If you spend only part of your time in France but don’t officially reside in the country, what are the rules regarding vehicle ownership? Can second home owners buy a car for the time they spend here?
Whether you actually need a car in France depends a lot on where you live. Larger towns and cities increasingly have public transport and cycling and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure that means owning a car is not always necessary.
But, for those who live in rural areas, owning a car is vital, while even in well-served towns and cities, a car remains a necessity for many people.
But what happens if you’re a second home owner who is a non-resident in France? Can you buy and own a vehicle here?
The short answer is: Yes, you can. But – there’s always a but – you need to be aware of certain issues.
Buying a car
The most straightforward way to own a car in France is to buy one here. That way, it will come with the necessary registration documents and the car will already be registered in France.
You still need to change the details on the vehicle’s certificat d’immatriculation – informally known as the carte grise – to show that you are the registered owner.
Car dealers will usually arrange the paperwork, possibly for a fee, with your input limited to signing the right bits of paper. You will need to provide valid ID (such as a passport) and proof of address in France that the car will be registered to.
To do this you will need to provide documentation that includes your full name and address.
Any of these are accepted:
If you’re buying privately, however, you’ll need to sort out all the paperwork yourself.
The registration process is these days entirely online at the Agence nationale des titres sécurisés (ANTS) website.
READ ALSO Second home owners in France: Can I register a car at my French address?
Financing
If you have the funds to buy the vehicle outright, you’ll have no problems – simply hand over the cheque at the appropriate time. It will be harder, however, to access financing for your vehicle if you’re not permanently resident in France.
READ ALSO How to get financial help in France to buy an electric car
Second-hand vehicles
If the vehicle you want to buy is more than 4 years old you will also need: a valid roadworthiness inspection – known as a contrôle technique (CT), unless the vehicle is exempt from it.
The CT must be less than 6 months old on the day of the registration request (2 months if it’s a counter-visit to confirm that defective points detected during an initial test have been repaired).
If this deadline is exceeded, you will have to pay for a new test, and sort out any defects at your own expense.
READ MORE: What you need to know about the French ‘contrôle technique’
Insurance
Any vehicle permanently kept in France must be insured in France. Be aware that any vehicle brought permanently into France from another country must – legally – be registered with French authorities otherwise owners risk a fine of up to €750.
This is especially important for Britons after Brexit. French insurers will no longer insure a car registered in the UK. And British insurers will not insure cars registered outside Britain. Nor will British insurers insure vehicles of permanent residents in France.
Remember also, that DVLA rules mean cars are considered exported if they have been taken out of the country for more than 12 months – and they, then, cannot remain on UK plates.
READ ALSO Seven need-to-know tips for cutting the cost of car insurance in France
Here, the vehicle is insured, rather than the driver, and it must always be covered. You can cut the cost of insuring your vehicle in France by reducing the level of coverage temporarily during periods you’re not in the country.
But you will have to be aware of maintenance issues caused by leaving your car unused for any length of time.
CTs and the art of motorcar maintenance
Speaking of maintenance, French cars that are four years old or more must undergo a contrôle technique road-worthiness test every two years.
These are carried out at dedicated test centres in towns and cities across France, and it is your responsibility to ensure your car is roadworthy and tested so it can be used on French roads. Proof of testing is fixed to the windscreens of tested vehicles so that officials can check easily.
Crit’Air
The Crit’Air system was introduced in 2017 and assigns a number to each vehicle based on how much they pollute, so you will need to apply for a number to stick on your windshield.
READ ALSO How France’s Crit’Air vehicle sticker system is taking over the country
In the many towns and some entire departments, the sticker is a requirement year round, even if they are only used to ban the most polluting vehicles during spikes in air pollution. Basically, it’s a good idea to have one just in case you travel in or through those places that require them.
Crit’Air stickers are obligatory in Paris, Grenoble, Lille, Bordeaux, Rennes, Strasbourg, Toulouse, and Marseille.
READ ALSO By country: How hard is it to swap your driving licence for a French one?
Importing a car
You can import your car from another country, if you wish. But you will need to deal with additional paperwork.
On the British side, you will need to declare that you are exporting via National Export System. To do this, you must get an Economic Operator Registration and Identification (EORI) number – but you can only obtain such a number if you are only moving goods for personal use (if you are simply bringing a car for yourself).
