# Should i import my car to france?



## philthompson23

Hi all,

im moving to france in next 6 months and im wondering about importing my car. Is it worth it? It’s a diesal 2015 c4 Citroen grand Picasso. Not sure what the process is but I’ve heard you have horrid customs charges. Thinking maybe easier to sell and buy one in france…any ideas?


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## Bevdeforges

Not sure about the customs charges, but you will need to get a certificate of conformity from the manufacturer. This normally costs (possibly as much as a couple hundred euros) and if there is anything on the car that is not in compliance with French/EU standards, you may have to replace those parts. Not sure if cars built for sale in the UK have problems in this area, but it's really something of a headache if there are any "differences" like that.


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## Crabtree

Un étranger qui s'installe en France doit-il y faire immatriculer son véhicule ?


En s'installant en France, un étranger doit y faire immatriculer son véhicule pour obtenir sa carte grise française.




www.service-public.fr





Obviously it will depend a lot on the costs of re registering-there is a simulator for costs in the above link the cost of a COC and custom charges on top so it depends on how much you like the vehicle and how much it would cost in France to get another





Achat Citroën C4 Picasso neuve et occasion - Aramisauto


Un projet d'achat de Citroën C4 Picasso ? Découvrez toutes les offres de voitures neuves ou occasion, au meilleur prix.




www.aramisauto.com




This is an example there may be cheaper options on say Le Bon Coin


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## ccm47

From personal experience of importing a C4 but pre-Brexit and ANTS
The V5 that you have should give you all the data you need but the DVLA had omitted a last P in one of the boxes, hence we had to get Citroen Paris involved. 
The CoC should be with your original papers.
Your Speedo can be changed through the menu options.
Your headlights probably need changing: try and buy them before you leave the UK. We had to send 5 sets back to the supplier as the originals are made in Italy and the left ones were being squeezed into the boxes and cracking before getting to the wholesaler, who didn't check them. Eventually we settled for non-originals from Poland? Bringing good one's over could save some time and frustration.
Once here your C4 will be worth €1000 less than a comparable LHD but in the event of a write off you will get considerably more from a French insurer than one in the UK. No French dealer wants a RHD, so you need to run it into the ground, or write it off. We had 5 years of quality driving in ours with only €500 depreciation because it was written off by a third party.
Hope that helps a bit.


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## philthompson23

ccm47 said:


> From personal experience of importing a C4 but pre-Brexit and ANTS
> The V5 that you have should give you all the data you need but the DVLA had omitted a last P in one of the boxes, hence we had to get Citroen Paris involved.
> The CoC should be with your original papers.
> Your Speedo can be changed through the menu options.
> Your headlights probably need changing: try and buy them before you leave the UK. We had to send 5 sets back to the supplier as the originals are made in Italy and the left ones were being squeezed into the boxes and cracking before getting to the wholesaler, who didn't check them. Eventually we settled for non-originals from Poland? Bringing good one's over could save some time and frustration.
> Once here your C4 will be worth €1000 less than a comparable LHD but in the event of a write off you will get considerably more from a French insurer than one in the UK. No French dealer wants a RHD, so you need to run it into the ground, or write it off. We had 5 years of quality driving in ours with only €500 depreciation because it was written off by a third party.
> Hope that helps a bit.


Cheers for the relevant info. I’ve read that some places can apply stickers on the headlamps, was that something you considered ?


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## ccm47

Stickers are for temporary use, we and our friends with a C4 too, went down the replacement route. No problem with the CT, (MOT) and no subsequent excuse for a gendarme to stop us because a sticker had dropped off.
Self fitting was possible and I believe there is plenty of internet guidance on how to do so.
Neither of us found lights available from a scrapyard.
Don't expect to be able to sell the old lights on, here in France. Our friends tried and got only one inquiry, but just for 1 light where a holidaymaker and bumped something.


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## rynd2it

ccm47 said:


> Stickers are for temporary use, we and our friends with a C4 too, went down the replacement route. No problem with the CT, (MOT) and no subsequent excuse for a gendarme to stop us because a sticker had dropped off.
> Self fitting was possible and I believe there is plenty of internet guidance on how to do so.
> Neither of us found lights available from a scrapyard.
> Don't expect to be able to sell the old lights on, here in France. Our friends tried and got only one inquiry, but just for 1 light where a holidaymaker and bumped something.


