In practice (no matter what the rules say), it is almost impossible to reregister a UK car in france without a CT.
In reality if you register your car with an MOT your Carte Grise will show that the next roadworthiness test is due when the MOT expires.
Not at all…did mine with ease using UK MOT
It does show the MOT expiry date, agreed. Quote from another source:-
The regulations allow the use of a UK MOT or other foreign road worthiness test if conducted less than 6 months previously to be submitted to ANTS for the purposes of REGISTRATION if one is required. The date of expiry may well be marked on your new carte grise. However, the french law (with a few exceptions) requires that a french registered vehicle over 4 years old MUST have a french CT in order to be USED. As soon as you attach those french plates your car will be subject to french law. This makes sense as there are little differences between countries. A UK MOT would be given to a car with UK headlights & rear fog light but in France that car would fail unless altered.
https://www.economie.gouv.fr/dgccrf/Publications/Vie-pratique/Fiches-pratiques/Vehicule-automobile-controle-technique
Are you telling us that that quote comes from the link that you have provided or is it from an unspecified third party source?
The MOT certificate TüV etc are accepted in lieu of a Control Technique and allow the vehicles to be registered and to be used in France until the CT date shown on the Carte Grise. In fact one of my old friends had an interesting situation this year; he had imported a car from Germany and registered it as a VdC using the German TüV which had almost two years to run. The test due date, in 2018, was marked on the CG. He booked it in to be tested but when he arrived at the test center the tester explained that the test was not yet necessary as the original TüV certificate was valid for five years on a VdC and updated the CG. If you do not believe this I will gladly give you his details so he can confirm it. I could likewise give you details of his FaceBook page where he recorded the news.
Don’t forget also that your point about headlight dip and rear fog lights also applies to U.K. imported cars less than 4 years old. You can use you car on the road with your MOT but it’s your responsibility to ensure that the lights conform.
I have been following a detailed thread on another site that has addressed this very same query.
Hence the initial quote from that site issued by a respected motor operative near where I live.
On the link I gave the part I believe that covers this is translated as:-
*The technical inspection must be carried out within six months before the four-year period from the date of the first entry into service of the vehicle. *
- obligatorily renewed every 2 years after the date of the first technical inspection;
- *made by the seller in the 6 months preceding the sale of the vehicle to an individual. *
Once French plates are on the car the car is legally French and would have to adhere to French law.
I would be nervous arguing with French police if stopped in my French registered car that a British MOT - was acceptable when with a French car they would expect to see a CT sticker…
This date appears on the registration certificate. After this inspection, a periodic technical inspection must be:-
It doesn’t matter what the French police say, the car is legally registered and can be used on French roads until the date in the CG. I don’t understand why you are trying to invent problems that don’t exist. I must admit that it does not affect me personally as I will never be in the position of trying to register a UK car with a MOT certificate and I would recommend to anybody that I knew that when they send off their paperwork into the black hole that is ANTS Ipersinally would go for belt and braces, I would recommend that they make sure that their car had a CT and a CoC and not rely on an MOT and a V5. That does not change the fact however that an MOT with more than six months to run and a V5 with all the correct information should be accepted.
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OK we’ll agree to disagree…
Sorry, you are wrong. If the MOT was not acceptable why is it’s expiry date recorded in the Carte Grise? The vignette on the windscreen will display the same date as well. Any French policeman will be interested in that and the CG so no argument should ever even start. You are trying to use semantics to suggest a problem that does not exist.
Thread resurrection! Has anyone here succeeded in passing a CT with beam deflectors rather than right-dipping headlights? My Subaru has passed 3 times with deflectors but I’m told that, under the new CT rules, they are NOT acceptable.
This confirms the latest CT regulations… beam-benders are acceptable on cars, provided they are properly fitted.
If you’ve already passed CT’s with them… no need to worry… IMO
We got our immatriculation provisoire on 20 march. Still not got carte grise in post. Yesterday evening realised they have missed a line of our address so heaven knows where it has gone to.
Off to La Poste and the garage later to see what we can do.
Very frustrating.
Got my carte grise last week, all set to go, insurance in place and pick up new plaques d’immatriculation on Tuesday. Thank you to all for advice and support.
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We’re sorted now after a bit of a panic.
I agree with your sentiment that third party sites are not renowned for their accuracy & it is therefore wise to check such things for yourself.
So this might help. Check out the EU legislation on vehicle tests & you will note that a foreign test is fine for registration, which is a paper exercise. There is no mention of validity for circulation. C2007/068/04, paragraph 3.4 contains this little phrase - “… the principle of equivalence and mutual recognition laid down by Article 3(2) of Council Directive 96/96/EC (23) requires all the other Member States to recognise the certificate issued on that occasion, without that preventing them from requiring any additional tests usually carried out for the purposes of registration in their territory”.
French State law requires that any french registered car over 4 years old needs a roadworthiness test (code de la route R323-1 - "Any owner of a vehicle mentioned in this chapter is only authorised to put it into service or keep it in service after a roadworthiness test has verified that it is in good working order and in a satisfactory state of maintenance.
This inspection shall be carried out at the owner’s initiative, within the prescribed time limits and at his own expense.
The fact that any owner puts or keeps a vehicle in service without having fulfilled the roadworthiness test obligations laid down in this chapter shall be punishable by the fine provided for fourth-class offences."
Code de la Route R323-6 requires that this test must be carried out by a french state approved testing station - “The roadworthiness tests provided for in this chapter shall be carried out by the State services or by a State approved inspector exercising his functions, under the conditions provided for in this section, in approved inspection facilities attached, where appropriate, to an approved inspection network”. . This rules out Croydon MOT centre or similar, who do not fall in to that category.
Decree of 18 June 1991 (NOR: EQUS9100958A amended 2 March 2017) requires “At the end of the roadworthiness test and when the vehicle is equipped with a windscreen, the controller shall immediately position, by any suitable means inside the vehicle, front visible from the outside, on the lower right-hand side of the windscreen, a sticker in accordance with the provisions of Annex II to this Decree, indicating the expiry date of the test and, where applicable, for the vehicles concerned by the additional roadworthiness test as defined in Article 4-1 of this Decree, the final date for presentation to this test.” I don’t think the UK MOT comes with a sticker.
A gendarme might not be fully conversant with this apparent anomily but the window sticker is a tell-tale regarding your vehicle roadwothiness & not having one on an older model car on french plates leaves you vunerable to roadside checks.
Hi David, I’m newly arrived and attempting to get my UK car registered here in France. My local CT centre failed my car because I don’t have LHD headlights. I completely take your point about the reduction in efficacy in using RHD lights with stickers, but in my case it’s not ‘a bit of money’; it’s around €1000 per light. If my local CT centre is wrong, and it is acceptable to use stickers, then I’m going to have to take that option for the foreseeable future.
Go to your local casse (car wreck yard) and ask them if they have lights that will fit, they may well, depending on your car, be able to supply you with a set for a very low price.
@Jackie
Use this link and if you press Télécharger and then go to page 5 of that document - you will see the instruction telling the CT Examiner to accept RHD headlights if they have beam benders which have been correctly applied.
http://www.utac-otc.com/vehicule_leger/Pages/base-documentaire.aspx?Category=4c21f98c-9d2d-4faa-981e-3ea18f4ed6f3&SCategory=107&Document=241&DocumentName=Instruction%20technique%20IT%20VL%20F4D
Oh, thank you, Vero, that’s a good suggestion. I have a BMW, so I know that spare parts are always very expensive, but that did rather take my breath away.
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