It would need to be imported, which is quite straightforward for an EU car.
Hopefully it does have a C of Conformité from Japan (?) so it can be registered here in France. 
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Ooh, well remembered, I’d forgotten that bit. More than likely a pig in a poke to register in France.
Registering it in France is too complex for us, that’s why I posted in just in case someone who also lives in Ireland is looking for a good deal on a RHD vehicle.
It is still registered, inspected and taxed in Ireland. All up to date.
We’re offering it for less than it would sell for in Ireland if we don’t have to take it back over ourselves.
I would love to keep the car, but the process is too complex and we really need a LHD anyway.
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Possibly not! If VW are anything like Porsche - and they probably are - then their Japanese exports are in fact EU specs with just a front, door mirror and rear fog light change required.
I imported a 25 year old Porsche last year without any bother. As Japan does not use salt on their roads, the condition of the car is superb. Because of this and with their regulations on older cars, it is possible to find low mileage bargains - and with of the weird status symbol of driving LHD cares there, many of these bargains are ideal for France!
Unless it’s something special, that falls into pig in a poke category for me since it also involves trips to DREAL.
Firstly, for anyone who may be interested in this vehicle, I want to be clear that I haven’t ordered a CoC and have no knowledge of how easy or difficult it would be to register in France.
I have asked an “expert” if it’s worth doing and he said for the value of the car and as it’s RHD in a LH country, it’s probably not worth it. I would only recommend this for someone who wants it to stay registered in IE.
Secondly, Adam1 is right about the quality of Japanese imports. We bought this car in Ireland last year and paid a little more than Irish Ups because it was so clean! In & out!
Sorry, didn’t mean to divert your sales effort. Good luck in finding someone.
I think it can also go to Northern Ireland free of tax and duty if that helps.
Hi,thanks for the info,it would be out of our price bracket,would have been looking to re-register the car here in France,which would add to the cost,i take it the vehicle is on ROI plates,also not 100% sure with it being a Japanese import,that is one of the many things that France is not keen on as far as re-registering goes,good luck to you though,regards.
Who says?
I’d say that’s probably true Adam. France doesn’t make importing cars easy. I can’t remember how many I’ve imported for personal use, but at least one from the UK, one from the UK on a tax free export plate, one from Northern Ireland, one from RoI, one from Germany and one from Italy. It’s always been a hassle. But that was in the days of having to pitch up at the sous Prefecture. It was like an episode of the Office 
Maybe ANTS is better, I hope so,
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But nothing from Japan to back up your support of a sweeping statement that France does not like cars imported from Japan?
Agree with that. When I lived in Turks & Caicos there was a used car dealer who had a thriving trade in imported Japanese RHD cars (in Turks & Caicos you drive on the left as it’s a British Overseas Territory, so RHD cars are preferable) - otherwise you were stuck with a LHD import from the USA.
He used to get them shipped over from Japan in bulk and despite the shipping costs they were comparable in price to US imports.
The majority were bog-standard manual gearbox white Toyota Corollas and the like, but I bought a Toyota Hilux Surf diesel SUV with an auto gearbox from him. I picked it partly because it had a Bob Marley sticker in the back window, which I thought was a good omen for the Caribbean!
it ran well for several years until the top end of the engine developed problems - being a diesel I was unable to get parts from the US, and importing a new cylinder head from the UK was cost-prohibitive.
I ended up getting a US-sourced LHD Jeep Liberty to replace it (a ridiculous thing with a 4 litre petrol engine) and the poor old Hilux Surf sat on my local garage’s lot for ages until a Haitian guy offered me $1500 for it!
Read what I wrote again Adam. It was a general statement that in my experience importing cars to France is not easy, even when they are from the EU (the UK was in the EU at the time). Therefore, and here’s the rub, I can well believe that importing them from further afield is even more difficult. A very reasonable assumption to make.
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Yes, I read your opinion that does not answer my question to another poster saying that France is not keen on Japanese imports.
To counter ‘your experience’ I have imported two cars from Japan outlined in an earlier post, both dead easy…
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Good, I’m delighted to hear it. Either you had more sympathetic functionaires then I had or ANTS is working. Both good outcomes. I had a row once because my local worthies said a UK export logbook wasn’t legitimate. I have to say that with every import I made they were bloody useless. In contrast the Impots people for my quittance were always charming and helpful.
@Roger_Lapin Other countries’ insurers recognise a UK / European NCB quite regularly so I wouldn’t worry on that front. Seriously There must be a way.
Are there any insurance arrangements where you could register it in Northern Ireland having a UK insurer take the NCB?
Hi,i can easily answer your question,i was told by someone that re-registers vehicles for a living, that when importing a vehicle to France ,avoid Japanese imports and vans,as they are the most problematic to re-register,simple as that,i have no reason to doubt them,but i am glad you managed it twice with no problem at all!