Headlamp stickers are fine and the car will pass a CT (MoT) with them - the rules were changed recently. Also check your headlamps first, many modern cars are fitted with HID flat top beams and they will pass the CT with no changes. The CoC is only required if the line (K I think) on the V5 does not have a European type approval number - it will start *e......... If you do need a CoC then it HAS to be issued by the authority (manufacturer) in the country and language of the place of first registration. 

Considering the price (and condition) of used French cars, I'd bring my UK car every time - I have had no troubles at all in the three years I've been here. The only issue is car parks with ticket barriers when you are driving alone and even that is less of a problem these days - Limoges airport has the ticket machines on both sides for example.

You can find a lot of helpful information from the experts - try looking for the Facebook group which deals with registering a car in France.


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## tjj

philthompson23 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> im moving to france in next 6 months and im wondering about importing my car. Is it worth it? It’s a diesal 2015 c4 Citroen grand Picasso. Not sure what the process is but I’ve heard you have horrid customs charges. Thinking maybe easier to sell and buy one in france…any ideas?


You have omitted to mention where you are moving from. After Brexit, importing from the UK now involves import duties, from the rest of the EU (including the Republic of Ireland) there are no such import duties and far less bureaucracy involved. I have imported 3 cars from the Middle East and can confirm that the road to a carte gris (French registration) is cumbersome, highly bureaucratic and frustrating, but it can be done. If you have owned the vehicle for a while you might like to think about getting an authority from your local French consulate allowing you to import the car into France without paying importation fees. That's a good starting point.


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## Lffsam

If its a permanant move to France there are no import charges if you register the car in the first 12 months of residence. You need a certificate of douanage, instead of the quittas fiscal that we used to obtain pre brexit.
In addittion to line K on the V5 being complete, sections "type" and "variant" ( Section D 1 & 2 from memory ) also need to be completed. If not you will need a CoC. Prices range from free ( BMW ) to the most expensive I have found, Peugeot at £200. Any EU language CoC is acceptable, although you can normally request the language at the time of purchase.

You may have to pay a proffessional to register the car if you do not have a perment social security number, as you must connect to ANTS via france connect to implement the registration process, noy just log on to ANTS directly.

Since ANTS was introduced, the process is not difficult. Just follow the rules. Second hand headlights for popular french vehicles are plentiful on sites such as bon coin.

Be aware that a one off polution tax may be applicable when the vehicle is first registered in France. Check this out as it is potentially the most expensive part of the process.

I have imported many vehicles from the UK to France both pre and post Brexit.

There is, IMHO no point importing a vehicle from the UK anymore UNLESS its a permanent move to France and you are bringing YOUR OWN vehicle with you, which you must have owned for at least 6 months before the move. The import costs + the value of the vehicle + pollution tax + headlights + CoC etc will equate to more than the cost of an equivelant LHD french vehicle which will have a higher residual value when the time comes to change vehicle.

There are exceptions of course, such as collectables and rare vehicles which are not readily available in france. Good luck whichever route you choose.


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## LFBEUSTON

philthompson23 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> im moving to france in next 6 months and im wondering about importing my car. Is it worth it? It’s a diesal 2015 c4 Citroen grand Picasso. Not sure what the process is but I’ve heard you have horrid customs charges. Thinking maybe easier to sell and buy one in france…any ideas?


I imported a new car into France from Spain. As has been mentioned, you would need to have a certificate of conformity( I didn't need one as the car was built in the E/U.) That you can get from the manufacturers of your car. Obviously if your car doesn't conform then work has to be done to make it conform or you can't keep it in France. Assuming it does conform you will have to register it and obtain number plates. Visits to the prefecture I'm afraid! I had to pay import duty as the car was new but had I left it in Spain for six months I wouldn't have had to; Obviously that won't affect you.


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## EuroTrash

LFBEUSTON said:


> Visits to the prefecture I'm afraid!


Prefectures don't handle vehicle registrations any more. It is all done online via ANTS.


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## LFBEUSTON

EuroTrash said:


> Prefectures don't handle vehicle registrations any more. It is all done online via ANTS.


ANTS it is then. The rest applies.


