In view of my previous queries as to removing/replacing seats in MY van, it would appear so.
But, as per Mark Rimmer, "It depends which side … "
So I know my pair of CTists can take a sensible view/know their onions/exercise discretion - and I don’t mean bending the rules.
Corona’s BIL, however, is not so fortunate.
as a follow up to this, I’ve been trying to figure out a solution to get round this problem, and I’m now considering the following.
I’ve been in touch with a couple of custom van builders both within 30 mins of the tunnel in calais. they are approved Reimo roof fitters, and both offer a service to get the vehicle thru VASP and then subsequently CT, after any changes are made. being so close to calais it would be very doable just to take the van thru the tunnel and drop it off with them to fit the roof, windows, seat changes etc, anything that requires VASP. this way I would be guaranteed a custom campervan that will pass VASP, and then CT every 2 years. I can then take it back to the UK and use it as intended for the period leading up to my relocation, somewhere around the beginning of 2026.
hi thanks for this.
unfortunately as of today my plans have had to change indefinitely with regards campervans. I have mobility issues and knew that getting in and out of the drivers seat of a transporter or similar van would be tricky, but I thought I would be able to do it. well, it turns out I can’t. I went to my local vw van dealer today and tried it. every which way I could. no go. to be honest its extremely disappointing. I have wanted to get one of these for a long time for the independance it would offer me with my mobility issues, not thinking I would be scuppered by literally not being able to get into the drivers seat.
frustratingly, the guy on your link looks ideal, and I had also found 2 candidates not far from the channel tunnel who could do it.
I’m now having to concentrate on a suitable car instead of a van.
Really sorry to hear that, as you say when you have your plans scuppered. Hopefully you can find a vehicle you can get in and out of and just guessing is the extra height of a campervan ride thats the issue. I had a friend who got a mobility car that could literally load her and her wheelchair into the drivers position, as an engineer is was a marvel of mechanisms.
Lots of people seem to use converted Citroen Berlingo or Peugeot Tepee mini vans - would one of those perhaps work for you? They have the driver’s seat at a conventional car height.
Less room in the back than a full sized van, of course.
[quote=“whatsisname, post:45, topic:52126”] its extremely disappointing.
[/quote]
Calls to mind a berth holder at my boatyard, back-along. This fellow, retired Major, rugby front row > referee, Yachmaster Offshore instructor and examiner of YM.O instructors - tough as nails - was attacked as he stepped onto the stairway going down into Euston underground station.
He went crashing down to the bottom. His wallet was stolen.
But the injuries he suffered were catastrophic. He lost an eye. He had a fractured skull. He lost mobility in a knee. He had broken bones all over. His recuperation took 2 years.
He had a yacht moored in the marina at Tower Bridge. He lived on board. This boat was a steel hulled blue water cruiser, 36’-38’. Superbly equipped, you could sail it anywhere.
His friends brought it round to my boatyard on the Tamar because Major Tim was now in a rehab ‘hostel’ at Kingsbridge, South Hams.
He had high hopes of being fit enough to be ‘skipper-in-chief’ with someone else actually skippering the boat under his command. You can’t have two skippers on a boat but that was his idea.
He spent a good deal of money on various new equipment and maintenance.
Come the day when he wanted to go aboard. Two of us took him out in the work boat. It took the two of us to haul him up the side, over the guard rails and onto the deck. He was entirely incapable of helping himself in this. It would have been dangerous to try it from the usual tender to a yacht - a rigid dinghy or an inflatable.
The result was that Major Tim now knew that his plans had come to nothing. His days afloat were over. It was very sad.
He put the boat up for sale. I agreed with the marine surveyor who inspected it that £50k would be a fair price. It eventualy sold for £35k.
thanks for your comments and suggestions folks, its much appreciated.
after spending most of yesterday feeling decidedly sorry for myself (!) this afternoon I actually got my ass in gear and started trying to find solutions. I found this:
https://youtu.be/Komx9G2nLCA - on a vivaro
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/glQUmCmhz3U?feature=share - and a similar one on a transporter
an electric transfer plate. this would definitely work for me! so it would seem that tentatively the project might still be possible. the nature of my injury is such that I have particular trouble turning and rotating, meaning I can’t get in to the drivers cab forwards like most people would. the above would get round that. next step is to try and find someone with a van that has one of those fitted so I can try it.
