French Riders

@Yorkie

I do not exactly live in France (but had a whole bunch of my bikes from the Us after my return to Europe) back then individually registered/homologated as moving goods but Imho your best bet would be to contact a civil engineering company that also deals in such matters like the TUV SUD or perhaps the DEKRA.
I do know that the TUV SUD has branches in France though I'm not quite sure bout the DEKRA.
Usually there are on moving goods certain tolerances while on certain things less eg sealed beam lights and red direction lights.
Furthermore there are good chances as it was with my stuff that in order to have the technical tolerances applied that you're vehicles are not free to change of ownership for a certain time as on "moving goods" customs are usually not applied or at least weren't in my case. (And i returned with piles of boxes).
As said I do not know the exact limitations in France but in the European union most of the normatives have to be harmonized meaning certain standards have to have eventually equal application in all member states. Thus vehicles homologated in Germany or let's say Austria (thus a TUV/DEKRA or a civil engineer can prepare your papers and the homologation expertise) must be also registerable in other member states or else it's a violation of federal union law/normatives at least to my understanding.
I reckon the best would be really to drop the guys from TUV SUD an email asking if and how the could help, that's at least the way that things run in AT/DE

Kind regards and a the best

Christian

Hi All,

Thanks for the update Steve!
You're an expert guide to lead us through the maze of French & EU regulations.

Many years ago, being registered as a collector meant some boring constraints e.g. having to fill a form every time you used it, using it in restricted occasions etc...
But when I got my registration in 2009, there was no difference with a plain registration and that's still the case for me.

Re: the need for a Certificate of Conformity, I can ask the French NOC or the FFVA if they are able to deliver it, and globally what they would recommend in Yorkie's situation.

Anyway I think there will be 2 steps to complete:
a) Importing your vehicules to France
b) Getting the right to use them as you want and as much as you want in France and EU. Maybe you could keep them with their US plates?

L.

laurentdom said:

Hi All,

Thanks for the update Steve!
You're an expert guide to lead us through the maze of French & EU regulations.

Many years ago, being registered as a collector meant some boring constraints e.g. having to fill a form every time you used it, using it in restricted occasions etc...
But when I got my registration in 2009, there was no difference with a plain registration and that's still the case for me.

Re: the need for a Certificate of Conformity, I can ask the French NOC or the FFVA if they are able to deliver it, and globally what they would recommend in Yorkie's situation.

Anyway I think there will be 2 steps to complete:
a) Importing your vehicules to France
b) Getting the right to use them as you want and as much as you want in France and EU. Maybe you could keep them with their US plates?

L.

Click to expand...

The Federation Français Vehicules d'Epoque (FFVE) is the French body with the authority from ANTS to issue an 'Attestation' for vehicle registration, The attestation is required to register an imported vehicle over 30 years for which a CoC is not available, or to change an existing registration to 'vehicule de collection'. The benefit should be cheaper insurance! Also, they have a discount with a particular chain of CT stations to encourage those who don't need a regular CT to have one done anyway. Over 30 years CTs are every 5 years or only when the vehicle changes hands when pre 1960. Remember there may be CTs on bikes in France soon!

A CoC can only be issued by the vehicle manufacturer to certify the standards the vehicle was tested to meet when new. Owners clubs are not licenced to issue attestations to members, it is FFVE exclusive. They charge 60 Euros to process your dossier, it takes 5 weeks, variable on the amount being processed at the time.

Both of these issues are examples of how EU rules do not provide the level of standardisation people imagine! The CT, or UK MoT test was removed as a requirement for vehicles made prior to 1960 in response to an EU directive, which as always are the interpreted by each of the previously 28 now 27 nations. Interpreted differently and implemented differently. In the UK there is simply no test requirement, you may choose to do one, this applies to both motorcycles and cars and is required every year. In France you are normally required to have a CT every 2 years, over 30 years every 5 years and the law states you are not required to have a CT on a vehicle pre 1960 at all, as per UK, except of course in France you cannot register in your name without a CT document! The CT costs you 70 euros or more, but, your vehicle doesn't have to actually pass! You just need the document. I had to have one on my car to complete the registration process, actually it passed, regardless of the tester moaning about every element he looked at he cannot apply the modern standard. And I will need to get one again to be able to sell it and for the new owner to be able to register it!

Technically, you can take a vehicle to a CT in a dismantled state and get a failure, then you can register it. Which is just as well because it is an offence to sell a vehicle without a CT, and also an offence if you don't start the registration process almost immediately! I suspect these laws are regularly broken, not understood by locals as well as migrants and indeed these hopelessly bureaucratic processes and laws make the French government and the EU commission very unpopular!

And drive people like marinatlas to avoid things that, well, can be avoided. Something French people are quite good at, but as migrants we often lack the opportunity to do!

In Anglo Saxon: Standard my arse!

I am experience, not expert, I turn to Mark Rimmer when I need an expert, but found in some details my knowledge was more up to date as things changed, he is now way ahead again as other things changed!

I'm still convinced that slightly different regulations get applied to not truly imported vehicles but vehicles imported as "moving good" as one conducts a change of country of residence. My 2C for sure but that's the way it is at least in At/De/It if you can prove the vehicle belongs to you and stays in your possession.

Kind regards

Christian

Hudriwudri said:

I'm still convinced that slightly different regulations get applied to not truly imported vehicles but vehicles imported as "moving good" as one conducts a change of country of residence. My 2C for sure but that's the way it is at least in At/De/It if you can prove the vehicle belongs to you and stays in your possession.

Kind regards

Christian

Click to expand...

Indeed, that was the case when I moved to NZ from the US a number of years. I just couldn't sell it for a period of two years to avoid paying duty.