Evidence to request from the seller, transport and French formalities for a purchase in Slovakia.
Before paying a deposit in Slovakia, request the existing documents, VIN, a recent ODO-Pass, TK/EK reports and the draft sale agreement. Check the seller’s right to complete export and the identity of the new French buyer.
The decisive point is the timetable for new documents. In the selected route, the seller-owner completes the export formalities before the carrier collects the vehicle, with a recent KO and the insurance required for the export procedure. The new personalised part I may arrive after the counter visit: arrange its handover with part II without treating a promise to post it as a complete file.
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
Registration certificate: new part II and part I card
The owner presents the existing documents and identifies the foreign buyer. The buyer receives new part II; part I is handed over once the personalised card has been delivered. Agree secure collection of both originals and check the VIN and French details. The former documents are not simply returned unchanged; a card still awaited is not immediately available. Local source.
Kontrola originality: identity and documentary integrity
Kontrola originality examines identifiers, document consistency and unauthorised interference. For this sale with a change of holder, arrange a KO with the required passing result, no more than fifteen days old, before the procedure. It replaces neither TK/EK nor mechanical inspection; resolve an anomaly rather than treating a temporary result as approval. Legal export conditions. Local source.
RPZV ODO-Pass: mileage chronology
Request ODO-Pass and check its number, date and status with RPZV. It places mainly Slovak mileage readings in time with their provenance. It may be invalidated before its maximum six-month age. Compare the odometer and supporting evidence; a consistent curve guarantees neither absence of manipulation between events nor full foreign coverage. Local source.
TK and EK: roadworthiness and emissions tests
Collect TK roadworthiness reports and EK emissions reports where applicable. Check the VIN, result and dates with the seller. The tests have different scopes; their local validity does not decide French acceptance. A report still valid in Slovakia may be too old for your French application. Local source.
Export to the French buyer and plates on request
Article 119 covers a new buyer resident outside Slovakia. The seller-owner handles the procedure here; if the buyer is absent, arrange a power of attorney or acquisition evidence with a certified signature under the legal conditions. V plates are available on request. Neither thirty-day documents nor a carrier removes the required KO, insurance and registration steps. 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
Arrange the KO, insurance to be checked at the counter and the French buyer’s presence or required certified signature. The seller-owner presents the existing parts I/II and buyer details; the seller’s own representative must also be authorised.
Return the old plates in this branch, receive new part II and arrange the personalised part I. Scheduling departure around handover of the originals avoids leaving the file incomplete. Then load with collection and delivery evidence identifying the VIN; respect the documents’ thirty-day period without inferring an international right to drive. Article 119 and associated conditions.
| 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 and KO | Not priced | KO with the required passing result, no more than fifteen days old; fees to confirm. |
| Export plates | Not priced | Not selected for full vehicle transport. |
| Insurance required for export and subsequent French cover | Not priced | Export condition retained even with a carrier. |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|
| New parts I / II | Ensure complete handover to the French buyer. | To check |
| KO | Required passing result, no more than fifteen days old. | To check |
| ODO-Pass | Check validity and chronology. | To check |
| TK / EK | Compare dates, VIN and results. | To check |
| Export / attendance / insurance | Prepare a certified signature if needed and insurance. | To check |
| Inspection | Examine mechanical condition and limits separately. | To check |
| France: tax and conformity | Prepare tax clearance and technical papers. | To check |
| Transport / timetable | Coordinate thirty-day documents and delivery. | 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 the buyer receive the seller’s former originals?
The described procedure issues new documents in the buyer’s name: part II followed by personalised part I. Arrange both handovers; the card may arrive later and photographs of the former papers do not form a complete file.
Is KO unnecessary if the car leaves on a lorry?
Not for this sale with a change of holder. The file requires a KO with the required passing result, no more than fifteen days old, and the insurance required for the procedure. A carrier avoids driving the car, not these administrative conditions.
Is an ODO-Pass less than six months old necessarily valid?
No, invalidation may occur before that limit. Check its number, date and status, then compare readings with the seller’s documents. The register has limits, particularly for foreign data and intervals without readings.
Can the French buyer be absent from the counter?
The legal branch provides, in particular, for a power of attorney or acquisition document with the buyer’s certified signature when absent, subject to the applicable conditions. Prepare the appropriate evidence before the appointment; a verbal agreement is not grounds to assume it exists.
Do TK and EK replace the French roadworthiness check?
Not automatically. Retain the applicable reports and check dates, VIN and result. For the relevant M1 car, the French file requires an acceptable, sufficiently recent test, including less than six months at filing where that rule applies.
Does the Slovak export price remove the need for tax clearance?
Not in the ordinary EU branch without a justified exception. A used vehicle for VAT must exceed both six months and 6,000 km; request the quitus after delivery according to your French address. The commercial price label does not determine the regime.
When should commitment in Slovakia be postponed?
If a VIN anomaly is unresolved, KO lacks the required result or new part I cannot be handed over, postpone the affected step. A booked carrier resolves neither a missing document nor a missing condition.
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.
