buying french car in uk with no ct
 

Hi all we are moving to france next week and have found someone selling a lhd french registered car. They moved back from france and let the control technique lapse back in march. If i buy this car and drive over with an appointment booked at a local ct garage will this be acceptable for the ferry journey....pls help thanks

Re: buying french car in uk with no ct
 

How are you going to transfer ownership of this French registered car to yourself without taking the carte gris and vast quantities of other documents showing proof of your residence in France etc. to the Préfecture for the département to which your moving? How are you going to insure the car for your journey?

I'm no expert, but it sounds to me that you'd be opening a can of worms doing what you suggest.

Re: buying french car in uk with no ct
 

My dad lives there and seems to think that all the completed paperwork can be scanned and sent to him for him to book the ct and get insurance out there for me. He is unable to speak to anyone today about the ct so i just thought i could ask on here to see if anyone else has done similar.

Re: buying french car in uk with no ct
 

OK, your dad may be right but I doubt it. Others will weigh in here I'm sure.

Re: buying french car in uk with no ct
 

Thank you all help appreciated especially as this is a last minute act! Journey already sorted for 28th!

Re: buying french car in uk with no ct
 

With all due respect to the OP's father.
I've never bought a second-hand car here, but, knowing French Administrations, the Préfecture must surely want to see the original Carte Grise and paperwork certifying the sale.
Likewise the CT people need the original of the Carte Grise, with the new owner's name and French address.
If the Contrôle Technique lapsed in March, the last one was done over 2 years ago. What will happen if there's a road-check after arrival on French territory, without a valid CT to prove that the vehicle is roadworthy?
Not to mention the reaction of the Gendarmes when they see that the OP isn't legally registered as the owner?
Will the OP's father have time to get the green insurance certificate to them before they come next week?
You're right, and the OP would do much better to buy a car in France once they've arrived - they'd still have to cope with all the paperwork on the spot, but at least they won't risk buying a white elephant in the UK which might lead them into trouble....

P.S. Just noticed that the OP has booked their trip, so above advice is too late. I wish them luck!

Re: buying french car in uk with no ct
 

No way would I attempt what you are planning to do. Imho the risks are too great.
You will find from experience with French bureaucracy, that even when one tries to abide by the rules, complications are frequently encountered - for one reason or another.
Starting as you plan to, with an illegal French vehicle i.e. invalid CT, and displayed as such in the windscreen, the odds are weighted against you the moment you leave your driveway. That and other issues are very likely to lead to trouble and regrets ahead.
But, I'm willing to be proved wrong. Please keep us informed of the (potentially dodgy) outcome.

Re: buying french car in uk with no ct
 

And I think it is illegal to drive a car without valid CT.

Re: buying french car in uk with no ct
 

Hi all many thanks will let you all know as will find out more on monday before comitting to anything

Re: buying french car in uk with no ct
 

Hi
I thought that it was a legal requirement to provide the purchaser with a CT within 6 months of the transfer.
In addition, how will you get insured?
Tell the sellers to get a CT.

Re: buying french car in uk with no ct
 

Or, better, buy a French car in France ... saves a lot of hassle

Re: buying french car in uk with no ct
 

The sellers live in the uk now and just didnt bother to re register in uk as would have cost more than the car is worth. They werent actually advertising for sale i just heard about it through a friend. All documents are there ready to be transferred scanned and sent to insurance in france along with a booked ct on arrival.. So they are unable to get ct. But im still looking into it before i commit hence joining this forum to find information ;)

Re: buying french car in uk with no ct
 

What we're all trying to get over is that it's not just a question of insurance (and receiving the green Certificate before you leave home), but the Carte Grise must be up to date, with the little CT sticker stuck on and the larger CT sticker placed behind the windscreen, in order to drive the car legally. Even if you receive the Insurance certificate in time, you won't have proof of an up-to-date CT which is one of the other things that the Gendarmes will check. Red flags will also go up when they find that you, the claimed British owner of a French registered car, haven't got proof of domicile in France. In the present state of emergency in France, there's a considerable risk of a road-check between your arrival on French soil and your destination....
Do look into it very carefully - since you asked for information, we're telling you all this to warn you against your proposed recklessness.

Re: buying french car in uk with no ct
 

So, to summarise, bad idea, VERY bad idea.

Re: buying french car in uk with no ct
 

Way off topic Tweedpipe, but I ended up keeping that C4 I thought about selling. The only substantial cost of owning it is the insurance (cheap really) but the advantages of keeping it we decided are:

1) Now and again it's handy to have 2 cars
2) The C4 is pretty decrepit so well suited for taking rubbish to the déchetterie and other such dirty stuff and (most importantly)...
3) Driving that one doesn't advertise the fact that we're British with the inevitable implication, post June 23rd, that we're less European than all our neighbours. :blink: