It was about time for us to get a French registration number for the car. We probably should have done it earlier. If you ever have to register your British car in France, here are the steps:
- You’ll need a certificate of conformity. To get this, you’ll have to get a form from a government agency called the DREAL, look into the yellow pages, or google it to find where yours is. Once the form filled, send it back with a check, and they’ll send your certificate back.
- While you’re waiting, you might as well go to your local garage to change your lights for French ones. You really need new lights, the whole thing. The stickers you put on them when you go on holidays to the continent won’t do.
- Certificate in hand, you’ll need to pass the French MOT. Don’t bother going if you haven’t changed your lights, the car would fail the test.
- Once you’ve got all these certificates in hand, passed the MOT, you’ll need a quittance d’impot from the local tax center. That’s a paper proving the VAT has been paid.
- You’ve got your certificate of conformity, MOT certificate, quittance? Well done, but you haven’t finished yet. Head to the prefecture or sous-prefecture to get a registration form. Fill it in, and go back to the office with all the papers required (there’s quite a few of them). Make sure you haven’t forgotten anything or they’ll send you back home. Take your check book with you, you’ll need it.
- That’s it, you’ll now have to wait for your “carte grise” (registration certificate). It should come through the post very soon, about 2-3 weeks.
- Once you’ve received your carte grise, you can change the registration plates. Make sure you’ve insured your car.
- That’s it, well done.