It's a little more complicated than that. It can depend on the make and model. And you may need to obtain a Certificate of Conformity (i.e. to EU regulations) from the manufacturer.

I'll let the folks here in France who have dealt with this before provide the details.

 

Hi Anthony
I think that officially you are allowed one month.
You'll probably find that your French insurers will initially only give you a sticker for one month and they will expect you to provide a copy of French registration document within that time.
However it can take longer and as long as you can demonstrate that you have started the process there shouldn't be any issues and the insurers will normally give you another month's extension or even two with no fuss. Once registration is complete they will then issue you with the full 12 months sticker.
Vehicle registration is all done online now via a portal called ANTS. There are paid services that will handle it for you and it can be worth paying a few euros to avoid the hassle of doing it yourself. Not all these services will handle imports, but some will. Insurance companies often offer this service but again, I'm not sure whether they would handle an import.
Hope this helps.

 

The best resource for this is on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/1194914370612560/

Tons of information and people to help

 

Don't put yourself through the stress.

If you are moving to France permanently, flog the car in the UK and buy a car in France. If you think you may go back if it does not work living in France, then don't bother.

No point driving a RHD in France. French roads are dangerous. You need to have the steering wheel on the left. End of, full stop.

FED up of being stuck behind a RHD because they can't overtake what is in front of them. I have to jump two cars or a car and lorry or whatever to get passed. ARRRRGH...You get my meaning. You are just going to pîss everyone off. Especially white van man trying to get to work.

I am getting tired saying this

 

Don't put yourself through the stress.

If you are moving to France permanently, flog the car in the UK and buy a car in France. If you think you may go back if it does not work living in France, then don't bother.

No point driving a RHD in France. French roads are dangerous. You need to have the steering wheel on the left. End of, full stop.

FED up of being stuck behind a RHD because they can't overtake what is in front of them. I have to jump two cars or a car and lorry or whatever to get passed. ARRRRGH...You get my meaning. You are just going to pîss everyone off. Especially white van man trying to get to work.

I am getting tired saying this

Past.

Well stop saying it.

 

Thanks a lot.
Anthony

 

Personally I would use a service such as CARTAPLAC I always use them You will just cause yourself problems by using the online systemyou have a UK Mot less than 6 months old you do not need a French CT to register You may not need a COC if the homologation number on your V5C Section K is correct but DVLA are notorious for getting wrong Stick to the one month limit as this is now being enforced by the insura,nce companies and police in France as France is rolling out ANPR

 

Cartapalc isn't available everywhere and the OP will not be able to use ANTS unless he has a French social Security number and an account on France Connect - much easier to use the Facebook group people.

Note that you have to have a French CT the second those French license plates go on - the MoT has no bearing from that point.

 

And despite others saying to the contrary I agree with SMEG if only from the insurance point of view Insurance companies pay out based on the market value of your car and in France a RHD is worth diddly squat I have known Brits lose a lot of money and a decent motor because of this

 

Not really what I said. But WTF. We all know perfectly well that those who really want to bring their RHD cars will. Doesn't mean I have to like it. And the RHD vehicles I was referring to were clearly doing stupid things because they thought they were driving on the left, couldn't really see where they were on the road, etc. Plus I did mention at least the reputation of local drivers down here.

 

How quickly does it have to be registered and checked again....?

My right hand drive bicycle was fine.

 

Information

Thank you all for your input, we are planing to move over late next year and we are coming over in March to hopefuly buy a house.
Kind Regards
Anthony

 

It is not the money, I have a very nice Mercedes E320 with all the bits and the ones in France that I have seen do not have the extras I want.
As for buying a house, I cannot get to grips with the price the estate agents want ie + 9% + the notary 8% and the want to do little for it!
The area we are looking at is Brittany or Normandy as our son and his family live on Jersey.
Many Thanks
Anthony

 

9% is a joke, don't even think of paying it - use another agent, most will negotiate the fees if you try. Notaires fees are pretty much fixed and there's nothing you can do about it. A good notaire will walk you through the entire process and make it as painless as possible.

Just in case you were not aware of this - keep detailed notes on every house you look at especially the agent who introduced you to it. Do not use two agents (or more) to view the same house, if you do and you buy it BOTH agents get the fee so you pay double.

 

The congestion factor IMO is dependent upon exactly where and (possibly more important) when you are traveling.

Rush hours on roads headed into and out of Paris or other big towns are horrible. But, for those who are retired, you're normally able to adjust your travel times to non-peak hours. And then, too, us retirees normally don't "have to" head for vacations the evening that the schools let out and rush home on Sunday night to be home in order to get to work on Monday morning. In fact, some of us avoid doing shopping of any sort on Fridays and Saturdays to leave the shops to the working stiffs who have no other time to shop.

 

So you have a RHD Merc E320 a nice car with all the extras Obviously I do not know how old it is but lets say the market value is £10K You write it off in the UK you get er £10K You write it off in France with French insurance you get er a couple of thousand euros et voilà you have lost money In addition to re register a car like that with presumably a big engine will cost an arm and a leg but ultimately of course the choice is yours I can only point out the obvious pitfalls IMHO it will not be the busy roads where there will be a problem with RHD it will be little roads in Brittany or Normandy where you will find huge farm machinery or the paysan on his old Re nault tractor poodling along you get frustrated or the car behind does and ....