You will also need access to the Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight (CHIEF) platform – again this is only possible for traders. If you fail to declare your export officially, border officials may block you from entering France with the vehicle.
On the French side, you will need a 846A certificate to be able to drive your imported car legally – or to eventually sell it in France.
READ ALSO Reader question: How can I import a car from the UK to France?
Obtaining such a certificate is no easy feat. But it can be done…
READ ALSO ‘Be prepared to be patient’ – Registering your British car in France after Brexit
You cannot keep a foreign-bought vehicle registered in two countries. Part of the process of switching to French plates is to inform authorities in the second country that it has been exported.
This article seems to contradict much of what is written elsewhere about non-residents owning and driving cars in France. In short, this article states it is possible and legal but I have read other articles (not in the Local) which state it is not. Any assistance or comments as to why there are such opposing views would be very welcome!
France’s Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne on Tuesday unveiled details of the government’s delayed – and highly controversial – reform of the pension system.
Originally due to be announced in mid December, the government had delayed in order to have further consultations with political opponents and unions leaders in a (probably doomed) attempt to bring them on board with the reforms.
Presenting the outlines of the government’s plans on Tuesday after months of suspense, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said that doing nothing about projected deficits for the pension system would be “irresponsible”.
“It would lead inevitably to a massive increase in taxes, a reduction in pensions and would pose a threat to our pensions system,” she said.
Here are the main parts of the plan announced on Tuesday;
Retirement age of 64 – this was undoubtedly the most controversial part of the reform, and a retirement age of 65 was initially envisaged. The government appears to have compromised on this, but the raising of the pension age from the current 62 is still likely to be unpopular.
Gradual implementation – Borne said: “I say clearly, no, this project will not be implemented overnight: the retirement age will be raised gradually, over a period of eight years.” The age will be raised gradually by three months at a time, reaching 64 in 2030.
Exceptions for people who start work early – the retirement age will remain at 58 for those who started working before the age of 16. For those who started between 16 and 18, it will be from 60. And for those who started between 18 and 20, it will be 62.
Final age of 67 – conversely, there is also an upper age for those who start work late – for example after completing long higher education courses. French workers normally have to pay a minimum number of contributions (amounting to 43 years of work for most people) in order to secure a full pension, but they can retire at 67 even if they have not completed the minimum number of payments (the system is different for those who have worked and contributed to a pension in another country).
Exceptions for certain professions – certain active or dangerous professions will keep a retirement age of 62, for example firefighters and members of the military.
End of ‘special regimes’ – The ‘special regimes’ that certain workers enjoyed that gave them earlier retirement ages and other privileges will end. Among those affected are train drivers and employees of the Paris public transport network, gas and electrical engineers and notaires. It is a question of fairness,” said Borne.
Increased minimum pension – pensions in France are based on contributions, but there is a minimum level and anyone whose pension is below that is entitled to top-ups. This minimum will be raised to 85 percent of minimum wage, which would be €1,200 a month based on the current minimum wage.
READ ALSO How does France’s pension age of 62 compare to the rest of Europe?
Borne has previously laid out the timetable for the political process – the detailed plans will go before the Council of Ministers on January 23rd and then proceed to parliament for a (likely extremely fraught) debate at the start of February. The stated aim is to have the reforms passed and in place by September 1st.
However, there is likely to be plenty of opposition – both from opponents in the parliament and on the street.
The Macron government lost its majority in the June parliamentary elections, so in order to get this bill passed it will either have to make a deal with a rival party – most likely the centre-right les Républicains – or resort to the emergency power known an Article 49.3 to push it through without a majority vote.
Even before the details of the plan were revealed, unions had threatened ‘mobilisation’ in January. A joint statement by unions later on Tuesday confirmed they would call their first strike for January 19th.
Borne also acknowledged widespread public opposition to the changes and a looming battle with trade unions.
“I’m very aware that making changes to our retirement system is causing anxiety and fears among French people,” she told the press conference.
All attempts over the past 30 years to reform the pension system have been controversial, leading to the two longest-running strikes in the post-war period in 1995 and again in 2019/20.
READ ALSO the 30-year battle to reform France’s pension system
The French pension system is currently in credit, but predicted to go into debt next year, a situation that is predicted to worsen as the population lives longer. According to Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, the pension system would have a deficit of €13.5 billion by 2030 if nothing was changed.
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