Evidence to request from the seller, transport and French formalities for a purchase in Belgium.
Before paying a deposit in Belgium, request a recent Car-Pass, both parts of the registration certificate, available conformity evidence and the draft contract. Car-Pass is still required for a foreign private buyer: its absence cannot be justified by your French address.
The decision before travelling concerns a complete file and workable return transport. This route selects delivery by a carrier, with the seller’s plates removed. Distinguish the Belgian sale roadworthiness inspection from the test acceptable in France; confusing the two requirements can obstruct the file after payment.
This guide concerns a private buyer already resident in metropolitan France and an M1 car registered abroad. A special fiscal territory, previous French registration or unusual specification requires separate assessment.
Contents: documents · return transport · France · budget · checklist · FAQ.
Local evidence to obtain from the seller
Car-Pass
The seller must give you a Car-Pass no more than two months old. Check its QR code or identifier and compare dates and mileages. The seller can request it with the car at a centre’s counter without a full roadworthiness test. Data predating Belgian import may be missing; it guarantees neither mechanical condition nor an accident-free history. Local source.
Belgian registration certificate: both parts
Since 2013, the CIM has a vehicle part and a home part. Request both originals from the seller and compare the VIN. The certificate does not establish ownership. A loss must be resolved through the police and DIV before concluding; do not assume an incomplete file will be acceptable in France. Local source.
Sale to a foreign private buyer and the pre-sale roadworthiness test
For a sale to a foreign private buyer, Car-Pass distinguishes the sale test from the documents to hand over. Collect the latest available report with the other documents. This distinction removes neither periodic requirements for an X plate nor the French requirement: arrange the test needed for the transport method and filing date. Local source.
DIV X export plate
An X plate provides for export by a private buyer resident abroad, normally for 30 calendar days. DIV requires originals and insurance; for a vehicle over four years old, the test must cover the expiry date. Seek confirmation before any driving: no insured route is established here, and the selected plan uses a lorry. Local source.
Deregistration of the seller’s plate
Since 1 August 2025, only DIV deregisters plates. The seller arranges permitted retention or returns the official plate; actual receipt by DIV matters, not posting. Have the seller’s plates removed at handover. This process transfers no right to drive on them. Local source.
Keep three checks separate. History checking compares the available records and their limits; HistoVec relies on the French SIV and does not reconstruct the entire foreign past. A statutory roadworthiness test examines a defined scope on a particular date. A pre-purchase inspection describes observed condition, unchecked items and repairs to price. None of these layers replaces the other two. HistoVec, inspection scope.
Arrange export and return transport
List the expected originals in the agreement: both CIM parts, Car-Pass, conformity evidence, proof of sale and available test report. The seller prepares Car-Pass even for a foreign sale. At handover, compare the documents, remove the seller’s plates and record condition at loading.
The carrier’s quote must cover collection, delivery and liability. An X plate is not mandatory for this full delivery. Keep evidence of what happened to the seller’s plates separate from the vehicle documents. Sale documents, DIV deregistration.
| Option | Condition and action |
|---|---|
| Foreign or export plates | Driving is not the selected plan: formalities, dates, holder, insurance and transit need confirmation. |
| French CPI WW | Four months under the standard regime; does not authorise driving along this unconfirmed foreign route. |
| Professional vehicle transport | Transport does not replace the tax file or registration documents. Obtain a quote, a jointly recorded loading condition and insurance terms. |
| Validity or safety unconfirmed | A pending application is not permission to drive. Resolve the issue before driving, or arrange suitable transport. |
Prepare French tax clearance and registration
For an ordinary used EU vehicle, check both more than six months and more than 6,000 km at the relevant point of purchase: additional French VAT does not apply automatically in this branch. A two-year-old car with 4,000 km falls outside this definition. At exactly 6,000 km, have the DGFiP classify the case before payment. If the vehicle is new for VAT purposes, examine the French 20% branch separately; an advance payment of foreign tax does not by itself settle this obligation. EU VAT guidance.
Request the quitus after delivery: it confirms the VAT position, including when no additional VAT is payable. Your home address determines the channel. In departments 57, 59, 62 or 67, use the combined France Titres/ANTS tax clearance and registration application; elsewhere, email form 1993-PART-D-SD to the competent tax office. Prepare identity, address, invoice or contract and the foreign registration document. DGFiP instructions.
Have conformity examined before a non-refundable deposit. A complete, acceptable harmonised document may suffice; buying an additional COC is not always necessary. For an unusual specification or missing data, have the competent service establish whether manufacturer documents, a certificate, AVDT or RTI are required. Documentary rules.
For an M1 car over four years old, the acceptable roadworthiness report must be less than six months old when filing; also respect any retest requirement. A test from the EU country of previous registration may be acceptable, but periodic validity alone is insufficient. In France, a critical defect limits validity to the test day: two months to repair does not always mean two months to drive. Registration file, French roadworthiness testing.
