Importing a second hand car from the UK

[Manon]

Having got all the necessary paperwork we went along to a local garage who will complete the registration / request for a carte grise process for you and were horrified to find that it could take three months or maybe more as this process is now being dealt with in Nantes ! I think we have temporary insurance cover for one month and the Quittus fiscal allows us one month on foreign plates - what are we supposed to do after that ? Has anyone else been through this ?

[BritinBretagne]

The process through ANTS, not Nantes, seems to be working pretty smoothly now so don’t worry until you have to. Once your application has been sent show the proof to your insurance company and they are almost bound to extend your cover if needs be. The QV is pretty irrelevant now if you’ve sent it with your application it’s served it’s purpose and you’ve done all you can.

[Manon]

I did try to process things via ANTS myself but found it extremely difficult so used a local garage who , for a small fee, do it for you. However, my understanding is that the request is then dealt with by the French equivalent of the DVLA in Nantes who also process driving licences - hence my concern ! The garage were also pessimistic. We still have all the original papers but I will ask the garage for proof that the request has been made as that seems very sensible . Thank you.

[BritinBretagne]

Most people associate Nantes with the time consuming exchange of driving licences. Be positive the online registration system has become much quicker than it was and the applications made through third parties have tended to be quicker than those made by individuals. :)