Importing a French Car: Everything You Need to Know

Importing cars from the European Union is a very popular practice, which many people and specialized companies opt for. They mainly look for savings compared to the domestic market and good quality from abroad, accordingly to the widespread opinion on imported cars. However, such thinking is often fatal, as a result of which the vehicles brought into the country are sometimes full of problems.

*The information given in the article concerns only the Polish regulations.

 

After importing a car, however, you must, of course, register it and complete a number of other mandatory formalities (you can easily find the list and the way of doing things on the Internet). How to do it in accordance with the law and within all the time limits? What else is involved in importing a French car, and what risks would you have to face in such a case?

Remember that every EU market — including France – is characterized by a particular specificity of vehicles, their technical condition resulting from the frivolous approach of drivers – especially regarding the condition of the bodywork. In the land on the Loire, minor damage to the bodywork typically occurs as a souvenir after fighting for every inch of parking space in the city center.

 

What should you pay attention to when selecting a French car?

People looking for a French car should keep in mind certain factors that ultimately impact the total price of the car you’re interested in. In the end, the imported car is supposed to serve for the next several years and must not have defects concealed by its previous owner or rich accident history. While browsing the offers, you should at least pay attention to the following variables:

• the manufacture year,
• temporary deregistration matter,
• mileage,
• MTPL insurance expiry date,
• done car reviews,
• the car’s legal status,
• number of owners,
• technical condition of the vehicle.

 

When looking for a used vehicle, it is a good idea to take a longer moment to check the selected vehicle and, above all, its technical condition. When browsing used cars in this country, you will come across a completely different technical culture than e.g., in Germany. Don’t ask the current owner about the scratches or small dents – without his answer, it is known that they were created during parking skirmishes.

 

 

On the basis of this information, you can check the most important records of the vehicle. A used French car is a very popular solution. In order to do so, you need to buy the exit plates, pay the excise, and complete a series of other formalities connected to car registration. Then, a French car can be legally driven on the roads. Some French commissioners or private sellers without hesitation agree to draw up a sales purchase agreement in various language versions, thanks to which you should be able to avoid the additional expense of translating this document when registering – although many communication departments still require a translation of bilingual contracts into English.

Cars originating from the French market are very desired. This is largely due to their technical condition, bodywork condition (in terms of corrosion, not aesthetics), and relatively smaller mileage than it is the case in imported German cars, for example. Customers especially value the absence of corrosion, thanks to milder winter in the majority of France’s territory, where harmful for car body salt is not used.

 

How to check a car from France?

Used cars from France are very popular, but their shipment requires careful planning. The distance between the point of destination and France could be quite substantial, which consists of the lion’s share of the total cost connected to the logistics of this undertaking. There are several methods of shipping a French car. It is worth choosing one of them when looking for a car – this way you will avoid additional expenses and chaos. After the purchase, you should receive a vehicle registration book from the seller, the so-called Carte grise (certificat d’immatriculation).

 

 

 

Importing a French car yourself

When deciding on a car imported from France, it is worth driving a selected copy to the workshop before finalizing the purchase. You should check the used car in terms of compliance with documentation, its accident history, and of course, its mechanical condition. Remember that even a model with an attractive low mileage may struggle with certain issues and years of neglect. Increased vigilance should be aroused in you by an offer at an attractive price – for some reason, a given copy is priced significantly cheaper than the others. The cost of a basic car inspection service at the diagnostic station is about 50 Euros. If you decide to visit a service point and have a more thorough inspection done, the price of such service might amount up to 200 Euro or more. The price depends on i.a. whether you decide to visit an authorized service point or an independent auto repair shop. Of course, the cost of the checks depends also on the brand of the car, as well as its manufacture year and the level of construction complexity.

 

 

 

The simpler the car, the lower the price. The price will be different for a 15-year-old Volkswagen Golf and for a 5-year-old BMW 5 Series. When it comes to the more expensive cars, it is better not to save up on a thorough inspection. During the visit to the service points, the language might be a problem, as, unfortunately, French mechanics are most likely not eager to speak English. To get answers to your questions about the technical condition of your car, it is worth asking for help from a person who is fluent in French.