Apply within one month of purchase through the official “Immatriculer pour la première fois un véhicule en France” service. Include, in particular, acquisition evidence, foreign registration, recent address evidence, conformity and the required tax and roadworthiness documents. This is an application deadline, with no guaranteed delivery of the certificate or permission to drive. France Titres entry point.
| Situation | Decision before commitment |
|---|---|
| Ordinary used EU vehicle | No automatic additional French VAT; tax clearance required unless an exemption is justified. Check both thresholds and the invoice before paying. |
| New for VAT purposes | The wording of the advert does not decide the tax treatment. Confirm French VAT and treatment of any foreign tax advance. |
| Complete harmonised document and compliant vehicle | Buying an additional COC is not automatically necessary. Have identity, approval and mandatory data examined. |
| Incomplete data or unusual specification | COC, certificate, AVDT and RTI are not interchangeable. Ask the manufacturer and competent service to establish the route before a deposit. |
| Special fiscal territory or earlier French registration | The ordinary outline does not determine the taxes. Identify territory and registration history; obtain a separate assessment. |
Build a budget without adding alternative plans together
An unpriced amount means an input is missing, never that it is free. Include the transport actually selected; export plates and a complete drive home are not mandatory costs of full delivery. Convert currencies only with a rate, date and fees. CarAudit references are not accepted quotations.
The malus depends, among other things, on first registration, the applicable schedule and depreciation, not simply the year of French filing. For weight, use G, not F.2; check the combined cap with CO2. An age-related regional reduction does not mean exemption from the malus. Certificate costs, official simulator, CO2, weight.
| Item | Amount | Required input |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle price | Not priced | Contract price, currency and tax treatment. |
| Currency exchange and payment | Not priced | Rate, date and payment fees. |
| Local history and documents | Not priced | Local access and scope to confirm. |
| CarAudit inspection | Not priced | 289 EUR reference; location and scope to confirm. |
| Optional battery diagnostic | Not priced | 179 EUR reference; suitability and option to confirm. |
| Export formalities | Not priced | Applicable non-resident procedure and fee. |
| Export plates | Not priced | Not selected for full vehicle transport. |
| Journey and subsequent French insurance | Not priced | Vehicle, countries, dates and cover period. |
| Driving the vehicle back | Not priced | Not selected; do not add to complete delivery. |
| Lorry or trailer transport | Not priced | Loading, delivery, insurance and exclusions. |
| French VAT: fiscally new vehicle | Not priced | 20% only if new for VAT purposes. |
| Tax clearance certificate (quitus fiscal) | Not priced | No verified issue fee; separate private fees. |
| COC or certificate if needed | Not priced | Confirm need before ordering. |
| Any AVDT, RTI and testing | Not priced | Price only the necessary procedure and tests. |
| Roadworthiness test and any retest | Not priced | Check foreign report and filing dates first. |
| Certified translation if requested | Not priced | Only documents actually requested. |
| Regional registration tax | Not priced | Region, fiscal horsepower, age and applicable rules. |
| Possible CO2 malus | Not priced | First registration, CO2, depreciation and exemptions. |
| Possible weight malus | Not priced | Mass G, applicable year, reductions and combined cap. |
| Final registration fixed tax | 11 EUR | Ordinary issue; other taxes separate. |
| Delivery of final registration certificate | 2.76 EUR | Ordinary delivery; other items separate. |
| Final number plates | Not priced | Plate supplier’s quotation. |
| Optional authorised professional | Not priced | Separate professional fees from taxes passed on. |
| CPI WW if needed | Not priced | Procedure and plates; no guaranteed foreign transit. |
| Identified repairs | Not priced | Quote actual findings after inspection. |
Check the decisive points
This static checklist remains readable without JavaScript. Every row starts as “to check”. A conflict takes priority over items seen; every open point still needs resolving. Marking all documents as seen does not guarantee freedom from defects or registration.
| Evidence or decision | Action before commitment | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Car-Pass | Check code, dates and mileage. | To check |
| Both CIM parts | Obtain originals and resolve any loss. | To check |
| Sale test / France | Assess the required test separately. | To check |
| X plate | Do not treat the alternative as confirmed. | To check |
| Seller’s plates | Removal and DIV evidence, not a postal receipt. | To check |
| Inspection | Examine defects and unchecked items. | To check |
| VAT / conformity | Confirm tax branch and technical evidence. | To check |
| Transport / French file | Complete quote and documents ready for filing. | To check |
Points remain to be checked; documents seen do not replace missing evidence.
Have the car examined before payment
Before committing, have the car examined at the seller’s premises. CarAudit offers pre-purchase inspections in countries listed on its French website. Check availability for the exact location and vehicle, then confirm access with the seller. The inspection does not automatically include transport, import formalities, customs or tax representation, or guaranteed registration in France.
Frequently asked questions
Does Car-Pass also apply to a French buyer?
Yes, the seller supplies it to a foreign private buyer. Require a document no more than two months old and check the code; even a recent document is limited to received data, particularly before Belgian import.
Can you leave with only one CIM part?
Do not conclude on this basis without resolving the missing part. The document has had two parts since 2013; ask the seller to address the loss with the police and DIV before assuming French acceptability.
Does the absence of a sale test require an X plate?
No: carrier delivery is the route selected here. An X plate is a separate procedure with insurance and the applicable test; exemption from the sale test does not remove the French requirement.
Does a postal receipt prove deregistration?
No. Since 1 August 2025, DIV carries out deregistration and its actual receipt of the plate determines the date. Have the seller document what happens to the plate; posting alone is insufficient.
Does a Belgian invoice without a VAT line mean tax-free?
Not automatically: a trader may use a different scheme, including margin taxation. Have the invoice and both used-EU-vehicle thresholds clarified before payment; export does not guarantee a tax-free price.
Which discrepancy should stop a Belgian purchase?
A missing Car-Pass, unexplained mileage or missing CIM part needs resolving before the affected commitment. Also confirm the French roadworthiness file: delivery replaces no essential evidence.
Sources and limits of the guide
The shared French sources were checked on 8 September 2026; local additions were verified on 10 September 2026. The links above retain that scope: no individual vehicle, quotation or administrative application has been verified here.
