Certificate of Conformity - FREE

[drmagpie]

I have a LHD (yep, LHD, you would think it would be easy right) 2.5tdi panel van which i am trying to import to france from the UK.

The van was originally made for the Lithuanian market which was not part of the EU when the van was made. FIRST PROBLEM!
Even though the chassis number details that the van was made to the same specs as the EU compatible vans, there is no EU conformity number so i couldn't get a free CofC! Of to VW france who charge €110 for the pleasure of issuing one!

I have modified this van (havent we all? isn't that why we are here on this site?) with side windows all round, a multivan bed in the back and switched my double up front for a single. Because i made the UNBELIEVABLY STUPID decision to be honest and tell VW france about these mods, they could only issue a partial CofC. SECOND PROBLEM!

With a partial CofC, i am now required to get my vehicle inspected with the french DVLA equivalent. This office (acronym DREAL) will only answer its phones to the public between the hours of 9 and 11 monday, tuesday, thursday and friday! So after finally managing to pin them down and establish what documents they needed from me, they then write to tell me that a panel van that has been fitted with seats in France is required by law to have a bulkhead fitted between the rearmost seats and the rear door! Oh, and they are taking €125 from me so they can create a case file for me.
This is despite telling them that the van is now no longer a panel van but a window van, and that its intended use is as a camper/people carrier and it will never again be a builders van. There response was to restate the law! So i am now fabricating a completely pointless bulkhead to fit behind my multivan seat so the french are satisfied.

After this, i then have to get the van weighed at a weigh bridge (fully loaded with passengers and fuel brimmed, and without passengers, front axle, back axle) and fill in the worlds most complex weight distribution form which included plugging lots of measurements of seat position and weight into the provided formula to produce CofG measurements.
Then (and only then) can i get the van french MOT'd (while presenting all of this paperwork to prove that i am going through this process) send the completed paperwork back to the DREAL office and await an inspection date.

The moral of the story is...
If you are modifying a van in France, do not, I REPEAT DO NOT tell the French government about the modifications. It is absolutely not worth the hassle and the expense.

[vanofdoom]

This is a very useful subject as I too am planning a move to France sometime this year. I'm kind of lucky because a French friend of mine is currently studying to be a vehicle tester so I should be able to get all the info, tips and help I need.
I have been checking out a lot of ex-pats forums and many seem to just keep their vehicles registered in the UK. I guess they go back and forth quite regularly to see family and friends and of course while they are over the vehicle gets it's MOT and tax.
I have experienced French red tape before and it's so frustrating so I won't be making the mistake about telling them it's been modified!

[Torkijo]

Apparently ours isnt good enough:



1Vehicle does not comply with EU type approval standards. Issuance of a COC is thus not possible. Further informations revert to Service / FAQ / question number 3.

[ALEXANDER MEERKAT]

we just registered our uk rhd range rover classic in france, they were insistent all the docs were french. also the price of registration is different in each department. the french give every car a cv rating, my rangie is 10, therefore the base price for the department and age of vehicle is multiplied by 10. the coc came back with very little on it except the cv rating which is not on any other countries coc s. good thing is no road tax, mot every 2 yrs, and insurance is half the price, very useful. my french t5 is about 300 pounds comprehensive with breakdown and free courtesy car for a week if van breaks down, beat that.

[daveyop]

Who's insuring you if you don't mind me asking? I'm taking a t4 lhd out to france soon and my insurers want 900 euros fully comp?

Dave

[kernewek]

My RHD Velle went straight through three years ago: got the CoC direct from Wolfburg, changed the light, filled in the paperwork and had the registration number the same day from the Préfecture. Have added a high roof since the last controle technique so will be interested to see if they make any comment about that?

~ Craig

[bernie9369]

Originally Posted by kernewek

I had the same concern, especially as it's in German, but all the categories on the certificate follow the same numbering system no matter which vehicle brand so it's not a problem for the French authorities. It took a bit of running about to get all the paperwork sorted but I think the whole process of registering the Velle was accomplished in less than a fortnight from the time I had the Controle Technique done.

One thing I will stress is mine's a twin slider, a normal RHD model with a slider on the passenger side MAY not be accepted over here as it means the passengers disembarking into the road on the continent.

~ Craig

Hi Craig Can you help please i also live in France can give all the details of how you received your cert of conf as I am trying and been unsuccessful

[avp]

I have the form DEMANDE DE CERTIFICAT D'IMMATRICULATION D'UN VÉHICULE downloadable on my pc. Any idea if I can upload it to here for people to download?

Also, did you get the CofC sent to a UK address or did it go to France? Just wondering because we had a free bee in the UK off Renault but in France they would have wanted paying for it. Don't want to go filling out the form and ruining my chances of getting one free instead of paying £110.

[avp]

Originally Posted by Torkijo

Apparently ours isnt good enough:



1Vehicle does not comply with EU type approval standards. Issuance of a COC is thus not possible. Further informations revert to Service / FAQ / question number 3.

I just had the same message. Maybe they have realised people are getting out of paying £100 for a duplicate piece of paper?

[nicklouse]

not working at all for me. and the contact mail is also dead.