Importing a bike into France?

[lebowski]

don't speak enough French to give them a call.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

Probably the hardest thing to master...... I email and check my french with google and linguee

 

[leadfarmer]

Hi chaps

Just seen this thread so I thought I'd chime in

Lebowski is right about insurance, multibike does not exist here, some companies will give you 10% off a second policy but that's about all

I have always found AMV to be the cheapest https://www.amv.fr/


If you have proof of your past insurance contracts bring it with you, it takes 13 years here to get to 50% no claims and if you've never been insured here you may have to start from scratch
I was lucky enough to be able to prove my insurance history when I arrived and got to keep my no claims bonus
I use Direct assurance for cars, they are almost always the cheapest and they accepted my proof of UK history
https://www.direct-assurance.fr/


The finance packages here are not as interesting as PCP from what I can tell, the "assurance" mentioned is indeed an insurance for the loan against injury or job loss usually although this is generally not worth the money

If you are going to be working here in your current company but on a french speaking site you will learn the language quickly

I came here 20 years ago and spoke almost no French but working all day in french you you just pick it up, within 6 months you will be getting by no problem, after 2 years you'll be pretty good orally
Reading comes quickly but writing is a lot longer, spellcheck & grammar check helps a lot !

 

[lebowski]

Hi chaps

If you are going to be working here in your current company but on a french speaking site you will learn the language quickly

I came here 20 years ago and spoke almost no French but working all day in french you you just pick it up, within 6 months you will be getting by no problem, after 2 years you'll be pretty good orally
Reading comes quickly but writing is a lot longer, spellcheck & grammar check helps a lot !

Probably why I struggle so much with my french. I can just about get by and I'm having 2 lessons a week now, but as I don't work and the area is very quiet we've not interacted as much as we wanted to. It really pays to get involved with as much as possible.

 

[leadfarmer]

Probably why I struggle so much with my french. I can just about get by and I'm having 2 lessons a week now, but as I don't work and the area is very quiet we've not interacted as much as we wanted to. It really pays to get involved with as much as possible.

It does indeed

If you've got friends there force yourselves to speak in French even if they want to practice their English

Watch TV in French, watch the evening news etc, that gives you short subjects with lots of context, I learned a lot that way in the beginning

 

[lebowski]

It does indeed

If you've got friends there force yourselves to speak in French even if they want to practice their English

Watch TV in French, watch the evening news etc, that gives you short subjects with lots of context, I learned a lot that way in the beginning

Even our french friends want to speak english with us!

When we first arrived I started coaching at the local football club and my french improved so quickly. Unfortuantely I had to stop through ill health and so consequently only parlering with friends doesn't help matters.

 

[Mad Hatter]

Reading this old thread with interest as I’m in the process of moving to France (Cher) and want to take three of my old airheads with me (1976, 1988, 1996). None of these have a CoC so I’m expecting some challenges getting them registered. My first task as I understand it is to physically import them and obtain a 846A certificate from French customs on entry to France with them.

Interested in hearing how others have got on importing older bikes?

 

[tomtom1200]

Hi, sorry to bring up an old thread.

I am looking to move to france in the summer. I currently have a gs1300 uk registered which I want to take with me

• I have the COC issues from BMW uk when it was purchased.
• I have had it for more than 6 months and over 6000 km, so I don't think I need pay import tax
• I ran a carte grise simulation, which came back to register it in france and around 3000 euros which seems steep, does this sound correct?
• since the above thread I believe that motorcycle in France now need a control technique, however as my bike is less than 5 years does anyone know if its required.

Any help is much appreciated.

 

[Davey B]

CT wont be needed initially. I imagine you've put the wrong figure in the simulator "fiscal power" or such like. My Honda NT1100 is 10. My 2017 Africa Twin imported in 2022 was c180eu to register..all in.

 

[Davey B]

Just done a quick check...with a made up figure of 15 and in alpes maritime...442eu Other departments will be slightly more or less.....I imagine the bike will be 12 or 13...so likely to be a bit less than 400eu.
(After 2.5yrs here...I've just part exed my Africa twin at a Honda main dealer. No issue at all about it being a "UK" bike)

 

[leadfarmer]

I ran a carte grise simulation, which came back to register it in france and around 3000 euros which seems steep, does this sound correct?

There’s a simulator here, a 1300GS is 12 CV fiscaux, the price of the Carte Grise depends upon the region you register it in but there’s not a huge difference

Here’s an example with my department

Simulateur - Estimer le coût d'un certificat d'immatriculation (ou carte grise) - Service-Public.fr

Service Public - Vos droits et démarches plus simplement

www.service-public.fr

By the way, only use the government site to register your vehicles, there are lots of web sites that will take a healthy commission that you do not need to pay !

This is the official government site :

https://immatriculation.ants.gouv.fr/demarches-en-ligne/immatriculer-pour-la-premiere-fois-un-vehicule-en-france

https://immatriculation.ants.gouv.fr/

 

[Mad Hatter]

It’s really easy if you have the CoC. You will need the V5C, the CoC, the 846A certificate, a CT less than 6 months old, and a receipt for the bike with the vin number on it. Then you use a company like Eplaque or similar (there are lots) to do the carte gris application for you on the French ANTS system (similar to DVLA). You could attempt to do the application on ANTS yourself but unless you’ve got French ID you will struggle to get access. I used Eplaque and they were very helpful. For the fiscalhorsepower figure, BMW France can help you with a certificate. Depending on how strict your local Moto CT garage is you make have to change lights and speedo. Don’t tell DVLA you have exported the bike until after you have got your carte gris. Once it’s registered in France you MUST have French insurance all the time as there is no equivalent of SORN. Give me a shout if you need more info as I’ve just done this on two bikes imported from the UK.

