Hey all,

I may have an offer to move to France for work and am wondering what I could do with my car. I heard bringing in a car there might be hard (especially with a Vishnu 1++). The good thing would be gas is 98 octane there (of course you pay dearly for it). Is insurance a pain, how about getting an international driving permit? Any weird laws on modded cars etc. Your help highly appreciated and please no France bashing. Thanks,

Sigfrid

 

Don't take this as fact, but I'm under the impression that emissions requirements are less strict in Europe than they are in the US. The Evo would be an awesome car to enjoy on the streets in France, Italy....etc......

An international license is also not a big deal. In fact, I think that there's just a fee to be paid.

Probably an online search for "private vehicle export" might yield some answers.

Hope that this helps,

Tony

 

Find out if France has the Evo in that country. If they do then there is no point of shipping it, unless you know there isnt gonna be tax on the car. Also I would recommend getting a international license, its always better to have one of those because they wont hassle you as much. You could probably get a drivers license easier from France if you have a international license.

 

Here's some more info on the international permit:

International Driving Permits

Although many countries do not recognize U.S. driver's licenses, most countries accept an international driving permit (IDPs). IDPs are honored in more than 150 countries outside the U.S. (See AAA’s application form for the list of countries. They function as an official translation of a U.S. driver's license into 10 foreign languages. These licenses are not intended to replace valid U.S. state licenses and should only be used as a supplement to a valid license. IDPs are not valid in an individual’s country of residence. Before departure, you can obtain one from an automobile association authorized by the U.S. Department of State to issue IDPs. Article 24 of the United Nations Convention on Road Traffic (1949) authorizes the U.S. Department of State to empower certain organizations to issue IDPs to those who hold valid U.S. driver’s licenses. The Department has designated the American Automobile Association (AAA) and the American Automobile Touring Alliance as the only authorized distributors of IDPs. Many foreign countries require deposit of a customs duty or an equivalent bond for each tourist automobile entering its territory, and the motoring associations are equipped with the necessary facilities for providing expeditiously a standard bond document (Article 3 of the Convention). The Convention is not applicable to United States motorists using their cars in the United States.

HOW TO APPLY FOR AN INTERNATIONAL DRIVING PERMIT:

Before departure, you can obtain one at a local office of one of the two automobile associations authorized by the U.S. Department of State: the American Automobile Association (AAA) and the American Automobile Touring Alliance.
AAA (American Automobile Association) , 1000 AAA Drive, Heathrow, FL 32745-5063. The application is available on-line.
American Automobile Touring Alliance (AATA), 1151 E. Hillsdale Blvd., Foster City, CA 94404, tel: 800-622-7070; fax: 650-294-7105
To apply for an international driving permit, you must be at least age 18, and you will need to present two passport-size photographs and your valid U.S. license. The cost of an international driving permit from these U.S. State Department authorized organizations is under $20.00.

 

More info on importing a car into France:

Importing and registering a car in FranceIt's a long road but it might be worth it...
French vehicle registration is known as “immatriculation” and the certificate is the “Carte Grise”, (grey card). It is controlled by the Département in which you are living and applications should be directed to the Préfecture.

The process varies according to the source of your car:

New cars bought in France
This is quite simple – if you buy a new car in France the dealer will arrange for the issue of the carte grise

Used cars bought in France
The car you are buying must have a Carte Grise. The old Carte Grise is cancelled and replaced with a new one which you must apply for within 15 days of buying the car. The vendor should give you a certificate or note of sale and you will need to present this together with your proof of residence or passport at the Préfecture.

Imported cars
This is where life can become more complicated because the imported vehicle will need to conform to French construction and use regulations!

The following is a set of guideline instructions for obtaining a Carte Grise for an imported vehicle. Please note that the process may vary slightly from one region to another – it is worth checking with your Mairie first in case the procedures are different.

NB: If you stay in France for more than six months you will have to change the registration of your car, although the evidence on the road suggests that this law has not been strictly observed in the past.
The first step is to contact your local DRIRE office (Direction Régionale de L’Industrie, de la Recherche et de l’Environnement) who will send you a check-list of the documents required to register your car.

