Bringing a UK Car to France: Customs, Re-registration and Insurance (2026)

Taking your UK car to France is possible, but it is a paperwork project with three parts: leaving the UK register, clearing the car with French customs, and registering it in France. This guide follows what the official UK and French pages say. Rules and forms change, so check the pages linked below before you act.

If you are still planning the wider move, start with moving to France from the UK. For household goods, see shipping your belongings from the UK to France.

How long can you keep UK plates once you live in France?

The French official page on registering a vehicle when you settle in France is clear about the obligation. Registration is mandatory if you settle in France and declare your main home there, whatever your nationality. It must be done within one month of moving.

So the practical answer for a new resident is short: plan to register the car in France within a month of arriving. This is different from a visit, where you stay a resident of another country. The official page does not set out a separate grace period for new residents who keep UK plates, so do not assume one.

Registration is done online on the ANTS site or through an authorised car professional. Prefectures and sub-prefectures no longer issue the certificate. While you wait for the final certificate, a provisional certificate (CPI) lets you drive for one month, in France only. The address on the certificate must be your home address in France.

Source: service-public.gouv.fr, registering a vehicle when you settle in France.

Step 1: leave the UK register

GOV.UK calls taking a vehicle abroad for 12 months or more “permanent export”. You must tell DVLA. The steps on the page are:

1. Fill in the “permanent export” section of your V5C log book and detach it.
2. Keep the rest of the log book. You need it to register the vehicle in the country you are taking it to.
3. Send the completed section to DVLA at Swansea, SA99 1BD. If your address has changed, include a letter with your new address so any refund can reach you.
4. Update your driving licence address if you are moving home.

Any vehicle tax refund you are entitled to is usually paid within 4 to 6 weeks of DVLA receiving the section. If you do not have a V5C, get one before you leave: DVLA cannot send a log book to an address outside the UK. GOV.UK says to allow 5 to 7 working days online, or 4 to 6 weeks by post or after a change of name or address.

If you have a personalised number plate, GOV.UK says to transfer or retain it before exporting, or you lose the right to it.

The permanent export page does not set out insurance requirements. It only advises checking that your insurance covers the countries you will drive through. It does not say what to do about cancelling UK insurance, so ask your insurer.

Source: GOV.UK, permanent export.

Step 2: clear the car with French customs

A UK car now comes from outside the EU, so customs applies. French customs sets out the standard treatment for a private vehicle from a non-EU country:

• Customs duty: for countries without an agreement with the EU, 10% for cars. For countries with an agreement, the rate is reduced or zero depending on its terms.
• VAT: 20%, payable to customs.
• Tax base: the value of the vehicle without taxes, plus extra costs such as transport and options. Customs can contest the declared value.

Check which rate applies to a car leaving the UK with customs, because that depends on origin and the agreements in force. The customs page was last updated on 5 February 2021, so confirm current figures.

The transfer of residence exemption

Customs describes an exemption for people who have lived outside the EU for more than a year and are settling permanently in mainland France. The vehicle may be admitted free of duty and tax if all of these apply:

• It is not a utility vehicle.
• You have owned and used it for more than 6 months.
• The taxes normally due in the country of origin have been paid.
• It is listed on your inventory of belongings, prepared in two copies.

Whether you qualify is for customs to decide, so contact the customs office where you will clear the car.

Documents and the 846 A

Customs lists the registration certificate or equivalent, the invoice if you bought the car (or a sale certificate for a private sale), a T1 transit declaration where applicable, and proof of preferential origin where the country has an agreement with the EU. The foreign plates must be valid: French plates or expired temporary transit plates are not accepted.

After clearance you receive a customs declaration, a receipt and the certificat de dédouanement n° 846 A. You present it to register the car. The customs page says the vehicle must be registered before it is first used on the road.

Source: douane.gouv.fr, buying a vehicle abroad.

Step 3: prove the car is technically conforming

For a vehicle bought outside the EU, the general rule on service-public.gouv.fr is that you must obtain a procès-verbal de réception à titre isolé (RTI), unless you hold one of two documents:

• a certificate of conformity to an EC type, issued by the manufacturer (it can be digital);
• or an EC type identification certificate.

The RTI is issued by the Dreal for your home area. In Paris and the surrounding departments (75, 77, 78, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95) it is the Drieat Île-de-France. Ask the manufacturer or dealer for the certificate of conformity before you leave, as it may save you the RTI.

Source: service-public.gouv.fr, vehicle bought outside the EU.

Step 4: register the car and get the carte grise

For a car from outside the EU, the registration page lists, among others:

• the original registration certificate;
• proof of address dated less than 6 months;
• the form cerfa n° 13750;
• the certificat de dédouanement 846 A, unless customs has exempted you from it;
• proof of technical conformity.

A technical inspection (contrôle technique) less than 6 months old is required if the vehicle is more than 4 years old, unless an exemption applies. Some countries ask for the old plates to be handed in, so check the rules of the country the car leaves. The cost varies by vehicle and region, and the site has a simulator. This guide does not quote a figure.

If the old plates have lost their validity, the other official page says the car may travel on a special WW registration certificate. Without valid plates there is a risk of the car being immobilised by the police.

Source: service-public.gouv.fr, registering when you settle.

Insurance in France

You need valid insurance for the car. Customs refers to a valid French civil liability insurance certificate, and says that without one you can take out “assurance frontière” at a customs office for 30 or 90 days, renewable once for the same length.

The UK side is different from a trip. GOV.UK says that UK vehicle insurance includes the minimum third-party cover to drive in the EU and that you do not need a green card in the EU, but that page is written for drivers visiting. Once you live in France and register the car there, French insurance is what you will need for the registration file.

If you later have a collision, see what to do after a car accident in France.

Source: GOV.UK, driving in the EU.

Your UK driving licence

GOV.UK says that if you live and drive in an EU country you need to exchange your UK licence for a local one, and to check the deadlines for the country. The French rules are in UK driving licence in France.

Related guides for British readers

• Our guide to taking a dog, cat or ferret from the UK to France covers the animal health certificate, microchip, rabies jab and entry rules, as gov.uk and French customs set them out.

FAQ

How long can I drive my UK-registered car in France after I move?

The official French guidance sets a one-month deadline to register a vehicle after you settle in France and declare your main home there. It does not describe a longer tolerance for new residents.

Do I have to tell DVLA?

Yes. GOV.UK says to tell DVLA if you take a vehicle out of the UK for 12 months or more, using the permanent export section of the V5C.

Will I pay duty and VAT on my car?

Customs lists 10% duty (for countries without an agreement) and 20% VAT as the standard treatment, and an exemption for a transfer of residence if its conditions are met. Customs decides.

What is the 846 A?

It is the certificat de dédouanement that customs issues after clearance. You present it when you register the vehicle.

Do I need a green card?

GOV.UK says you do not need one in the EU, but you still need valid insurance. For a car registered in France you will need French insurance.

Can I register the car online?

Yes. Registration is done online through ANTS or via an authorised professional, according to service-public.gouv.fr.