I live in theUK and have a holiday home in the Dordogne. In 2018, I bought (in the UK) a new, Italian built mini tractor, 20 hp engine. While insured, using the serial number, it is not road registered in the UK, although it has an Italian registration certificate ( but no number plates). Next year, I would like to take it to my property to use for grass cutting, ground maintenance etc. While I do not plan to use it on the road, I have to cross a very minor local road to get to part of my land. Should I get it registered? I have an EU certificate of conformity. If so what is the procedure? Additionally, any recommendations for French insurance brokers?
Certainly, for Insurance… I would suggest you contact @fabien our tried-and-trusted Insurance expert…
Having availed myself of his services - I can highly recommend him.
As for Registration… I think you will find that all motor vehicles have to be Registered
https://www.demarches.interieur.gouv.fr/particuliers/quelles-regles-immatriculation-tracteurs
Hi there, quick answer => All vehicles should be registered in France including tractors even if they never see an open road (and this one would ;)) so you have at least one answer here 
In terms of insurance though, tractors are quite tricky (hint, premium is low trouble is high to find a provider ) so brokers won’t have much of a choice (including me) 
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How do you define a vehicle? Surely there must be a distinction between lawn tractors that do not need registering and micro tractors that do. There are also numerous off road and track vehicles that do not require registration as they are never used on the road.
Different scenarios, for tractors it’s mostly the usage. When the usage is for agriculture it needs to be registered as long as the vehicle was built after 01/2010
When it’s a trailer it’s when the max weight is > 500kg (and actually below it should bear the number of it’s tractor).
Any vehicle that hits an open road (even for just a couple meters) should also be registered.
Sit on mowers are also a vehicle. The rule for them is simple => They are either “ready to run on open roads” (what we call “homologué”) and therefore they need to be registered (if built after 2010) or they aren’t and in that case no registration is required because they will basically stay on private land BUT if the usage is agriculture or in the forest then back to the registration square
Dan… French Law is what defines which vehicle does or does not need something… there is lots of info around on this forum and elsewhere (as we regularly chew the fat on this subject). 
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Stella, fabien stated that ALL vehicles should be registered in France… I was merely pointing out that that statement was not true and might be particularly confusing where lawn mowers/tractors were concerned. It might have been better to state that all road vehicles should be registered but all motorised vehicles should be insured. Yet again details.
As Stella has stated on her post this subject has been chewed over many times.
You mention 01/2010 or later as a point when registration becomes obligatory, can you please expand on this as I have not seen this mentioned previously, thanks in advance.
Micro tractors are not allowed on the public roads in France.
If you are bringing one into France it has to go through ‘homolgation’ to certify it conforms with french law. The homolation is like a CT inspection but is only done once. DEKRA are one of the organisations that does this.
Regarding insurance, I went to my broker and got fully comp for €95.