# Advice on buying a LHD vehicle for France



## FrMSM

Good evening,

I am in the process of relocating to France from the UK. I have two UK, RHD cars owned outright, and would like to get two French LHD cars, what are my best options to do this?

I have considered; 

1. Selling both for cash in the UK and then buying two cars in France
2. Selling one as above, and registering the other as an import

and recently, 

3. Selling/px in the UK and finding a LHD car in the UK

With option 3 are there any pitfalls to consider beyond those typically with used cars? Is there any reason to not buy a LHD car which is from another part of the EU? Or if a LHD car has been registered in the UK and then re registering it in France what are the insurance implications of this? anything else to consider?

Kind regards,


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## Befuddled

Sell your RHD cars in UK where they are worth more and buy replacement LHD ones in Germany. You will pay less than you would in France and not suffer any import duties. Seek out websites with info on how this is done.


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## Crabtree

If you bring cars from the UK then you will pay import duties.If you buy LHD in the UK that are french registered then you really need to do it via an established dealer and even then you need to be on your toes to ensure that the paper work is right.Do not buy from a private seller of LHDs in the UK as there will certainly be paper work problems.
I would do as Befuddled suggests but if you may want to look in France first as there are certainly bargains to be had but generally Germany will be cheaper


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## FrMSM

Crabtree said:


> If you bring cars from the UK then you will pay import duties.If you buy LHD in the UK that are french registered then you really need to do it via an established dealer and even then you need to be on your toes to ensure that the paper work is right.Do not buy from a private seller of LHDs in the UK as there will certainly be paper work problems.
> I would do as Befuddled suggests but if you may want to look in France first as there are certainly bargains to be had but generally Germany will be cheaper


Thank you both for the responses, I will look at buying in the EU outside of France, would I need to change this to a French registered plate eventually?

I have found a LHD car in the UK (I think this has all of the paper work) which was French and now registered in the UK, it has the paper work of being registered in the UK with the VCA and EC certificate (when it was brought to the UK) and all of the original French fittings, headlights etc (not fitted but will be). I think I can avoid the 20% VAT and 10% duty when importing if I either have a proof of sale dated 6 months or I am bringing the vehicle to my permanent residence? (but not 6 months of ownership) I have recently bought a property in France (September this year) which will be my permanent residence

Edit: I do not have a French residence permit currently but my spouse does, so the LHD car would be registered in my spouses name

Thanks


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## Bevdeforges

FrMSM said:


> Thank you both for the responses, I will look at buying in the EU outside of France, would I need to change this to a French registered plate eventually?


Unless things have changed recently, if you buy a car anywhere in the EU, you are expected to pay the VAT rate for your country of residence and to register the car in the country of your residence as well. I know that has long been the case for new cars. Not sure how (or if) that works for used cars. It is supposed to keep folks from shopping around to find a country with lower prices due to the difference in VAT, etc.


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## Crabtree

Re the LHD in the UK-as long as it has been re registered in the UK and has a V5 in the current owners name then it is good to go.The V5 will need to be in the your spouses name if she is the one who will re register it in France.If it is old enough for an MOT then provided it was done less than 6 months before then you will not need a controle technique doing Note that you only need a CT if it is more than 4 years old in France.You will still need to go through customs as it is non EU registered vehicle so if there is any oroginal french paperwork that would help.
When you come to re register which must be done within one month of arriving in France you will need insurance and DL 
I suggest that you use an organisation such as Cartaplac, Feu Vert, Roady or your local garage to reregister.It incurs an extra fee but you get to talk to a real person if there is a problem as opposed to a not very good ANTS system


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