You can ship a French car yourself, by driving it. Then, you will need to take into consideration the costs of fuel and the temporary license plates along with the insurance. They cost several dozen Euros. A short-term insurance is also important to pay attention to. It allows you to legally exit France, it is necessary to purchase an MTPL insurance. Temporary insurance is valid for 30 days, after which you need to buy its full version in the country where you want to register your car.

The travel to France, the car pick-up location, and car search expenses also need to be added to the final total cost. Including the flight or bus ticket price, accommodation, and food costs, you will end up with a non-trivial amount required for the entire logistics connected to the private import. It is the costs of broadly understood logistics in the case of private import that make used cars ultimately cost much more. However, there are other ways to find considerable savings – such as joint transport on a tow truck.

Another element of planning an independent car trip is the organization of a return trip by means of a ride. In addition to fuel costs, you need to take into account road fees. For more information, see the article on vignettes and motorway fees in Europe.

 

 

You’ll get them from the French register office, which probably requires a translator’s help. Unfortunately, the French are reluctant to speak English, even if they know the language perfectly. Temporary license plates are necessary if you want to import a car on your own. Then, you can replace the temporary license plates with the ones issued by your country’s register office – issuing them completes the car registration.

The owner of a car from France also has to get exit plates. You’ll get them from the French register office, which probably requires a translator’s help. Temporary license plates are necessary if you want to import a car on your own. Then, you can replace the temporary license plates for the ones issued by the register office – issuing them completes the car registration.

 

Importing a car via an agent

Using the help of a transport company is a convenient way of importing a car. This involves transporting the car on a tow truck, which allows you to spread the cost of transport over several other vehicles – customers. You have to prepare for this purpose quite a sum, depending on your localization – from a couple of hundreds dollars to a couple of thousands. You can easily make a reservation for a tow truck online, specifying the time and place of loading.

There’s also an option of purchasing an already shipped car, available within your country, or even commissioning a specialized company to search for a particular model. In such case, you need to remember to provide the vehicle card and all other required documents, properly conclude a purchase and sale agreement, and check whether the car has valid MTPL insurance – before entering public roads.

 

 

Driving a French car back

If a car has proper exit plates, then it can enter the territory of any European country. If driving such a vehicle is forbidden, and the registration office refused to issue the required documents, then the car can enter the country via a tow truck. In such a case, you must not enter borders driving the vehicle on your own. The help of professional companies is necessary in such cases. After registering the vehicle, you should immediately purchase an MTPL insurance, on the same day you receive the vehicle registration card.

Where to look for a car on the French market?

When looking for a car on the French market, it is best to do an initial search online, browsing through offers from different regions. You can choose from auction portals for private sellers and dealers, or auction sites. In the first case, it is worth visiting such websites as:

• autoscout24.fr,
  
• paruvendu.fr,
  
• or auto123.com/fr.

 

 

If you choose an auction, it is worth looking at:

• alcopa-auction.fr/,
  
• encheres-vo.com,
  
• mercier-auto.com,
  
• and fiveauction.fr/.

 

 

Theoretically, you could also go to the place and look for a car in used car lots or driveways. We do not recommend this, though. You should know exactly in which places you can purchase a well-maintained car. Unless you’re going to look for a car accompanied by a person who specialized in buying cars from France.

What are the most popular imported French cars?

Without unnecessary hints, it is known that the most popular vehicles imported from France are the models of their domestic production. Various models of Renault, Peugeot, Citroën, Dacia, and Alpine are exported abroad. Of course, cars of other brands are also exported from France, but these are definitely in smaller numbers.

 

Car registration – step by step

After transporting the French vehicle, it is time to register it. Such a process requires the organization of appropriate documents and payment of fees. So take the time and make sure you know what you need to do to register a French car. You will need to visit various offices and produce many documents, including translated ones – however, recently many communication departments no longer require the presentation of translated documents.

