Evidence to request from the seller, transport and French formalities for a purchase in Denmark.
Before paying in Denmark, request both original registreringsattest parts, available synsrapporter, a recent record of Bilbogen entries and the draft sale agreement. Compare the VIN, seller and right to dispose of the car.
The decisive question also concerns the export price: any Danish refund remains conditional and its beneficiary must be written into the contract. The selected route arranges afmelding, return of plates and professional transport. If a refund application requires steps before departure, resolve that timetable before booking collection.
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
Registreringsattest: both original parts
The certificate has parts I and II, with the primary owner and user. Request both valid originals: an official copy contains only part I and does not allow new registration. A new certificate invalidates its predecessor. Have a missing part replaced before departure, then separately check the right to sell. Local source.
Synsrapport roadworthiness reports
The Færdselsstyrelsen portal provides access to current and historical reports for Danish vehicles. Request the documents and compare identity, dates and successive defects with the seller. No individual report was obtained for this guide; these tests prove neither accident-free history nor current mechanical condition, and French freshness still needs checking. Local source.
Bilbogen: recorded security interests and restrictions
Bilbogen may record security interests, reservations of title and seizures. Certificates and documents recorded since 1 November 2010 are available through Tinglysning.dk. Obtain a recent record and have documented security interests released before settlement. Absence of a displayed entry replaces neither ownership evidence nor enquiries to an identified creditor. Local source.
Afmelding: returning plates to an operator
The buyer must arrange re-registration or deregistration within four working days of purchase. Here, arrange return of the plates to a plate operator and afmelding confirmation before loading; the insurer is notified automatically. Operator fees vary. That deadline does not authorise transit, and MitID access is not guaranteed for a French buyer. Buyer’s deadline. Local source.
Eksportgodtgørelse: conditional Danish refund
Eksportgodtgørelse is a conditional refund application after export and deregistration, with its own inspection and valuation steps. Specify who applies for and retains any sum. A CMR may evidence departure; a receipt declaration alone is insufficient. This procedure is not imposed on every export, and a security interest may block it. 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
Record the date, parties, buyer’s address, vehicle and signatures in the agreement. If a refund is requested, establish the applicant, inspections and valuation before departure; do not load a car still required for that branch. The amount remains unknown.
Arrange afmelding within the applicable deadline and retain confirmation. Obtain both valid original certificate parts, sale evidence and reports from the seller. After deregistration, load without the former plates; require a quote, liability terms and a CMR identifying the car, departure and delivery in France. The CMR also supports refund evidence when a refund is requested. Afmelding, export and refund.
| 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 | Availability and price must be confirmed for this location and vehicle. |
| Optional battery diagnostic | Not priced | Availability and price must be confirmed for this location and vehicle. |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate I / II | Obtain both valid originals. | To check |
| Synsrapporter | Compare dates, identity and observations. | To check |
| Bilbogen | Document security interests and releases. | To check |
| Afmelding | Return plates to operator and confirm status. | To check |
| Possible refund | Define applicant, timetable and unknown amount. | To check |
| Pre-purchase inspection | Confirm local feasibility before booking. | To check |
| France: tax and testing | Establish thresholds and freshness. | To check |
| Transport / CMR | Identify vehicle, departure and delivery. | To check |
Points remain to be checked; documents seen do not replace missing evidence.
Have the car examined before payment
Before paying or booking travel, ask CarAudit whether an inspection can be arranged for this vehicle and location. The French public list consulted does not confirm this availability. Wait for confirmation of scope and conditions before treating the service as available. This enquiry is neither a booking nor an arrangement for transport or registration.
Contact CarAudit about a purchase in Denmark
Frequently asked questions
Is an official registreringsattest copy enough?
Not for new registration: that copy contains only part I. Obtain both valid original parts and resolve any loss before departure. Also check that a newer certificate has not invalidated the one presented.
Does Bilbogen replace checking the seller?
No. It reports published rights, while ownership and the right to sell require their own evidence. If a security interest appears, obtain its documented release before settlement; a verbal promise is insufficient.
Can returning the Danish plates wait until you return to France?
This route arranges afmelding and plate return before loading, within the buyer’s applicable four-working-day period. Check confirmation with the seller; signing the contract alone does not close the register.
Is a favourable synsrapport enough for the French file?
Check the dated report and vehicle identity, then French acceptability. For an M1 car over four years old, the required test must be less than six months old when filing; a favourable result does not establish the car’s full mechanical condition.
Is the Danish refund automatically deducted from my purchase?
No. Eligibility, beneficiary and amount must be clarified. If an application is pursued, follow its specific steps and keep the CMR. This conditional procedure is not compulsory for every export and does not represent a saving already secured.
Does the refund replace French tax clearance and VAT?
No, the branches are separate. For an ordinary used EU vehicle, check both more than six months and more than 6,000 km; request the quitus after delivery according to your French address. The Danish refund does not determine that classification.
When should this Danish purchase be suspended?
If a certificate part is missing, a security interest remains unreleased or a promised refund makes the budget depend on an unknown sum, postpone the commitment. Resolve the documents and conditions before funding collection.
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.
