I realise there’s bits of the answers to my question all over this forum, but I need a simple understand of where to start.
In France now 3 months in the Lot (46). Where do I stat? Car is 3 years (4 technically in April), so I need a CT first? and then there’s the lights? can I get it re-registered without having the lights changed (Skoda Octavia 2013 series), very disappointed Skpda don;t have the switch to adjust beam. Is this something you can do yourself?
On-line I had a bash at trying to reregister, it wasn’t having any of it! Won’t accept the UK registration. Was at Prefecture yesterday and they’ve given me a list of garages who said they will do it
Anyone know the easiest and right way to start here - ideally minimising cost as this looks like €1000 to get car onto the system!
Not wanting to be rude, but why not flog it to a returning Brit and buy an already French registered car (preferably LHD) and save yourself a ton of money and the inevitable hassle trying to find your way round the French Administration system?
Alternatively, as Stella says, find yourself a garage who will do all this work for you (you’ll have to pay, of course).
We has considered selling it in UK, but we’re oddlly semi-rural despite
being in a beautiful village and needed it from day 1. We will consider
selling somewhere! Too.
I know the costs are not set it’s looking at the CO2 charges etc, and
lights, (alhtough I think it’s something you could do yourself if you
could get the kit!)
As said use one of the garages listed. You do not need a CT to register your car but will need one in April. The same goes for the lights although, to be legal, your lights need to dip correctly from the day you arrived in France. A post a few days ago stated that the new CT will allow beam deflectors but that will be too late for you.
It’s unfair to blame Skoda for not providing switchable lights, that usually involves fitting Xenon headlights, an expensive option that most car buyers would put way down the list of desirability, long after an upgraded stereo, alloy wheels and air con. There is always a cost involved in importing a car but it is the individual’s choice to do so and the registration fee is not followed by an annual road tax.
Swapping headlights on modern cars varies from model to model. I have one car where it is easy, I unlock the lights using an Allen key, slide the old lights out, slide the new lights in and tighten them up. My other car is far more complicated as it involves dismantling the front end of the car, removing the front bumper, spoiler, front wheel arch lining etc before having to deal with the lights themselves. Your Skoda will be more like the second car.
Ours is OK…we’ve had it for years…bought it originally to help me with my map-reading when we were touring…before we moved here full time.
I use it in my “office” now and no longer need the lighting-up bit (though it still works). The large size of the lens is excellent for screen work…and it also has a small extra-strong magnifying bit in one corner… which has proved its worth more than once…
Hi all newbie to the forum looking for information around the process of regging a uk car/ van through the ANTS website in the year we have been here I’ve already regd the vespa and the better half’s zafira but and each process has been different but now is the time to register the c15 and it’s got to the point of wanting to throw the laptop out of the window in sent all relevant paperwork to prefecture who happily returned it saying I need to use the ANTS site which i did setting up an account only to find you cannot reg imports through a standard account needing to set up a France connect account which I did even getting my passport verified by the postie went back onto the ANTS site signed in with France connect only to be told that I can’t use this as I have a undefined code error contacting la posted they said some sites require that I need a citizenship card but contact ants they should be OK which I did explaining my predicament they replied how to do it but that is couldn’t use France connect so now what do I do?
Can I use a local Citroën dealership for this process? I know they reg cars but not sure if imports as well?
