Saga accept a French no claims, translated by an English speaking French broker on headed paper with the actual certificate attached. My friend did it. So, i don't see why others wouldn't.
You do not say if you live here permanently or not & this affects the cars' status.The law is quite clear on this. If you are a permanent resident in France,(or any EU country) you may not own a car registered in another country. If you live here you have one month to start the process of importing. Failure to do so leaves you open to a 5 year prison sentence, a fine of at least 3750 euros, a 3 year ban & your car being confiscated.
French residents are not permitted to drive non French registered cars on the French roads which renders all those long term UK registered cars tooling around in France illegal .
Incidentally the reverse is also true, the DVLA site states clearly and without ambiguity that "UK residents are not entitled to use a foreign registered vehicle on UK roads"
The code de la route states-
I. - The act of circulating, on roads open to public traffic a motor vehicle or trailer unless the vehicle is equipped with plates or signs required by the regulations and also to declare a number, a name or home address other than his own or that of the owner is punishable by five years in prison and 3750 euro fine.
Article L317-3 En savoir plus sur cet article...
I. - Le fait de faire circuler, sur les voies ouvertes à la circulation publique un véhicule à moteur ou une remorque sans que ce véhicule soit muni des plaques ou inscriptions exigées par les règlements et, en outre, de déclarer un numéro, un nom ou un domicile autre que le sien ou que celui du propriétaire est puni de cinq ans d'emprisonnement et de 3 750 euros d'amende.
II. - Toute personne coupable de cette infraction encourt également les peines complémentaires suivantes :
1° La suspension, pour une durée de trois ans au plus, du permis de conduire, cette suspension pouvant être limitée à la conduite en dehors de l'activité professionnelle ;
2° La confiscation du véhicule.
III. - Ce délit donne lieu de plein droit à la réduction de la moitié du nombre maximal de points du permis de conduire.
So if you live in France your car MUST be French registered, no ifs or buts, or you are breaking the law.
So any French resident driving a UK plated car with no current tax, UK mot or insurance is one not to have an accident with.
Nowadays in order to obtain a French CT you will need to change the headlights AND supply a European certificate of conformity, Which means you have almost all you need to register your car here anyway.
Considering how important having a car is I am constantly amazed at how low in importance doing things properly is with some Brits!
Well said, as the brokers don't always give you the options. So, make sure you ask. I am really good friends with my broker so he doesn't pull he wool over my eyes. assurland was just an example of being a little more savvy than going to a broker.
Bit late for us now as we have lived in France for 3 years...but wonder when we move back if I will be able to count my years of no claims here....
Its easier to 'pretend' if you have a UK address...which we have...but we are registered as living here so pay our taxes etc in France...but we have friends with no UK address who still use the NHS...dont pay taxes here etc... always feel its an accident waiting to happen...
To join Finn, my English no claims was accepted and my 4 x 4 is only €450 fully comp & breakdown
I agree with Clare on this. It cost me about £400 some years ago to re-register my Morris Minor over here. The Sous-Prefecture had a list of all the steps which you have to go through to do so. It's simple but costs. However, if you live more than 183 days, in France you are resident in France and are obliged under the law to re-register your car. You may get away with it for years, if not forever, but if you get caught, technically, I am lead to believe that the Police can confiscate your car for starters.
I have had discussions in the past with a few ex-Pat friends who have sworn black is white that the 183 days law does not apply to them, even though they are clearly living in France full-time without a UK address.
Finn I am so glad you have joined us and as I said before to everyone if you are savvy you can keep your costs down. Sorry, Finn Savvy is an English expression
no that isnt expensive Finn....but Axa wouldnt accept no claims...and they were my previous insurers in the UK! I paid just under 500 euros last year...I have an address in the UK and a car I keep there...I pay just on 200quid...same car...but more recent model in the UK...
