caravan

[vab]

We are at present struggling to register to French plates a "grey" Japanese import car. If we succeed, I have now been told that we will have to do the same with our caravan unlike the UK where we just made up a plate ourselves. Is this correct ? only helpful replies please !!!

[Sunday Driver]

Your caravan will almost certainly have a PTAC over 500kgs so it'll need to be registered in it's own right with its own registration plate.  The import/registration process for caravans is broadly the same as that for your grey import car. 

You will need to obtain a French type approval attestation from the caravan manufacturer, but given than most UK caravans were never commercially imported into France, you will probably need to get this from the original chassis manufacturer - if the van was built on an Al-Ko chassis, then you're in with a chance.  You'll need a separate certificate for the tow hitch, too.

You will also need to submit the van for a gas/electricity systems check - Bureau Veritas will do it for a couple of hundred euros. 

After you've got all the necessary certification papers together, you will have to submit the van to the DRIRE for a single vehicle approval inspection.  You may have to make some minor modifications, eg additional riding lamps/reflectors.  The DRIRE approval certificate will enable you to register the van at your prefecture.

Hope this reply has been helpful......[;-)]

 

 

[vab]

Yes! Very helpful although another nightmare to overcome....Might be easier to sell both car and caravan or am I a defeatist. We knew we would have probs with car but the van as well?  Phew !!!  It might help with the car if the main office in Paris would answer our correspondence, we have written twice but heard nothing. We will keep going at it for a while but very frustrating as we know we will have things to do to comply but until they tell us what ,we are in limbo.