as for the side door entry to a camper - it would require a half step placed on the ground infront of the open side door for sure, and the poptop to already be up, but its a different story as I can step up and in forwards without having to rotate or half-turn as in with the drivers seat. this also has to be tested of course, and my local vw dealer is going to let me know when they next have a california in for me to test this. once in the back with the roof up there will be no problems moving around and functioning.
re the smaller vans - I did look at these but I’m pretty sure even if you put a poptop on a berlingo the headheight you would have to step thru coming in thru the side door would be too low for me.
this is a terrible story to hear. 
were the perpetrator’s caught?
my injurys aren’t as severe as major tom’s, but similarly to him, my injury was inflicted upon me by the actions of a third party - in my case an NHS physiotherapist. getting your head round the psychological side of something like that is very challenging. its been 6 years now since it happened and my life now bears no resemblance to how it was pre injury. saying goodbye to motorbikes has been the hardest thing to swallow. they were a major part of my life and I used to spend several months each year touring europe. until I was 26 I was a professional tennis player, and even after retiring I kept up a very high level of fitness. I’m 58 now.
anyway, in this type of situation the important thing is to keep moving forward and finding solutions to the limitations you find yourself with or you will go mad. as in with this camper project. over the years I’ve gradually found ways round a lot of the logistical problems.
Chapeau to you.
Pretty much what Maj Tim said to camera when years later I happened to see a sequence on TV about the desk which helps people with mobility problems at a London train terminus. There he was, with his pirate’s eye patch, very chirpy - a long way from his gloomy talk of ‘self topping’.
From the reaction by the staff, he was a familar and much liked figure.
The person who pitched him down the stairs was not caught, as far as I know. It will have happened in a flash. He’d be a heap at the bottom of the steps before anyone on the scene would realise.
Silly question but is it legal for a British holidaymaker to drive their British modified (legal and insured etc) campervan in France even if it doesn’t necessarily meet the French standards?
Assuming you’re a UK citizen and resident, and the vehicle meets all UK requirements, and has insurance cover for the country/countries being visited then no problem.
And just to demonstrate that I’m a font of useless knowledge, this is thanks to the Vienna Convention.
Hello. I’m on a similar journey learning the system also. Yes it’s heartbreaking seeing how cheap and simple vehicle modifications are in the UK by comparison.
A couple of thoughts: people have successfully imported modified vans into France. They are subject to Dreal inspection and possibly have to be ripped appart to see the gas and electrics etc. But I believe that they can get registered. I’m not sure if this includes poptops. There is a Facebook group called registering vehicles in France and it would be worth joining and reading posts.
My van - a standard 2 seat van - is already on French plates as I imported it from Germany.
After speaking to Dreal I was told that I need a French company to carry out certain mods - installing 3 extra seats (I want a 5 seat van with a 3 seater bench turning into a bed) . Installing the poptop, and I’m not certain but possibly need a French company doing electrical and gas instal. Also for vasp there needs to be a sink inside the van and fixed storage unit which can be small , and as I need to go down the vasp route as I’m wanting a poptop and removing the bulkhead then I’m going to have to have a basic sink inside. I think a ventilation system is also a vasp requirement or perhaps only with gas cooker? I don’t think opening a window or door is enough - it’s painful I know.
I want extra windows too which have to conform to eu regs (bare the mark 45R) and these can be installed yourself as it’s non structural (or have them done in the uk but I probably wouldn’t say that) and think that the rest of the build can also be done yourself.
I also need to write to the manufacturer and ask permission to do the mods!!! They will take 70€ for Mercedes and say yes. Some document called the bar rouge gets updated and this is required for the dreal inspection. This might just be due to changes in structure- cutting roof, removing bulkhead and adding seats - but I’ve been advised to add everything you may do just so it’s covered and you don’t have to do all of it and it helps the vasp inspection.
It is my understanding that once the vehicle meets the requirements for vasp , it doesn’t get inspected again and the documents don’t detail the exact setup.
So you could - and I may be wrong - get the minimum work done in France and then do the rest yourself or abroad. Obviously you can’t make a hash of it or insurance won’t cover it, but it could be a way to save money.
Get a electric hook up socket and plug inside and then plug in a hob or microwave and that’s your electric and cooker ticked off. Screw in a ikea cupboard and that’s the storage ticked off. Etc.
