I got close to needing a DREAL inspection as detailed here The fun of importing UK 2nd Hand Car to France post Brexit
If a right hand drive vehicle is registered in France it is is compulsory since Brexit.
My first CT was done when still in Europe and the CT center said donât worry about it, but when I had the last one in July 2021 it was a fail and I was told the lights need to be changed. They do however accept corrective stickers on the head lights.
My cert of con from Renault cost nothing. They were very helpful.
Peugeot/Citroen are 220âŹ, Fiat 350âŹ, Hyundai & Kia free, etc.
COCs for UK cars tend to have the phrase âcan be permanently registered in Member States having left hand traffic and using imperial units for the speedometer and imperial units for the odometerâ Which in turn often triggers this response from ANTS - âmerci de nous retourner un PV de RTI (ProcĂšs Verbal de RĂ©ception Ă Titre Isole). En effet, le COC est destinĂ© Ă l immatriculation pour les pays dont la conduite est Ă gauche et qui utilisent les unitĂ©s mĂ©triques et impĂ©riales: ce qui nâest pas le cas de la France. Cordialement.â
Newer cars (post 2010) tend to have the TVV information on the V5c already.
@Dubber
You were very fortunate, friends of ours who re-reg their car here for just the 12 months had to have their lights changed and it cost them âŹ1800. The insurance companies (they tried several) all demanded the car should be able to meet French CT standards (discussed in other SF thread) and four test centers rejected stick on patches as acceptable light conversions. These lights now for saleâŠsee SF for sale and wantsâŠbut with no takers nor from other numerous other ads 
âŠso an expensive experience.
Luckily my Audi A6 estate (still for sale) has switchable ones 
It was a comment on the CT I had recently but not a fail - my car failed due to mismatched tyres on same axle which have since been replaced. I am taking it back for retest this week - I will report back with the result.
You were very lucky not to have DVLA clamp it. They run detection vehicles with 4 way ANPR cameras and donât miss much.
The drive to an MOT exemption really only applies for a reasonable distance from where the vehicle is kept, personally Iâd pre book an MOT within 20 miles of the port and get a confirmation, also carry the phone number of the garage just in case, avoid one thet requires driving on major routes to avoid ANPR, just to save yourself extra bother, then make for the nearest post office brandishing your MOT and tax it pronto
You can do it online as soon as you have the MOT pass.
The regulations for a CT allow for stick on adjusters on the headlights.
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Hello everyone,this has nothing to do with returning a car to the UK,but with my driving licence. Excuse me please for jumping on board, Iâm hoping someone will be able to help me. Could someone tell me how long it takes between applying with ANTS to change a UK licence for a French one? Thankyou in advance
A friend started in August last year. It is still pending.
@penny
why not post on one of the threads about Licenses⊠try this one and youâll find a useful Group link, who might be able to help
Can you tax without an MoT?
BTW that was a reply to Larkswood who suggested taxing before getting on the ferry
I see two possible options to consider:
A) If you have a pre booked appointment for an MoT then you are legally allowed to drive on the road direct to that Testing Station IF insured & not sure if Road Tax needed (??)
B) There are a few folks offering trailer service behind their vans / large cars who can take it for you for a price and if you can be flexible then price is obviously lower !!!
It is expensive as there is now 10% import tax and 20%TVA to pay on importation of vehicles from a non EU country
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Trailering back to the UK is the only legal option as a pre booked MOT in the UK might be permissible in the UK but if the Gendarmes stop you they will want to see that the vehicle has everything valid. If the MOT is expired, the vehicle is not road legal.
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No.
But you are allowed to drive to a pre-booked MOT test appointment without tax. It can also be driven home without tax if the car fails because of minor issues.
If the car passes, it must be taxed before being driven on the road (eg away from the test centre).
No, need MOT to tax