How to buy a French registered car as a non-resident
 

I live in France for part of the year, but am still a British resident
for all official purposes (tax etc), so don't have a Carte de Sejour.

I want to buy a (2nd hand) French registered car to use and keep in
France. However I am confused about how this works. I called the
local prefecture to ask about this and was told that if I was resident
in UK I could only register a car in UK - not France. Is this true?
I imagine there must be many foreigners driving French cars in France
without getting foreign number plates on them? Can anyone advise me:

- Do you always need to re-register a 2nd hand car when you buy it?
Or only if you will be keeping it in a different departement from
where it was previously registered?

- If I do need to re-register it with the prefecture, will I be able
to do so in France using my British passport? I can provide proof of
address etc in France as required as I have had a house here for
almost a year. Is there any other documentation they will require?

- Are there any other issues I should be aware of, or has anyone else
been in the same position as me & got advice to offer?

Thanks in advance,
Simon.

How to buy a French registered car as a non-resident
 

Simon writes:

I called the local prefecture to ask about this and was
told that if I was resident in UK I could only register
a car in UK - not France. Is this true?

Yes.

I imagine there must be many foreigners driving French
cars in France without getting foreign number plates
on them?

Yes, but they are residents, not visitors.

- Do you always need to re-register a 2nd hand car when
you buy it?

In France, if you intend to drive it, you need to register it.

Or only if you will be keeping it in a different departement from
where it was previously registered?

You have to change the ownership of the car in any case (and thus the
registration). However, the plates don't have to change if you are not
in a different department from the previous owner.

- If I do need to re-register it with the prefecture, will I be able
to do so in France using my British passport? I can provide proof of
address etc in France as required as I have had a house here for
almost a year. Is there any other documentation they will require?

You'll have to call them and ask, or try http://www.service-public.fr,
which probably has details.

--
Transpose hotmail and mxsmanic in my e-mail address to reach me directly.

How to buy a French registered car as a non-resident
 

"Simon" wrote in message
om...
I live in France for part of the year, but am still a British resident
for all official purposes (tax etc), so don't have a Carte de Sejour.

I want to buy a (2nd hand) French registered car to use and keep in
France.

When I did the maths on that, I worked out that hiring a car when I needed
one would be cheaper than buying a second car, unless I was spending enough
time in France almost to qualify for residency. However, that will depend on
how much you need to use a car and how much you want to spend on the French
one.

Colin Bignell

How to buy a French registered car as a non-resident
 

On 29/9/03 4:33 pm, in article ,
"Mxsmanic" wrote:

Simon writes:

a different department from the previous owner.

- If I do need to re-register it with the prefecture, will I be able
to do so in France using my British passport? I can provide proof of
address etc in France as required as I have had a house here for
almost a year. Is there any other documentation they will require?

You'll have to call them and ask, or try http://www.service-public.fr,
which probably has details.

I recently registered a British car in France and had much less hassle than
I anticipated. Specifically, I did not have a Carte de Sejour, even though
everyone told me I'd have to wait to get one before I registered the car.
(The details will be google-able on this ng)

J.

How to buy a French registered car as a non-resident
 

On 29 Sep 2003 07:00:36 -0700, (Simon) wrote:

I live in France for part of the year, but am still a British
resident
for all official purposes (tax etc), so don't have a Carte de Sejour.

I want to buy a (2nd hand) French registered car to use and keep in
France. However I am confused about how this works. I called the
local prefecture to ask about this and was told that if I was
resident
in UK I could only register a car in UK - not France. Is this true?
I imagine there must be many foreigners driving French cars in France

There is a scheme whereby a visitor can buy a new car and not pay the
VAT. The car has red plates with TT in between the numbers. 'Transit
Temporaire) I don't know what the modalities are. Ask the prefecture
again. A civil servant will only answer the question you asked.

www.cpmac.com/normandy.html
peterann2 (at) yahoo.fr

How to buy a French registered car as a non-resident
 

Hi,

why not just take your UK registered car?

Simon wrote:
I live in France for part of the year, but am still a British resident
for all official purposes (tax etc), so don't have a Carte de Sejour.

I want to buy a (2nd hand) French registered car to use and keep in
France. However I am confused about how this works. I called the
local prefecture to ask about this and was told that if I was resident
in UK I could only register a car in UK - not France. Is this true?
I imagine there must be many foreigners driving French cars in France
without getting foreign number plates on them? Can anyone advise me:

- Do you always need to re-register a 2nd hand car when you buy it?
Or only if you will be keeping it in a different departement from
where it was previously registered?

- If I do need to re-register it with the prefecture, will I be able
to do so in France using my British passport? I can provide proof of
address etc in France as required as I have had a house here for
almost a year. Is there any other documentation they will require?

- Are there any other issues I should be aware of, or has anyone else
been in the same position as me & got advice to offer?

Thanks in advance,
Simon.

--
"Disperse, you rebels -- Damn you, throw down your arms and disperse!"
Maj. John Pitcairn (British Army), Lexington, Mass., April 19, 1775

How to buy a French registered car as a non-resident
 

wrote in message
...
Hi,

why not just take your UK registered car?

I've just taken mine from the UK to France and back (south coast of both
countries). It involved two days driving in each direction, around ?560 in
petrol and tolls, an overnight stay in an hotel each way and the cost of a
channel crossing - a bit over £1,000 in all, including the cost of taking a
high trailer across. Flying takes a little over an hour and can cost as
little as £60 return from my nearest airport. However, the amount of
furniture you can take on a flight is limited.

Colin Bignell

How to buy a French registered car as a non-resident
 

wrote in message
...
Hi,

why not just take your UK registered car?

Simon wrote:
I live in France for part of the year, but am still a British resident
for all official purposes (tax etc), so don't have a Carte de Sejour.


UK cars are "wronghand drive" for the Continent. I'd guess many people
would want one that fit the local roads.

I was going to suggest one of the "Buy-Back" schemes such as run by Peugeot.
You buy a new car, keep it 17 to 180 days, and they buy it back at a fixed
price - all insurance etc included.

BUT, http://www.autoeurope.com/buyback_home.cfm

says "Buy Backs are available for any non-European Union citizen."