Re-registering French vehicle

[dantomat]

I recently bought a French registered car from a dealer in UK. He had (in his words) obtained the car from the local police pound. I have the Carte Grise which shows that the car is registered in Haute Alpes region, and that the CT is due early in May 2005. I understand that the previous owner of the car no longer lives at the address shown on the CG, and his/her current address is unknown.

Can someone please tell me what I have to do to get the car re-registered in my name, preferably in my own region (department 16). In particular,

Do I need to take the car to France to get it re-registered

Will insurance cover the car and driver in France whlst the car is still unregistered

Any help in this matter would be hugely appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Shaun

[Nick Trollope]

Hi

Dumped was it! First check that it is not stolen, or belongs to someone who wants it back.

To register it, you will need a new CT (to register, your CT needs at least 18M remaining).

Where have you purchsed insurance? If French, then it will be valid, for a limited time.

However, if you can't produce a signature from the previous owner (who needs to "cancel" the CG), then I don't know what you do. Try your local sous-prefecture? AFAIAA, you can only get the vehicle registered where you are resident (even if it is not full-time).

 

 

[Ron Avery]

Shaun

If your car is not stolen, it is already registered in France, it just needs to be registered in your name, in your department, but you do have to be in France to do it.

Go to your Prefecture or sous prefecture and collect and complete the forms, I cannot see why you would need the signature of the previous owner, if you bought at a depot vente you would not get this, a signed receipt for the sale should suffice, however as Nick says, you do need to show evidence of residence and you do need to get a new CT (it has to have at least 6 months on it,  not 18 months), to register it.  As for insurance depends where you are going to use it.  If in France try a French insurer, you can insure it with the existing plate, you would then need to change it over when you get your new reg. 

[Liz]

I think you will need a Certificat de non Gage. This shows that there is no claim or outstanding debts. The last time I went to the sub prefecture they had an automatic comnputer thingy to obtain them. I think you would have to contact the SP for the area the car is registered.

Liz (29)

[TD4]

In addition to Liz's reply you can now obtain a Cerificat de non Gage via the internet http://www.interieur.gouv.fr/rubriques/b/b8_teleservices/new_telecarte_grise . Select option 3 and enter the details from the Carte Grise. Download, then print.

TD4 (04)

[Mutiara]

could anyone clarify if it is the seller who has to supply the certificate of non gage or the buyer. For instance if I buy a car from a private individual in France, and they do not give me this certificate, can i obtain one myself ?

 

 

[dantomat]

Thanks very much for all your help. I now have a 'Certificat de situation administrative', next step is the CT, then the re-registration.

 

Good stuff, this internet thing!

 

Salut!

[Richardbk]

[quote]could anyone clarify if it is the seller who has to supply the certificate of non gage or the buyer. For instance if I buy a car from a private individual in France, and they do not give me this certi...[/quote]

Usually the buyer will provide it, but it is not obligatory and not obligatory for registration. Its mainly for your own piece of mind, to make sure there is no outstanding finance or fines etc. Before buying  a car it is worth getting a copy of the carte gris and using the  internet address above in order to verify the vehicle's status.

regs

 

Richard

[Richardbk]

Will insurance cover the car and driver in France whlst the car is still unregistered

You take out a full 12 month insurance based on the previous registration number. However, you should register ASAP(within a couple of weeks) , since the address on the insurance paper needs to match the carte gris address -otherwise on the spot fine. For this reason in addition to carrying around with you the carte gris, insurance certificate and CT document, you will also need to keep with you the sales invoice. Should you get stopped, this is to prove it has just been bought and you are going through the registration process.

When it is properly registered you simply inform the insurance company (send copy of carte gris) to get a new updated insurance document - there is no charge/penalty for this update.

regs

Richard