 

[Redboots]

By the way, only use the government site to register your vehicles, there are lots of web sites that will take a healthy commission that you do not need to pay !

You can usually get a local garage to do it for around €30.

Will a UK bike not be liable for import tax/VAT? 10% plus VAT. Thank you Brexit.

Insurance wise, can you get proof of 10 years accident free? That will give you 50% discount. Matters not if its bike or car insurance, they take them both.

 

[Mad Hatter]

Depends if you’re moving permanently to France, if so there is no tax / duty and the 846a form issued by the Douanes is your proof that there is no tax/duty liability

 

[leadfarmer]

Insurance wise, can you get proof of 10 years accident free? That will give you 50% discount. Matters not if its bike or car insurance, they take them both.

Excellent point!

I managed to prove 13 years when I moved here, that’s what you needed for full no claims, as Redboots says, car or bike doesn’t matter

 

[Redboots]

Depends if you’re moving permanently to France, if so there is no tax / duty and the 846a form issued by the Douanes is your proof that there is no tax/duty liability

I didn't know that

Moving to France with a personal car: When you move to France with a car in your name for at least six months, you are completely exempt. However, the free 846A certificate means that you cannot sell the vehicle for one year.

 

[Mad Hatter]

It’s another post brexit thing.

 

[tomtom1200]

Thanks so much for the quick replies everybody, this is a great forum!!!

I have read conflicting information on when I need to start the process, from the above I am assuming that I have 6 months if I want to avoid paying any import taxes?

Unfortunately I have one small parking accident in a car (3 years ago) but I do have 10 years NCB on a bike. Any advice on insurers to contact?

 

[leadfarmer]

Thanks so much for the quick replies everybody, this is a great forum!!!

I have read conflicting information on when I need to start the process, from the above I am assuming that I have 6 months if I want to avoid paying any import taxes?

Unfortunately I have one small parking accident in a car (3 years ago) but I do have 10 years NCB on a bike. Any advice on insurers to contact?

For bike insurance I’ve always used AMV, they’ve always been the best value, up until last year when I changed to MACIF as they were suddenly better, the Mutuelle des Motards is also popular

Assurance Moto, Scooter, Auto et Quad - AMV

AMV est leader de l'assurance moto et 2 roues. Label Excellence. Réalisez gratuitement vos devis assurance moto, scooter, auto, collection, quad, jet ski, habitation.

www.amv.fr

MACIF : Assurance en ligne pour particuliers et professionnels

Assurance auto, assurance habitation, assurance santé, crédit, assurance vie… La MACIF protège les particuliers à chaque étape de leur vie. Faites un devis !

www.macif.fr

Assurance Moto - Scooter - Habitation | Mutuelle des Motards

Rejoignez La Mutuelle des Motards! Une Assurance Moto - Scooter - Habitation. La Mutuelle des Motards, Acteur Historique de l'Assurance 2 Roues.

www.mutuelledesmotards.fr

Similar story for cars, was with Direct Assurance for 25 years then last year swapped to Flitter

Assurance auto, moto, habitation et santé – Direct Assurance

Leader de l’assurance en ligne. Assurance auto, moto, habitation et santé : simulation de devis gratuit et souscription en ligne ⚡

www.direct-assurance.fr

L'Assurance Auto au Kilomètre

Flitter est une assurance auto au kilomètre simple, rapide et transparente. Avec Flitter, moins vous roulez, moins vous payez, en toute simplicité.

flitter.fr

 

[Mad Hatter]

Thanks so much for the quick replies everybody, this is a great forum!!!

I have read conflicting information on when I need to start the process, from the above I am assuming that I have 6 months if I want to avoid paying any import taxes?

Unfortunately I have one small parking accident in a car (3 years ago) but I do have 10 years NCB on a bike. Any advice on insurers to contact?

You have to have owned the vehicle for more than 6 months/6000km before importing it to France and you have 12 months to shift all your belongings to France (12 months from the first thing being moved to the last thing being moved)

 

[tomtom1200]

It’s really easy if you have the CoC. You will need the V5C, the CoC, the 846A certificate, a CT less than 6 months old, and a receipt for the bike with the vin number on it. Then you use a company like Eplaque or similar (there are lots) to do the carte gris application for you on the French ANTS system (similar to DVLA). You could attempt to do the application on ANTS yourself but unless you’ve got French ID you will struggle to get access. I used Eplaque and they were very helpful. For the fiscalhorsepower figure, BMW France can help you with a certificate. Depending on how strict your local Moto CT garage is you make have to change lights and speedo. Don’t tell DVLA you have exported the bike until after you have got your carte gris. Once it’s registered in France you MUST have French insurance all the time as there is no equivalent of SORN. Give me a shout if you need more info as I’ve just done this on two bikes imported from the UK.

We have moved in and are settling and getting through the mountain of required paperwork.

For the 846a certificate, my wife found the "declation d'entrée en franchise de biens personnells en provenance de pays tiers a l'u.e." cerfa 10070*03 , @Mad Hatter not sure if you can remember but is this the correct form to fill in to get the 846A cert

The link is here https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/R42719

Thanks!