Buying a car in France without an address

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

Hello & Bonjour!

My wife and I have decided to move to France from Australia. Although we are both Australian citizens, we are both also British Citizens and passport holders (me because I was born in England, my wife because her father was English).

Our aim is to arrive in France and spend a month looking for a place to buy or rent. However, as we won't have a car, we will be renting one until we buy one. My question is, can we buy a car without an address? What are the things we need to do to own a car in France (ie insurance, road tax, mot etc?). I'm a bit out of touch with how things are done in Europe, being in Australia for the past 6 years, so sorry if my questions are a bit basic.

Thanks in advance.

Richard

[Val_2]

If you are not a french national without a permanent address in France then it can be very difficult to purchase a vehicle from a dealer or garage because of the address problem for the Carte Grise and obtaining insurance. However, I do believe you can get an attestation from your landlord if you are renting a property to the effect that the rental address would be accepted, but you will still have to keep notifying the authorities every time you move and this can get very expensive to do. I would have a word with the dealer/garage and check it out first. For insurance you will need the usual paperwork and written confirmation from your current insurers regarding the state of your no claims bonus and possible insurance history.

[Anton Redman]

My experience of this is second hand and taken from a friend who worked in Francophone Africa and found French car hire prices off the planet for a two month vacation. Provided you speak to the owner/principle of the dealer and give enough proof of who you are and where you can be contacted you will be able to purchase without a permenant address.