Shipping Vehicle to France

Hello. I need to ship my vehicle from New England to the South of France. All suggestions welcome. Thank you.

As you are shipping a vehicle from outside the EU it might be an idea to contact specialist shippers. @anon90504988 may be the best person to ask.

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Thank you! I will do so.

Are you bring it over as a temporary import or to register it in France. If it’s the latter make sure that is even possible. Importing cars that do not confirm to EU standards can be a very expensive and time consuming hobby.

Thank you for the warning. I will investigate. We have an Audi Quattro 2014 so hopefully this new car will suffice!

Was it made to EU spec for the EU market?

Don’t be so sure. If it was made for the North American market it’s quite likely that the lights, windows, emissions and even external mirrors will not conform to EU regulations nor required show the EU markings.

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I would sell it and buy another one in the EU, it would probably be the cheaper and simpler option.

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What car are you bringing? Some models, even those built in the US, use EU components.
If it is a vehicle that is not sold in the EU then you will have to have it inspected at the UTAC facility near Paris & this can be expensive.
Cheers,
Mark

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Thank you Marc. Lots of variables here. I’ve got an 2012 Audi Q5. We are relocating and this is what I found online-
“If you are a US citizen and ship a car to France from the USA as part of a relocation, ie. for work, you can import the automobile as part of your personal effects as long as you have owned it for more than 6 months. You will not be liable for the VAT tax, only the 10% duty based on the value of the car.”

@935Loxford Importing is not the same as Registering…

Yes, you may well be able to import it… a friend did just that… but subsequently found he could not get his vehicle Registered here… the whole thing was a waste of money and effort… :thinking: :woozy_face: :roll_eyes:

Registering grey imports from countries like the US and Japan into France is notoriously difficult. As I said before take care and check that your car is built to conform to EU standards not just the USA. You could end up spending a lot of money and effort to import what is after all a fairly common, run of the mill, car in Europe.

If you look at the paperwork required to register a foreign vehicle in France, you’ll see that you need a certificate of conformity. That’s the issue. If your car is built to US standards you won’t get a certificate saying it conforms to EU standards, because it won’t - the standrds are different and it’s not possibe to conform to both simultaneously. And France will not register a non EU’-compliant vehicle for use on its roiads by a resident.

I am wondering why the “need to ship”… :woozy_face:

Over the years folk on this forum have given their advice based on experience or info gleaned… and … after that… it is up to the vehicle owner to make the decision… it’s not rocket science… but it is a personal choice…

I’m stepping back from this discussion… before insanity sets in… :slightly_smiling_face: :zipper_mouth_face: :wink:

If you really love it (Audi Q5s are also available in Europe) then it will need to be inspected by DREAL to see if it meets EU specs. You may get a partial certificate of conformity from VAG. The seatbelts will need changing but that should be about all. The labels may not have an E number.
On registration you will have to pay a malus tax as well as the normal taxes which will add a few hundred euros.
This is an example of the magic form, for a Californian car. -

Thanks for all of your responses! Extremely helpful. I think I will pass on shipping a car.