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## rynd2it

LFBEUSTON said:


> ANTS it is then. The rest applies.


No, not necessarily. If the UK registration document has a European type approval (line K has e*....) then no COC required. The only remaining things are headlights on RHD vehicle, some are already compliant (mine were) the rest can use beam deflectors to pass the CT. Import duties and taxes are an individual issue


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## EuroTrash

i am also confused why import duty would apply between Spain and France since they are both in the single market?


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## Bevdeforges

Just a couple of "off the wall" considerations in all this. First of all, if you have a right-hand-drive car, just consider the "inconveniences" (which will depend on how and where you plan to use the car). Do you often drive on toll roads? Or plan to park in lots where you take a ticket on entry and pay on exit? (I only mention these because my French husband and I used to get a huge chuckle out of watching British tourists cope with this sort of thing.) There is always the issue of passing/overtaking on narrow roads, so consider the area to which you will be moving, too.

And I suppose the big question: How long do you expect to live in France? If it's only for a couple of years with the intention of returning to the UK, there is (or was) a way to import your car for a limited stay where you will be free of VAT and import duty charges - and you will have to export the vehicle by the expiry date of the plates. (You can't sell the vehicle in France.) I haven't seen any cars with the "diplomatic plates" in quite some time now, so perhaps this option is no longer available. But it might be worthwhile to ask or to search online to see if this is still an option.


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## rynd2it

Bevdeforges said:


> Just a couple of "off the wall" considerations in all this. First of all, if you have a right-hand-drive car, just consider the "inconveniences" (which will depend on how and where you plan to use the car). Do you often drive on toll roads? Or plan to park in lots where you take a ticket on entry and pay on exit? (I only mention these because my French husband and I used to get a huge chuckle out of watching British tourists cope with this sort of thing.) There is always the issue of passing/overtaking on narrow roads, so consider the area to which you will be moving, too.
> 
> And I suppose the big question: How long do you expect to live in France? If it's only for a couple of years with the intention of returning to the UK, there is (or was) a way to import your car for a limited stay where you will be free of VAT and import duty charges - and you will have to export the vehicle by the expiry date of the plates. (You can't sell the vehicle in France.) I haven't seen any cars with the "diplomatic plates" in quite some time now, so perhaps this option is no longer available. But it might be worthwhile to ask or to search online to see if this is still an option.


To be honest, in three years this has never been an issue. I rarely pass anything apart from tractors on country roads, the peage on the toll roads is handled by the electronic device and there's usually two of us in the car anyway. YMMV 😉


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## LFBEUSTON

EuroTrash said:


> i am also confused why import duty would apply between Spain and France since they are both in the single market?


You had better ask the French government!


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## LFBEUSTON

rynd2it said:


> No, not necessarily. If the UK registration document has a European type approval (line K has e*....) then no COC required. The only remaining things are headlights on RHD vehicle, some are already compliant (mine were) the rest can use beam deflectors to pass the CT. Import duties and taxes are an individual issue


If the car doesn't conform then work would have to be carried out; That includes headlights.


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## rynd2it

No work needed on headlights, check your facts.


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## LFBEUSTON

rynd2it said:


> No work needed on headlights, check your facts.


If they didn't conform they would; Check your facts. Even putting stickers on is 'work'!


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## rynd2it

LFBEUSTON said:


> If they didn't conform they would; Check your facts.


If they don't conform, then beam deflectors are all that is needed to make them acceptable; what don't you understand?


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## LFBEUSTON

rynd2it said:


> If they don't conform, then beam deflectors are all that is needed to make them acceptable; what don't you understand?


Beam deflectors need putting on. Difficult to understand I know!


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## rynd2it

LFBEUSTON said:


> Beam deflectors need putting on. Difficult to understand I know!


FFS, hardly work! I'm done with this


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## LFBEUSTON

rynd2it said:


> FFS, hardly work! I'm done with this


Hardly work! They won't be fitted by themselves.


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## Bevdeforges

OK, OK, points have been made. Let's move on, please.


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## Lffsam

The OP’s question has been answered several times already, including by myself, some posts are accurate, some my, many posts just plainly argumentative. These are the reasons I rarely post on the forum. I only offer factual advice from personal experience. A good policy for others to follow I think. Good luck to the OP. You have been furnished with all the info you need.


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