Car ownership in France by UK Resident - easy or hard?

[bazerd]

We expect to spend about 15 weeks a year in South West France and are considering keeping a LHD Car/4WD at Pau Airport. Are there any legal issues aaprt from insurance and would it better to buy one in France, Germany or England?

 

[*-)] 

[hardhat]

hi and welcome,asuming you have a french address,you can save your self a lot of bother buying in your own department becouse of the numberplate change from else where,drawback is the cost of a run about in france,its far more expensive than the uk.you shouldnt have any bother though,bon chance

[Sunday Driver]

In terms of simplicity, these are the options:

Buy a LHD car in France.  This involves a simple process whereby you apply to the local prefecture to transfer the registration into your name. Its the same process regardless of where you live or where you bought it. You'll need a registration application form, the old carte grise, the bill of sale, a "HPI" type certificate and a CT test certificate (no more than 6 months old) plus passport and a utility bill.  The registration fee depends on the age of the vehicle and its fiscal power rating.  You can use the car on the previous owner's number plates for 15 days until you re-register.  If you buy a car from outside your own departement, then they'll issue you with a new registration number and you'll need to get new plates made up. If you buy the car from a garage, they'll do all the paperwork/number plates for you.

Buy a car from another EU country (except UK).  Same process, plus you'll need evidence of type approval for use in France in the form of a certificate of conformity and take it for a new CT test.  You'll also need a VAT paid certificate which you can obtain free at your local Hotel des Impots.  As you'll probably have to surrender the original foreign number plates upon purchase/export, you'll need to apply to the prefecture for a temporary 15 day WW registration number to use the car whilst you're sorting the paperwork out. 

Bring a RHD a car over from the UK. Same criteria as for any EU manufactured car, only you'll need to obtain some right dipping headlights in order to pass the CT test. You can use the car on its UK plates for up to 6 months.

French cars generally hold their value and can be a bit expensive.  Belgium/German cars tend to be cheaper, but you've got travel/registration cost to take into account.

 

[bazerd]

Wow!

Thanks, not surprising really - nothing's simple! Look like buying from a dealer/garage locally is the simplest. We will have a look round next visit. Any idea what level of price premium we should expect versus buying a LHD in the UK?

 

 

[Sunday Driver]

Re prices, you could check out the french and english autotrader websites for a comparison.  LHD cars aren't plentiful in the UK and given that there are plenty of expats looking for cars, I understand that the LHD specialist traders hike the prices up accordingly .