Q & A

Subject: Buy a car in France.

Question: I am in France quite frequently. I would like to purchase a car there with legal insurance and leave it there for when i return. How do I do this? My french friends that live there say it is quite difficult, and have not been able to help me. Can you suggest something?

Answer: The problem will not be buying the car, it will be registering it. Getting your pink slip (Carte Grise) will not be easy. In France every time a car is sold it needs to be reregistered at the local Préfecture or Sous Préfecture. If you are in France as a tourist I am not sure if you will be able to register your car, as all you will have to prove who you are is a passport, but that might be acceptable. Also you need an address. You don't need a French drivers license to register a car, but you might need one to buy French insurance, and with out insurance you will not be able to register your car.
My suggestion is to call your local Préfecture or Sous Préfecture and explain your situation and see what they say. Also call a few insurance companies and see if they will sell you insurance without you having a French license.
Two pages that might be useful from my site are, http://www.americansinfrance.net/Driving/FrenchLicense.cfm and http://www.americansinfrance.net/Driving/FrenchCarInsurance.cfm. Jeff

France 101 - A six-day long conference focusing on everything you need to know live in France.

Follow @jeffsteiner