Well thank you to all, so much information that I really did not know about… Just to confirm…
a) if your vehicle was manufacture before 31 Jan 2020 you do not need a 846a you just need a Quittas Fiscale as it comes under Euro Origin, but if it was manufactured after 31 Jan 2020 then
b) you DO need a 846a unless… you fufill the criteria of …
"If you are moving permanently to France having lived outside of the EU for more than one year, your vehicle can be registered duty and tax free if it is listed in the inventory of your belongings, drawn up in duplicate, AND meets the following three conditions:
It is not a commercial vehicle
You own the vehicle and have used it in the past 6 months
UK taxes on the vehicle have been paid"
So basically husband needs option a) and I need option b) … but car isn’t included in the removals bit as they are not arriving till end of Feb (when Notaires get their a**e into gear!!) and house sale is completed but car is already here…
I really think I understand. little more now, but its not easy is it? Like the idea of Fabian and will definitely go down this route but just need that carte grise first to avoid any fines… I really do want to do things correctly and am not attempting to avoid paying what is due, but they don’t make it easy do they… ?
Many thanks for all of your comments - it means a lot…
@janewalker55
Only you know when the Insurance on the car actuallyruns out…
However, we in France know only too well that NOT to have Insurance is very, very serious.
I realise you probably think I’m nagging (and offer my apologies) but it is in a good cause.
Even if the car is “off the road” it must still be Insured… so do make sure it is.
I think in actual fact, they make it pretty easy considering where you are coming from. The UK voted to float off without any form of customs agreement or anything, therefore you cannot blame the EU for applying the rules. France is actually very sympathetic to the individual.
Again, I do urge you to look into the detail of moving residency as the TVA may well be a lot of money. Check that it might be possible to bring the cars in prior to the reaminder of possessions - it could be that you just need to list what possessions you are bringing in, and they are ticked off as the arrive.
As for 846a, where have you obtained the info you have? 846a is a green form issued by customs that all duties and tax are paid. It is from this form that the tax office will issue you a Quittas Fiscale. From my dealings, I think you will need this form for every car…
I have never found insurance an issue! Quite the reverse in fact! Yes, France wants continuity of insurance, and a good thing! Lax impositions on car insurance leads to the mess that is in the UK. So yes, do this asap please. I think you will be very unlucky indeed if you meet any opposition to the UK plates concern.
Regarding the rest of the car registration procedure, I say it is easy - maybe as I have done quite a few it is easy to say… You could consider an agent to take it on - here is one:
They might help alleviate the stress. I do not know if they can advise you on the cutoms element of importing TVA free, but worth asking.
You don’t need the quitus fiscale any more thé 846A is enough. The first car I bought from UK in 2019 I needed a quitus fiscale but the one I did in 2021 I just needed the 846A.
I wrote about the process here along with all of the info required:
If your V5 has entries thus at D2 you will not need to get a CoC. These codes represent the EU Conformity status and did away with the need to get a paper CoC. At 7 years old, your car should be well within the period when this coding became ‘operational’. It did the trick for my 2007 car.
And worth pointing out that if there are legitimate delays in the process of transferring, then most French insurers are accommodating and will extend the coverage beyond the original 90 days. Contrary to popular belief they are not ogres and many will understand and do what they can to help - they certainly did for me. However, don’t use this as an excuse to delay things - tempting though that is sometimes.
Agree with above posting,there are insurance companies that are still happy to insure UK reg cars,so message for original poster is that there is no need to panic,not sure where you are in relation to St Malo but could put you in touch with an insurer that can help you, if you get stuck.
Our local Agents sometimes asked me to translate/help when a Brit was delaying/delayed with Immatriculation. As you say… the companies are helpful provided they are not being messed about.
Mostly, things went well…
However, there is one Brit who risks my wrath if I ever set eyes on him again. He kept promising to do blah blah blah (whatever was necessary) but, in fact did nothing at all and was simply taking the michael…
and I was innocently/in good faith telling the Insurers that he was “on the case and having unexpected delays…”
In the end his Insurers did pull the plug, but he had already flown the coop… probably chuckling at how he had pulled a fast one and got away with it…
Let’s put it this way, he’s not on my Christmas List.
Haven’t read all the comments but you are supposed to register your car within a month of moving to France.
If you have Facebook, join the group ‘registering vehicles in France’ it’s full of experts that can help you. Before venturing to appointments here and there, it might be easier to get a local garage to do this process for you for a fee but in any case find out all you want from this group first, they can also calculate the fees before you do any more. It’s certainly a lot more expensive since Brexit. Good luck
Thank you for that info… I shall definitely have a look… I have been told so far, one month, 6 months and 12 months… I am six weeks in and haven’t done it… Terrified to drive!! Again, thank you…
Don’t worry. We registered one of our vehicles over 12 months after arriving here. The authorities seem happy that you have actually done it - mind you we hadn’t used it on the road in that time.
You’re welcome, there are experts on the group who can talk you through it and lots of files in the tabs if you want to read for yourself. You can easily get so much conflicting information. When we registered our car a few years ago, I got someone to do it for me. (I was charged 20€ for the admin!) It’s more complicated and expensive now. I don’t know if you have to take it anywhere for an inspection. Let us know how you get on.
I cannot believe that this is still being discussed! What with what has been said above, there is still talk of expert groups on feecebook (lawd help us on that one… )
I would have thought by now you would have been to your local insurance broker and returned from the St Malo customs with your 836 ready to get your WW plate…!
If you want to see what you will pay on your cars - an exerpt from the link I gave you on eplaque.fr…
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