If you are resident here, you must register your car here

[Teamedup]

The rules are now the same for everyone and we foreigners who move here must now register our cars within a month of moving here, just like french people, who  when moving must reregister their new address for their car within a month of the move.

Ask at your prefecture, that is how it is.

 

 

[Maddie]

I hate to say this but surely most people who come to live here in France don't just do it on a whim and do reseach and prepare for as much as they can?  If you have the correct paperwork before you leave the UK and get a CT, if it's needed, as soon as you can after you arrive it's a fairly straight forward process.  I know there is a lot to think about when you do a life changing move but surely being legal on the road and having adequate insurance has got to be fairly high up the list of priorities?  I was for me I know.  It took 2 trips into town - one to the hotel d'impots for the customs/VAT form and one to the prefecture for the carte grise.  In total it could not have taken much more than 2 hours and that's including the drive to and from town twice!  Then all I had to do was arrange insurance (over the phone) and pop to my local car dealer for new plates.  Simple.  And believe me, I am the type who can make MOUNTAINS out of molehills!

 

[Ron Avery]

[quote]I hate to say this but surely most people who come to live here in France don't just do it on a whim and do reseach and prepare for as much as they can? If you have the correct paperwork before you l...[/quote]

Yes MDW it is very simple if you have a newish standard car, but it is not easy if you have an old car, a camper van or a US branded vehicle

The problem, is that you don't find out these things until you go to register your vehicle.  You cannot get the correct paperwork until you get to France in some cases and the DVLA will not export the car until you are in France and that can take up to 4 weeks to get sorted, although I was told that the customs/export office in bigger French towns will provide the export paperwork, but if the DVLA do it you will avoid any SORN or road tax liabilities in the UK. 

[opas]

It is simple to re register your vehicle, not cheap, but simple even by my franglaise standards! The question is are the french aware of the laws? we are in 66 , have lived here for 18 months and owned and visited the property for 3 years, we have the same french neighbours ,same cars, one still registered in 51 and the other in 34! Mrs O

[Teamedup]

Unless your neighbours actually are still classed as resident in another property, it happens, then perhaps only one of the cars is illegal.

There is no reason why they didn't do it, when one moves depts it is free anyway. Although with two other depts involved, then probably one of the vehicules would have to be paid for. What will it be, maximum a couple of hundred euros, where as the fine is a big one.

I just cannot imagine them not knowing about this rule. Personally I wouldn't take the risk.

Isn't the ones who damaged your wall is it? If so it would be  a pity it would be if someone told on them, wouldn't it?

[Pucette<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Pucette<FONT><P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">"Qui ne connaît pas la campagne lhiver, ne connaît pas la campagne et ne connaît pas]

In my part of 24 a lot of second hand cars are imported from Paris (ish); a lot of local people have had them for years without reregistering them. Trying to inform on them would probably be counterproductive.

[Sasha]

naturally the answer is yes and I would say a lot of us do despite some of the problems experienced.However I'm surprised to read that some people believe that everyone does it. Have a look at the number of UK reg'd cars with UK plates and no UK tax disc and I've seen a lot in my area. These cars are being driven by the same ex-pats who use a known UK address (maybe a friend or member of the family) as a legitimate address to give false information to insurance companies and then smugly driving around France as if on hoiliday whislt actually residing there.One good thing is that some insurance companies are getting wise to this and are now asking for proof of return date of the holiday. Also recently in Sarlat a UK ex-pat was brought to court for a drink driving offence. He was still driving a UK reg'd car despite the fact he had been living in France for many years and that earned him an additional €1000 fine.

Bono