So finally with the help of well-informed advice from this forum we’re taking the plunge and selling up entirely in the UK, we see this as our best option, both financially and from a commitment perspective, we’re moving to France in 2025, this gives us plenty of time to get everything sorted, I hope.
We’ve had property in France for almost 10 years now so our permanent move from the UK won’t require Pickford’s but perhaps a transit van or two for personal items.
I will sell our UK vehicles but before the move I intend to buy a van in France, which I also intend to keep after the move too.
So, can I buy a van in France and insure (probably via AXA) whilst my maison is secondaire and we are not full time residents?
If this is OK, what websites do you recommend I’ve been looking at via-mobilis.com and lebonncoin.fr.
Then I just need to find something Transit size 2 -4 years old that hasn’t been used as a builders workhorse, something clean and tidy that’s moved MTB’s around perhaps.
I think it’s been clarified that "YES"the vehicle can be bought/registered and insured here in France … using a Maison Secondaire address…
although I’m not sure where this leaves you if you intend taking it back to UK… and driving it in UK while you are still Resident there…
I’m thinking about the Brit Rule saying a Brit Res can’t drive a foreign reg’d vehicle in UK… (or have I gone mad…???)
Perhaps it would be ok for the short trip from UK home to FR maison… and back… provided it didn’t go anywhere else…
I’m sure someone will come onboard and clear things up…
The problem is the carte grise which will be in the name of the seller. You cannot take the vehicle out of France until you as the new owner have a new carte grise which is now NOT done immediately at the prefecture as it used to be but on the ANTS which could take weeks. You may not even be able to get insurance without a new carte grise either.
Insurance is necessary from the moment the vehicle becomes the Buyer’s liability… and a cover note can be arranged in advance, via the Insurance Co which has agreed to take the Vehicle onto its books… Insurance cover starts from that moment.
Once the Buyer has the new CG the Insurance will want to see it to update their records and they keep a copy on their files…
I am just saying from personal experience that we werenot allowed to take a van out of France when we first set up the business, bought a second hand van and OH was going back to collect the last of his tools and machines but the Prefecture stopped him saying he would need to have a new carte grise with his name and french address on it and they could not do it for a couple of days due to the holidays etc, that was in 1995 and you had to go to the prefecture for all vehicle matters regarding paperwork back then. The big problem was if the customs at the port decided to check the papers.
We/everyone can often find differing experiences… which we offer up for consideration.
But I can’t really understand why your Pref stopped van car being driven… whether it be in or out of the country… but there you go… these things happen… darn nuisance though.
Not a van of course, but we’ve bought and sold a few cars in France… and with full documentation and copies of everything possible to do with the Sale… handed to the Buyer, the Buyer has then been able to drive the vehicle to wherever… including abroad.
Hopefully @Grumpy_OldMan won’t need to get even grumpier…
I just want to get a bit of a head start and acquire a French vehicle before our move, it has a number of benefits as I see it.
Intention was/is to have a van once we are residents in France anyway
Van has plenty of comfort space to transport our three Maine Coon cats (relatively stress free) as well as two German Shepherds.
A van affords us the opportunity to bring a few larger personal items over well before our permanent move.
Having a French vehicle would mean we can sell our English cars in advance of our move, jump into the French vehicle, pass house keys to English estate agent (once UK property is sold) and Yippee Ki-Yay.
So from Shiba’s info I’m not clear now if this is possible
Hmm…
as I’ve said… I’m not sure you’re going to be able “to drive” a foreign registered vehicle in UK until you are no longer a UK Resident.
If it was just one trip back to UK, grab the stuff and the pets and return immediately… worth contemplating…
But… it sounds as if you’re considering the van being in UK longer… and, as I’ve said… I’m not sure you aren’t going to find yourself the wrong side of the Law…
Secondhand vehicles are expensive here, a 4 year old clean Transit with sensible kms on the clock will cost you around 20K. If you already have a van I’d bring it with you and get it re-reg’d when you move here, very easy and not expensive.
Why not buy a 2nd hand van in UK… drive it back and forth… no problems… bring your stuff over gradually… over a period of time…
and you might eventually decide to keep it in France (import it) … once you are here permanently.
As per my above post I was talking with someone who’d done this post Bexit and said what a kerfuffle it was, which gave me the idea of getting a French one.
Anyway no worries, I’ve got plenty more questions to post in the forum
I had a quick look at what’s required to import a vehicle from the UK since Brexit and apart from an extra customs form everything seems to be the same -
Change headlights, make sure you have a Certificate of Conformity, get a CT and be prepared to complete loads of documents most which can be done online.
Thanks guys for the heads-up, I’ll likely wait to just before the move date and get one in France and make just one or two trips if that is possible. I don’t particularly want a UK right hander, it’ll only dilute my full on French experience
I’ll drop my French AXA insurance agent a note on this too and see what their thoughts are.
Just what I did., except for the last bit - importing it.
If I had stripped it out of the camper van stuff, I could have imported it but FR rules now won’t matric a DIY camper. With the help of @fabien - he had already insured it pending a CT - and Mark Rimmer for the ANTS/Duoane aspect, there seemed no problem other than the above.
In the end I decided the Movano was one size too big, took it back to UK and sold it.
I will now set about importing a UK Trafic/Vivaro which will fit under standard car park height bars.
Your information is way out of date!
Yes ANTS is the go to site for buying abd selling a vehicle that requires immatriculation but they do not take weeks to produce a carre gris in the new owners name. I have sold 2 and bought 4 in the last 3 years and each time the new carte gris has arrived by registered post within 7 working days.
As for insurance @Stella has already covered the procedure to follow.
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