French Registered Car

edann42 · Post by **edann42** » Wed 12 Oct 2011 10:40

If I take my FRCar (LHD) back to the UK permanently, can I keep it on my French Plates ??

How do you tax and insure such a vehicle ??

I will no longer have a French address??

Any ideas ?????

jasonebury · Post by **jasonebury** » Wed 12 Oct 2011 11:09

Hi,

If you leave France with your car and move to the UK you will have to put the car onto UK plates.

To do this you will need a C of C, a UK MOT, change the lights, you should be able to get an overlay for the Speedo and once you have all the changes made you then apply for a VCA certificate, when all of that is done you are then ready to put the car into the DVLA for registration.

I hope this helps

Jason

edann42 · Post by **edann42** » Wed 12 Oct 2011 12:46

Thanks Jason.

sue and paul · Post by **sue and paul** » Wed 12 Oct 2011 12:49

Sounds like pretty good accurate advice.

Everything you didn't want to hear, eh, Ed? I think it's probably just as much admin hassle doing it that way round, as getting a GB car registered here

Hope your plans are coming to fruition

Allan · Post by **Allan** » Wed 12 Oct 2011 15:27

DVLA information is here:-

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/Bu ... G_10014623

I don't know what age and condition your car is but generally second hand car prices are much higher in France so you could expect to sell a car here and buy something similar for less money in England.

Some friends of ours moved back to the UK and traded their car with a LHD car broker who gave them a UK registered car in Paris which they then took back to England.

polremy · Post by **polremy** » Wed 12 Oct 2011 17:04

We went through the whole malarky of changing over to UK plates.
It was very stressful at the time.
It was difficult to find a sensible quote from a UK insurer.
In the end we got insurance from Churchill (who are connected to Direct Line apparently!).They insisted on written proof from our existing French insurer in English as well as French. They also insisted on them stating the number of years' no claims bonus we had - not a percentage!
The authorities in England insisted we had UK insurance before they would reregister the car. Before we could get this we had to have UK MOT!!!
Before we could get that we had to change the headlights and the odometer and swap over the reversing lamp with the foglamp!!!
It went on and on.
Oh, yes. The certificate of conformity was a b*****r too.
Our car is a Chevrolet and Chevrolet UK couldn't provide the cert.
In the end we wrote to somewhere in Paris who came up trumps (for 150euros!!).
We looked into selling the car here on French plates but nobody offered anything like the price we thought it was worth.
Given our time over again I think we would have sold the car in France and bought a new one over here. Would have been much cheaper and easier on the stress levels. But, of course, there were things we wanted to bring back ourselves and not trust to a removals firm.
Any more info you need, just PM me, Edann.

edann42 · Post by **edann42** » Wed 12 Oct 2011 17:16

Thanks, Pol !

Santiago · Post by **Santiago** » Thu 13 Oct 2011 07:32

Those responses are pretty much what I would have thought/said. I reckon the best thing to do, if you can manage without the car for a while, is to sell it here.

edann42 · Post by **edann42** » Thu 13 Oct 2011 08:32

Thank you all! Will advertise it here when we are ready to!!!!

edann42 · Post by **edann42** » Thu 13 Oct 2011 08:37

What about keeping my French driving licence? I'm 70 next year and would have to take this examination/test over there! Being an EU member, is a license from another member state acceptable for my duration ????

opas · Post by **opas** » Thu 13 Oct 2011 08:57

Are you sure you would have to take an exam in UK, I thought it was a medical. My dad was driving up to aged 84 , all he ever did was declare his ailments and get his gp to fill in a form as far as I know.

edann42 · Post by **edann42** » Thu 13 Oct 2011 09:20

I'm not completely sure opas, but if I can keep my French driving licence, I will not have to bother with any UK requirement!!

polremy · Post by **polremy** » Thu 13 Oct 2011 13:37

I'm pretty sure you will have to change over to a UK licence when you reach 70 Edann.
We have found it a minor irritation having a French licence over here anyway. Have come across banks for instance who will only accept a UK licence as proof of identity.

edann42 · Post by **edann42** » Thu 13 Oct 2011 15:43

OK Pol, thanks! Hope you are both well! May see you in Tenerife some time......!!

Edwin

polremy · Post by **polremy** » Thu 13 Oct 2011 18:50

That would be brilliant, Edann.
You know where we'll be.!
Off on 1st November.
That goes for anyone on the forum who happens to find themselves on paradise island this winter.

Connect with your social network account

French Registered Car

French Registered Car