What do you do with your car when you go abroad to settle?

Verified 09 January 2024 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

When you leave France to settle abroad, steps are to be taken if you leave your car in France or if you leave with your car abroad.

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Your vehicle stays in France

The steps are different if you keep an address in France or not.

You keep an address in France

Carte grise You can leave your vehicle in France without changing your address on your vehicle.

You do not keep an address in France

You will not be able to keep a French registration for this vehicle.

However, you can leave your vehicle to a relative in France (friend, family member for example). You will then have to carte grise amend the proposal to add a co-holder.

The address of this 1er carte grise co-holder will serve as primary address on the

The approach is similar to a change in cardholder.

The process must be done on the Internet. A digital copy device (scanner, digital camera, smartphone or tablet equipped with a photo function) is required.

Of numeric dots (with computers, printers and scanners) are available in each prefecture and in most sub-prefectures. You can do the walk there. You can be helped by digital mediators if you have problems using the Internet.

You can also be accompanied in your approach by a France Services house :

Who shall I contact

Warning  

Carte grise It is no longer possible to request a referral from the prefecture or sub-prefecture.

You must use the following online service:

Carte grise Request the sale of a used vehicle with French registration

You must identify yourself via France Connect.

You must have a digital copy (photo or scan) of the following:

  • Proof of identity (1 per co-holder)
  • Carte grise vehicle, strikethrough with Sold on (day/month/year) or Transferred on (day/month/year), and signed. If there were several co-holders, each must have signed it.
  • Proof of roadworthiness valid if your vehicle has more than 4 years. You do not have to provide this proof if the vehicle is exempt from roadworthiness tests.

If you're doing it for someone else, you have to have a digital copy of the mandate signed and of identity document.

Carte grise In addition, you must provide information, including the identity of the holder (and possibly co-holders) of the goods (surname, first names, gender, date and place of birth, telephone number, and e-mail address).

Carte grise You must certify on the honor that the applicant of the vehicle has a certificate of insurance of the vehicle and a driving license corresponding to the category of vehicle registered.

You do not have to attach a digital copy (photo or scan) of the driver's license. However, this may be requested when your file is being examined.

The Rules of Procedure of carte grise amount of must be made by credit card.

At the fine-minded from the procedure, you get the 3 items following:

  • File Number
  • Accused of registration of your request
  • Provisional Certificate of Registration (PIC), which you need to print. The CPI allows you to circulate for 1 month, only in France, carte grise while waiting to receive your

Carte grise You will be given the definitive secure fold at your home.

The time limit for receipt may vary.

You can follow the progress of its manufacture on the Internet:

Carte grise Follow your request to

You're leaving with the vehicle

You must register your car in the foreigner country where you settle.

Get in touch with the administrative authorities of the country in which you wish to settle in order to know the steps to be taken.

You can also obtain information on the website of the French consulate in this country.

Who can help me?

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