No Carly, you haven't you just asked for advice. But try assurland.com for a quote they will compare loads of companies in France and you may see the price come down. But remember everyone, if you do it with a broker, they take commission and they will not necessarily give you the cheapest on there books. Trust me I know!!!!!!!!!!!
the lights were a nightmare....and we paid over 350 euros for the whole new units...and frankly, we dont do anything with our cars bar drive them...hes a Dr, Im a nurse and cars are there to drive not to fix! but it wasnt a simple procedure to re-register...we were living in the Languedoc then and had to visit 3 different offices...all over Perpignan...they dont make it easy!
We were allowed to use our no claims and we are with GAN but did it with an English agent registered in France using French insurance companies and ours was the same cost and included breakdown cover. You can also use the website Assuraland.com where you can get lots of different companies quotes. We are told by our broker that AXA & GAN are the most expensive company for car insurance in France, but we stay with them because of there customer service is good. You get what you pay for. Imagine how much it will cost you if you had a serious accident and they investigate and find that you are resident in France. A lot more than it would you annual premium. If you are savvy, you can get your headlight from ebay, a breakers yard, or try Germany, it is much cheaper. I think that some of this is down to know how and getting the correct information. Our Nissan Pathfinder Aventura, a big 4 wheel drive, 6 years old, cost less than that, about €400, I totally understand if it cost that much but I am not sure if you were taken for a ride or not.
NFU Mutual give me a green card valid for a year even though the car is never there for more than 6 months in any year. Try them,their premiums won't match those on tv with extremely irritating adverts but their personal service is excellent.
No, we have our cars MOTd here, we have an English plate on the one for sale. We have checked up and we can keep it on English plates here, we not not avoiding anything, we pay insurance on it, to a French insurance company and it is totally maintained here, we are residents. I can't give you a link to DVLA but we informed them, and the car is no longer taxed in the UK.
It seems I have opened up a can of worms with this topic! I have received a quote for insurance to cover both here and in France for up to a year but it works out twice the normal renewal premium. From a personal note, I have not yet made the final decision to move to my holiday home and will do so during the holidays, so for now a green card for the holidays will suffice. If I do decide to stay then I will obviously look to transfer the car to French plates and also find local insurance. Thanks for all the advice!!
Well said Ken. I think it is a case of ignorance is bliss with some and I hasten to add you are NOT ignorant. But I also think that some people have a fear of some of the systems here, due to a lack of knowledge. To everyone out there watching this post. It is not difficult and it keeps you safe. You only have to have an accident with another idiot on the road, it's not your fault, but you are then under the spotlight for fraud.
Its not difficult Clare but its very expensive. I insisted on bringing over my old Agila...knowing my other half who had sold his old car, would buy a new one here...and I like my independence. I registered the Agila that was 6 years old and probably worth £500 - £600 top whack. It cost over a thousand euros to do all the work required for it to comply! which is a big spend....on the other hand...an ex au pair of ours did the same in the UK...bringing over her French car to the UK and it cost a few quid to change the lights...full stop! plus the insurance is higher here...as a driver with 30 years experience and no accidents or points for speeding in the UK my insurance is almost half what it is here....and not being allowed to claim for all those years with a clean licence because its a different country is ridiculous...we used Axa in the UK and Axa here...so why not allow the no claims??? all to make money thats why!
Pardon my ignorance, but why is it important to keep your car registered and insured in a country that is not your current home? What exactly is wrong with registering your German, Spanish or French built car in France rather than in UK? Surely it will be exactly the same car no matter what the number plate.
Or is it just a fear of building up penalty points if the car had a French registration mark??
Julia have you told your insurance agents that you live in France and your car has UK plates? because its actually illegal....its possible if you have a claim you could have a big problem...
I don't understand why people do not transfer their cars over if they live here. It's not hard, the insurance is no more expensive and you are totally legal! No if's or buts. Chris, you obviously didn't find it hard and neither should anyone else. Well done you.