 

In addition to re register a car like that with presumably a big engine will cost an arm and a leg .

I just got the CPI (Carte Grise Provisional) - total taxes paid €2.76. This for 3.3 litre Lexus RX400h, hybrid 2007 model. It's UK value is about £5000 and to buy the same car in France would cost over £10,000

Advice to the OP, on that Facebook group I mentioned you can calculate the exact cost of registering your car in France and find someone to help you do it if you decide to go ahead.

 

Smeg, there are many of us on this forum who absolutely enjoy doing lots of things you find repugnant. No doubt some of our hobbies, passions and activities would repulse you, too.

You've expressed your opinion. Now let's give it a rest and let others express theirs.

 

Smeg, there are many of us on this forum who absolutely enjoy doing lots of things you find repugnant.

Like playing golf and fishing you mean

 

Lifestyle choices, eh.
Given a choice between spending a day cruising round the French countryside (which you don't think should exist, but bear with me) in my new RHD campervan and breaking off now again to walk a few steps to stick a card and a ticket in a péage machine, and spending a day between four walls watching sky and breaking off now and again to change a stinky nappy, I know which I'd choose.
Just sayin'.
You do your thing, and we'll do ours.

 

The RHD vs LHD debate will never end. It is a fun debate though.

And to be fair, if I ever moved back to the UK I would (don't tell anyone....keep this to yourself ET) drive a LHD.

Preferably a Lancia Delta Integrale

Would I move to France with a RHD,....ummmm...no.

Too dangerous. French roads are too dangerous. I think that is the point.

 

Thank You,
We have no intention of going on motorway, going into major towns or city's and I am sure the B roads will be a pleasure to drive on, we have traveled all over France, all be it in the eighty's and ninety's in right hand drive cars, but if we find it a problem we will buy a left hooker.
Is it a lot of trouble registering a British left hand drive car!
Regards
Anthony

 

Thank You,

Is it a lot of trouble registering a British left hand drive car!
Regards
Anthony

If you have the CoC...no it is not a problem..


Don't buy a LHD in the UK.

If you are moving to France for life, budget for a new car/nearly new car (although a new car is bizarrely cheaper in France) from the closest garage from where you choose to live.

That is what I would do if I moved to France....again

 

My only problem is that to replace the headlights will cost £2500, but if you like the car so what, buying new will cost £70,000, to rich for my blood!

 

Turning up and buying a property in rural France (guessing it is rural France) with a 70 K Mercedes (with all the bits) and to be honest you ain't going to make many friends.

Drive a Beat up Citroen Berlingo and you will blend in a lot better and make friends.

That is a key point.

 

Find the dealership in your area for your brand of car. You'll have to pay them to handle the registration, but if they stand to win your loyalty for maintenance and repair work going forward, they should be very accommodating.

 

If you are thinking of staying, bite the bullet and sell the UK car in UK and get something similar with LHD in France from a local dealer. You will not only get a car that is more suited to the local roads you will also get the use of a local dealer for your maintenance and other needs when necessary.

 

Many Thanks

 

Dear David,
Thank you for that, good news!
Can you tel me how to register a UK car in France
Regards
Anthony

 

All the information you need is available on the Facebook Group I mentioned earlier:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1194914370612560/

I strongly recommend that you read their files and if necessary use their help. The process requires you to use an on-line service which you cannot do unless you have your French social security number and can login to France Connect.

The process is relatively simple but takes time. Some pointers:

Check your UK car insurance is still valid when you become resident in France, if not you will need to take out French insurance which is not recognised by the UK database so DVLA will be fining you for having an uninsured car. And if you return to the UK with it the ANPR's will catch you! Same applies to the Tax and the MoT. Get a new MoT before you leave, it is valid for registration provided it has six months life left on it. You may need a Certificate of Conformity which you can get from Mercedes - but check your V5 first, it may have the TVV value already on it.

So to repeat, got to the Facebook group, it's a gold mine

 

You can use a service provider to handle the online process for you.

 

Yes, and they are on the Facebook group

 

I wasn't thinking Ireland.

 

I can't think of any other countries in the EU that drive RHD's.

 

Oh and I think the EU might just be in its death throes, at least if it doesn't significantly change.

 

I'm too busy to take the bait.

 

Perhaps some objective information... (Listed by world rank)
Motor vehicles per 1,000 people:

#1..San Marino 1,263
#32.France 478
#35.U.K. 471​

Traffic related deaths per 1,000,000 people:

#1.....Liberia 35.9
#161.France 5.5
#177.U.K. 3.1​

Traffic Index*:

#1.....Kenya 270.43
#41.U.K. 134.43
#59.France 124.47​

*Traffic Index is a composite index of time consumed in traffic due to job commute, estimation of time consumption dissatisfaction, CO2 consumption estimation in traffic and overall inefficiencies in the traffic system.

Road density > Km of road per 100 sq. km of land area:

#1.....Monaco 3,850
#18.France 172.46
#19.U.K. 172.41​

Vehicles > Per km of road

#1.....Monaco 388
#20.U.K. 77
#60.France 36​

Conclusion... It is close, but it would appear the U.K. wins for (greater) traffic density.

 

Yeah but that’s just France berky. Wot about ‘real France ‘ or ‘reality France ‘? thas not included is it see. Only certain people no ‘bout that. You have to be one of the outlaws to no ‘bout reel france.