Hi everyone. Just wondered if anyone can give advice as I am selling my Renault Espace which is not registered on French plates. I know in France that when selling a French registered car you must have minimum 18 months CT but is it ok, if a buyer agrees, to print a statement declaring that the buyer is buying the foreign registered car as seen, tried and tested without a French CT? Thanks for any advice, Ralph, Rossi and big 7.25kgs Harri 
Oh I get it (takes a while ....) - thanks - just entertained myself on Autotrader - they seem to be between 800 and 1200 gbp, so my asking price of 950 euros seems acceptable ......
No, Fiona, its just that if it was originally a UK car it will only be worth the same money here. One cannot look at prices of French LHD & presume that a RHD car is worth anything like the same. If a car in the UK is worth ÂŁ1000 it is still only worth ÂŁ1000 here, regardless of what the same LHD car would sell for here.
I'm just councelling a simle way of valuing your car.
Possibly being a bit thick here, but are you suggesting I sell it in the UK? That would be a non-starter because the headlights were changed when we moved to NL in 2006, and I sold the old ones on Ebay. Suspect we end up selling it for scrap just to get shot of the thing!
Hi Shirley, yes it does have the COC certificate which took me 4 months to get due to incompetent staff at Renault. Cheers Ralph
Unfortunately its 1999.
Hi Fiona, I have the COC certificate. Have put it through the CT but failed on not having French CT for gas system and very annoyingly, the tyres fitted to my 17" alloy wheels are apparently the wrong size for the car. I drove this car for 2 years and towed a trailer over to France without any problems and the tyres fit the car perfectly without rubbing. He got stats off the Internet. The car is fitted with adjustable gas shocks as well and has been adjusted accordingly to accommodate the larger wheels. Very annoying!
Patricia,
If your Vauxhall is post 2000 then you can order a C of C online for 115 euros plus VAT from https://www.eurococ.eu/en/certificate_of_conformity.
It takes 10 days unless you pay the extra for the express service.
My only comment is I have been quoted 350 euros by Opal france (where I have to get the CoC from as advised by UK office). I have just found some 2nd hand headlights so hopefully that bit will be sorted soon. Your list was extremely helpful though so thanks for taking the time.
Patricia,
All you need is to follow the instructions listed on the French government website rather than someone else's interpretation of the requirements!!. Most countries still require a certificate of conformity which, even if you pay the French concessionaire the full 170 euros it is still cheaper than paying a similar amount every year for a coloured round bit of paper to stick in your windscreen as in the UK!
Headlights can be bought online - look for an Opel - check french ebay, not expensive if they are not xenon type.
Otherwise just follow the list below!
You will need:-
1) UK log book V5C
2) European Certificate of Conformity
3) Controle Technique (if car is over 4 years old). This was supplimented by a note which did say that an equivalent such as a UK MOT would also be acceptable from May if it was tested less that 6 months previously but I have not tested this myself yet!
4) Quitas Fiscal – certificate showing that there is no import duty to be paid. Get this from a Tresor Public regional office.
5) cerfa n°13754*02 déclaration de cession du véhicule duly completed. Not required if logbook is in your name.
6) cerfa n°13750*03 Demande de certificat d'immatriculation completed as much as possible.
7) Proof of identity – (passport)
8) Proof of French address (Electricity or phone bill).
9) Payment for registration fee.
All the info can be found here http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/particuliers/F1050.xhtml
Fiona,
May I suggest that you value your RHD Vauxhall by looking on a UK car selling site such as Autotrader?
This will tell you what people expect to pay for a RHD car. The purchase of a ferry ticket & changing the headlights does not add much value to a car which 99% of the population would not even consider.
I have a nice Saab convertible for sale - if it was LHD it would be worth 6000 euros, but as a RHD one it could be bought in the UK for ÂŁ1750!
Bob, it's Bulgarian! Did you not read the thread?
Learned summat today, thanks Mark.
Order headlights on line, not from France. We saved loads on our Toyota ones by buying them from Germany on line. I fitted them myself as it was really easy on our Corolla.
Having imported 3 vehicles - 2 from the Netherlands and 1 from the UK, my understanding is that you need a carte grise in order to get a complete CT - I had to get the CT done with the foreign registration for the CG, then take the CoC ( bought on line for about 100 euros), CT certificate, completed paperwork, quittus fiscal from tax office (need reg docs from country of origin, and original purchase invoice showing all taxes paid), then to the prefecture to get the CG, then went back to CT station with CG to get CT vignette with the French registration number. And of course order your lovely new french numberplate.
Beware the LPG conversion - in order to register the car properly, you need to get the LPG installation checked by DRIRE, so that you can get an LPG CT, and then a CG showing it is a LPG vehicle.
My insurers (AXA) gave me a 2 month insurance certificate with the foreign registration number, then I had to go back with all the French paperwork to get a proper one.
It was very time-consuming and quite often I found myself losing the will to live.
Incidentally we are trying to sell a french registered, but RHD Zafira but even at half the price of the equivalent LHD car, no takers so far ...... apart from timewasters and the terminally deluded!
That's quick. I am in 34 and looking to re-register a Vauxhall soon. Trying to get the CoC is a bit of a pain and expensive as is finding replacement headlights but I will persevere and hope it eventually goes as smoothly as yours.
Colin is right!
You may sell it without a CT as it is not yet subject to French regulations. Anyone who registers it will need to submit all the usual papers including a CT with at least 18 months left on it OR a failure certificate within its 2 month grace period.
(I am surprised at how common it is for people to mis-read the part on web sites which state that the CT must have been made WITHIN the last 6 months, not have a minimum of 6 months left before expiry.)
"Si le véhicule a plus de 4 ans et n'est pas dispensé du contrôle technique,le justificatif de ce contrôle fait en France (ou dans l'Union européenne si le véhicule y était précédemment immatriculé) depuis moins de 6 mois (2 mois si une contre-visite a été prescrite)"
Service-public.fr also states - Google translated - "When you buy a used car, you have one month from the date shown on the certificate of transfer to make re-registration certificate (eg gray card) that you bought in France or abroad. You will need to provide additional documents if your vehicle does not come from France. If you have not done complete the certificate, you can be fined up to 4th class € 750."
If you Espace is a tidy vehicle why not pay the extra 60 euros & sell it with a CT? It increases the value & makes it easier to sell. Both you & the buyer can then relax! If sold without the buyer can return the car to you within 7 days if he finds any safety related faults that were "hidden", ie the buyer was not told about. This appliies to all cars sold privately.
I am a registered garagiste.
Extras include LPG injection system which cost 1500 euros, rear parking sensors with monitor, LED daytime running lights on front and new style front indicator lenses plus towbar and electrics. New brake pads and recent clutch and fuel pump.
Hi Colin, it’s first owner was in Switzerland and I bought it from Bulgaria where I ran a business for a few years and brought it over to France pulling a trailer with no probs and very economical on gas. It’s got the EU certificate of conformity and all original docs.