time scale

[DON]

Hi everyone apologies as this is bound to have been covered before, please point in the right direction,

Am I allowed to travel around France for however long it takes, to buy a property ie one or two years,obviously looking at different regions etc

the car would have long term overseas insurance, but am I allowed to stay in France for a long period of time 

thanks in advance  Don

[AnOther]

By my understanding there are 2 facets to this scenario.

On a personal basis there is no restriction on the length of time you can spend in any EU country as a tourist which is all you would really be after all.

Your car is another question though. If you truly intend spending a complete year or 2 in France without returning to UK at all then the legalities of your car will definately come into question. Stricktly speaking there is a 6 month maximum on the time you are allowed to keep a foreign car here before being obliged to re-register it however if you do "touch" UK fom time to time and keep it legal in terms of Tax, MOT, Insurance etc. then I'm sure you'll have no problems at all.

Incidentally I know of no UK insurer who will cover you for a complete 12 month's abroad although it's been rumoured Saga might provide such cover. Do check this out carefully.

If you don't keep the car UK legal then you will have to reregister in France after 6 month's (or when the TAX or MOT expire at which point it becomes illegal), whichever comes sooner. However, you will find this very difficult to do because you do not have a residential address in France to register it to. The authorities usually ask for your EDF bill as proof of residence.

Good luck on your hunt [:)]

[Kitty]

Don - are you a EU passport holder because, if not, the rules are different?

 

[AnOther]

Good point Cathy [;-)]

[DON]

Thanks for the replys yes I am a uk passport holder,and would be going back to UK to see family etc.I will look into registering my car in France or possibly buying a french car or similar if registration is not possible your posts are very helpful as you have all done it  thanks Don

[AnOther]

Not neccessary if you are going to be back and forth to UK regularly.

Keep your car UK legal and make sure your insurance properly covers you for prolonged trips and you''ll be fine.

Second hand cars are quite expensive compared to UK so unless you would feel happier in a LHD then there really is little point in buying one in France at this point.

Good luck with the house hunting [:)]