This is likely to include:

Customs Certificate (Certificat de Douane 846a):
take the original registration documents and receipt of sale to your local Centre d’Impots. They will advise you on whether any VAT or Customs Duty (for imports from outside the EU) is payable on the car (there should not be any if you purchased the car second-hand or if you can prove payment of VAT in the country of origin)

Manufacturers Certificate of Conformity (Attestation de Conformité): you can request this from a car-dealer, French importer or direct from the manufacturer. Note that this process can become much more challenging for older or more obscure or classic models of car.

Proof of origin of the vehicle or certificate of sale

Evidence that VAT has been paid in the country of origin

Registration request form (demande de certificat d’immatriculation), available from your local prefecture

The original registration documents
A test certificate (Rapport de contrôle technique) if the vehicle is more than four years old: if you are importing the car you will need to pass the contrôle technique at a vehicle test centre or authorised garage, which checks the car’s condition: identification, brakes, tyres, noise levels, emission levels, lights, steering and chassis. The test is due every two years thereafter.

Proof of identity and residence in France

You will need to take or post these documents to the car registration bureau within your local Préfecture who will process your application. Depending on the age and type of vehicle the DRIRE may ask you to bring your car for an inspection to check the conformity with French standards. Once your car is approved by DRIRE you can submit the application form via your Préfecture (or your local Mairie might do this for you), then sit back and wait. You must also pay a fee to obtain your Carte Grise and this varies according to engine size from €61 for and 1100cc to €245 for a 2 litre.

The application may take several weeks or even months, depending on the complexity of your application or the efficiency of your local office. However, at the end of this period you should receive in the post a Carte Grise with a new registration number. Take this to your local ironmonger, key-cutter or other similar outlet where they will make up your number plates.

A word of warning to people importing cars from the UK. A number of people have found that if you go through the official DVLA process and report your car as officially exported they will ask you to surrender the registration document (in exchange for another form which is an export certificate). This is fine in theory but has been known to confuse French officials who are much happier working from the original registration documents! UPDATE Oct. 2004 - apparently with the new registration documents being issued you are no longer required to send the original document back to DVLA just a small tear-off section allowing you to keep the rest and take with you for the French authorities.

 

I'm sure that you want to bring your Evo over and/or sell the current and buy a new one in France. The problem now is that do you want to spend the money to keep the car. In Europe there is a yearly tax for "Mise en route" which is what allows you to drive your car legaly on public roads. This tax will rise dramatically with the engine size. For example: I own a Jeep Wrangler 4.0L (which is unheard of in Europe) No one in their right mind would consider buying car with an engine that size because of that tax. A 2.0 liter Turbo will easily set you back a thousand dollars a year in tax compared to the measly 50 bucks here in the US.
The only way to go around this tax is to have a title that is over 25 years, which is then considered an antique and isn't taxed for the engine size.

My father and I just bought a Shelby Cobra with a 418 CI (not original but replica) and it was made in 2001. So, we made sure that the car was titled to the original date in which the car was originally manufactured to get around that tax when we move back to Europe.

Hope this helps. Just make sure you find out what the yearly tax is going to end up costing you. It can be more than you would ever want to pay just to be able to drive your car.

btw, new poster. I love these forums

 

The clear answer is to sell yours and buy an FQ400

 

By the way, if you haven't driven in Europe yet be ready for a surprise. The speed limit in Italy is 130 km/h which around 80 mp/h and since their is probably 100 times less the amount of cops checking for speeders on the highway than the US, people go 15 to 20 mp/h over. Don't be surprised if that crappy 2.0 L Turbo Diesel passes you at 110mp/h, haha. OH, and don't pass on the right, you'll get murdered if you do.

Have fun.

 

I would suggest selling your Evo now and getting one once you're in France. Especially if you'll be there a while. If you're military, the process of exportation will be different, and I can't advise you on it.

 

Thanks a lot for the information. it helps. Actually, I am originaly from France. I moved to the states when I was 13 (a long time ago). I have never worked/lived there in my adult life but return on a regular basis. I will have to ask my family there for advise on taxes, tranfer, etc. My Uncle works for Renault, so I am sure he will push me to get a megane (the up-coming Nissan Sentra), but I am sure he could take care of the paperwork for me if I have to send my Evo over. Thanks again for searching,

Sigfrid