I believe the vehicle gets weighed at the vasp inspection so if you install loads of cupboards after or in different places then you do risk being on the wrong side of the law. I’m not sure if a CT inspection weighs vehicles? But my van/camper is going to be lightweight and basic and modular so I’ll have a permanent drawer under the bench seat but when I go away I’ll clip in cupboards to the L-track I’ll install. The sink is a pain as I don’t really want one so I’ll have to check what the most basic type of sink and tap is to pass vasp inspection.
As long as the carte gris is updated then it should pass the CT . But if you’ve added cupboards and seats and it’s not listed as a camper or 5 seater then it won’t pass. My ct Center said they don’t really look at the seating other than the number of seats which must match the carte gris. It’s possibly ok to remove them and get through and be insured, it’s when you add seats then it’sa problem.
If anyone’s bothered to read this comment and can tell me otherwise I’m all ears but this is my understanding of how the system can be played a little.
Lots of ifs and maybe’s with no guarantee of successfully jumping through all (and more) hoops you describe. If you think it is worth all the hassle then go for it but after spending what sounds like a lot of time, effort a d money you will finish up with a vehicle so customised to you that resale would be almost unachievable.
France loves camper vans and there are literally 1000s for sale at any one time across the entire spectrum of design and price.
In my opinion a self build will always look like a cobble up but each to their own.
I wish you good luck with your idea.
Yes it’s extra hassle but it’s also affordability. For example it’s twice the price to have a company in my region in France buy and install side windows compared to the uk.
The main ifs and buts (of which the answer can be found with a few phone calls) are regarding if future work- work after the initial inspection - is subject to further inspections or if that is not necessary. If it’s true that my van only requires 1 dreal inspection then I can get it through with something basic and then when I can afford I can re-build and modify it. Often with campers you realise that there are bits you need or things you don’t require. It would be nice if you didn’t need it signed off each time a small change is made. It would also mean that the extra work could be diy or done from a professional outside of France.
Yes I’m definitely after something customised to me. That’s part of the beauty of it. I can’t see its re-sale being unachievable - that’s a bit of a bold statement . I think what I’ll create will be much more desirable to some people than what’s commonly available which is often a bulky build with heavy full kitchen made from Mfc or hippy dippy wooden clad interior and tiled splash backs etc. Lots of people lots of various tastes and needs. The fact that I imported the vehicle from a dealer in Germany ment I already saved 1/4 of what it sells for in France as an empty van. Plus I’m not looking at resale , just what I need and what I can afford and unfortunately France is very expensive. What I need is a van with lots of space inside and a couple modular storage options for when I go camping. However because I want/need a poptop and to remove the bulkhead and have a RIB bench seat I’m told I need to go full VASP.
It’s a couple months on, did you start this process? Curious on the prices, rimo is very expensive although good quality I understand thanks
To the op - sorry to hear of your ups and downs - my initial comment was made after only reading the first few posts but I’ve been working my way through the thread.
Were you Going to be based mostly in France? In which case wouldn’t you prefer à LHD vehicle? There’s an app called autoscout24 and you can look all over the EU and the globe for vehicles. Like autotrader but global.
I was looking for a second hand sprinter and not only was there little choice near me they were also beaten up and expensive. Loads in Germany however and I saved a 1/4. Enjoyed the ride back from Berlin (although companies do deliver) . Importing was pretty straightforward and I think it only cost a few hundred euros and a couple months wait to put it on French plates but it was insured to drive the whole time.
my initial plan had been exactly what you suggest - buying in germany or belgium, LHD transporter, then import to france. then all the hoop jumping you describe in your previous post. what scuppered the whole plan tho was much simpler and more basic than all that - becaue of my mobility issues, I literally couldn’t get in to the transporter drivers seat - it was too high. this was very disappointing and at that point I was pretty hacked off with the whole concept. after a bit of time, I started to look at smaller vans like the nissan nv200, which would work for me. when I’ve got the head space I’ll start looking at it again.
I did find a way to do all the DREAL VASP stuff - I found a van builder not far from the tunnel near calais. he said he was able to do all DREAL VASP related stuff for me and get it thru inspections etc. this is all pre my move to france but knowing I was permanently moving to france shortly. now tho, I’m thinking of waiting till after I have moved, then buy a used nissan nv200 based camper close to my requirements, that already has the required certifications. then add poptop by a french company. still mulling it all over.
but no doubt about it, having a custom campervan in france is a huge ballache compared to the UK.