 

Documents required for registering a French car

When registering a French car, you need to prepare certain documents. These are:

• application for car registration,
• foreign license plates (if issued),
• excise payment confirmation,
• technical review confirmation,
• certificate of sale of the vehicle, which is obtained by the seller in the prefecture,
• a document confirming that the car is not tied up with a loan,
• technical inspection report, if the vehicle is sold by a private person,
• translations of the purchase and sale agreement done by a sworn translator.

 

With these documents, the buyer should come to the Department of Transportation or equivalent for the purpose of registration of a car. It is important to collect all the documents during finalizing the transaction, regardless of whether you’re buying a car for a company or for private use. The relevant forms can be easily found on the websites of particular offices.

An excise fee is also required. 

 

 

 

Translating the documents

When it comes to cars imported from the member countries of the European Union, there’s no necessity for translating all the documents. In such case, you only need to have translated the parts added in the form of official annotations. If you’d still want to make sure that there wouldn’t be any extra complications during the car registration, it is a good idea to translate all the documents.

Remember that the office worker might find something which in their opinion is an inaccuracy, which might substantially delay the registration process.

The most important document to be translated is the purchase and sale agreement. This is why many people decide to sign two language versions of this document at once. It allows registering the car more easily and avoids translation costs. You don’t need to translate the vehicle registration book.

 

Technical review of the vehicle

A French car should have a valid technical review. In this country, it is done every 4 years starting from the first registration date. While purchasing a car, the buyer should obtain confirmation of such review done within the last 6 months, containing the data of the diagnostic station.

The information concerning the car’s technical review can also be found by its VIN number. It is a good option to check it relatively early, before travelling abroad to get the car. It is there where the information about the vehicle inspection station visits is stored. In France, information related to the technical inspection is also placed on the windshield of the car in the form of a sticker – you often see it in the photos added to the ads.

 

 

How to check a car from France?

French cars are typically in better technical and bodywork condition than cars from other countries with a similar mileage and manufacture year, but you should not give up their thorough inspection before buying. Before you sign the purchase and sale agreement, ask the owner of the car for the VIN and license plate numbers. On the basis of a VIN check, you can learn the most important information about the vehicle. It is a good idea to use the help of autoDNA. This is a convenient solution that allows you to get clear information about the profitability of the purchase and the previous Vehicle History – that is, the honesty of the seller. Remember – check the VIN before buying a vehicle, it is an essential element of a transparent vehicle purchase-sale transaction!

Disadvantages of French cars

A huge advantage of French cars is the lack of corrosion, often also small mileage – in France the use of public transport is very popular. It is also very easy to obtain an accident-free copy, but this does not mean that there have been no cosmetic fixes in the past. Surface-damaged cars are a daily occurrence in France – it is perfectly visible in city centers and in the way of parking. Walking in the center of any city, you will notice on practically every car typical parking damage that no one cares about too much.

Another disadvantage is smokers – this addiction is extremely popular in the country of the Loire River. As a result, one of the first activities after buying a French car and completing the formalities is washing the interior.

 

 

 

Is it worth buying a French car?

People potentially interested in French cars frequently wonder whether it is worth importing a car from abroad. For many years, the popularity of this practice has been on the rise, and on the market there can be found vehicles both in very good technical condition, but also neglected and damaged ones.

Yearly, there are around 7.000-10.000 cars imported from France in varying conditions. Such cars are usually considered as better maintained, however, each time before buying a French car it is important to pay attention to its condition and legal status. The vehicle history is extremely crucial, and it should be as much as possible confirmed by the bills of previously done services. It very often reflects the car’s technical condition and the care of its previous users.

Remember to recalculate the decision to go on your own to import the car and buy it in France – keeping in mind all the additional costs. Be sure to learn all the details before you depart.

 

FAQ

 

 

Also read how to import a car from:

1. UK
2. Germany
3. Italy
4. Importing car from the Netherlands
5. Importing a car from Denmark
6. Importing a car from Sweden
7. Importing an Ukrainian car
8. Importing a Belgian car
9. Import car from Austria