwork then re-register it in France or try and get it registered in France.

Is it possible to do any of the work over the internet.

Hears hoping

Amanda

[sid]

Surely you have some form of Registration document? The normal advice is never to buy a vehicle without proof of ownership; a reg. document at least shows who the last owner is/was.

This is the first document you're going to need for 'immatriculation'. The fact that it has French plates means, I think (!), that it won't have an English document.

My first step would be to contact the vendor.

Perhaps the vehicle has been written off?

Sounds like a load of hassle to me; why make work and difficulties for yourself. I'd advise buying a fully documented car over here, or bringing a similarly fully-documented UK car and re-registering it.

You can't do any of this process by internet.

Sid

[Sunday Driver]

Sid is quite right.  The prime document is the registration certificate (certificat d'immatriculation or carte grise) and you should have been given this when you bought the car.  Without it, you have bought a large metal sculpture with rubber bits underneath which will block your driveway for evermore.

Please say you have one.

[Jc]

Sounds as tho' you will have to register it in England-after all you bought it there and have an English receipt,test and tax it there and then consider transferring it to France;where did the accident damage happen?If it was a French car,written off in the UK,then the French authorities and insurance companies should have been informed-maybe they were and this could cause problems when you re-import it to France.

[derf]

If the damage was serious and it occurred in France the Gendarmes can confiscate the Carte Grise until the repair and a certified inspection are carried out, then you have to re-apply at the prefecture for the return of the Carte Grise.

It may be possible to forget the French registration apply for registration  in the UK then go through the routine of certificate of conformity etc. to re-register it in France it may cost, UK Mot & road tax  then a certificate of conformity for France, french control technique and registry cost. Even then it may be on a computer somewhere, as a write off under the chassis number.

[Anton Redman]

When I was moving the Peugeot from the Haute Vienne to the Gironde the lady in front of me in the queue was explaining she could not supply a Carte Gris because the C.G. had been flambeed in the vechile and they were now trying to re register it as they had had it rebuilt and resprayed.

Contact the people who sold you the car and get them to sign an attestation  that the C.G. has been eaten by a goat spontaniously combusted or is simply cannot be found. I would strongly recommend not registering the car in the UK first.