Hello all. I have just joined to hopefully gain some of you collective wisdom. Some quick background first - probably of no consequence to this question… My wife is French, I’m a brit. We have had a home in France for 15 + years though as we both work for UK companies havent yet made the actual leap… I had a brit friend who shuttled between homes in Normandy and Thailand on a 6 monthly cycle. He would drop his modern French reg car in the UK and fly away. And on return pick up car ,visit rell’ies and drive back to Normandy. Sadly during covid he died in Thailand. The car has sat with me since. His lady partner (never wife) has recently said she no longer wants the car (she shuttles UK-Sweden) - I may have it and on our imminent retirement take it back to France as a modern run-about. However we seem to be stuck with the registration… Transfer cert and new registration, requires supporting docs Carte Gris and Death Cert…..In part I suspect she may not want the car for sentimental reasons and hence doesnt care to be deeply engaged in this. However as I’m not the heir and no one knows where the carte Gris may be…is there a route through the bureaucracy to get the thing into our name?
Have you contacted the Notaire who dealt with the French element of your friends estate?
The Notaire dealing with his death and succession will be in charge of this matter. I had to get the heirs (our joint children) to sign an attestation that the family car could be transferred to me (CG was in OH name from new) and then I had to get a new carte grise made out in my name and address. Back then you had to go to the local prefecture and do it, but probably online now. Anyway the Notaire has to be involved as it is part of the sucession and inheritance process regarding possessions.
Yes, thank you both, I suspect this will be the way forward, I shall have to enquire who that may be and make an approach to them. Of course I fear treading too heavily asking who handled my old friends estate settlement, but since the car is ‘useless’ without a living title holder, needs must I suppose.