Evidence to request from the seller, transport and French formalities for a purchase in Sweden.
Before paying a deposit in Sweden, request both most recent registreringsbevis parts, the besiktning report, vehicle data and draft sale agreement. Examine vehicle-related debts with the seller, including when buying from a trader.
The decisive choice concerns export timing. Without temporary registration, the selected route uses a carrier and then its departure evidence to obtain avregistrering. Agree that follow-up before payment: neither a signed contract nor loading means deregistration has already happened.
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
Registreringsbevis: Del 1 and Del 2
Del 1 includes technical data; Del 2 identifies the registered owner. With leasing, the parts may go to the lessee and lessor. Check the latest certificate’s date against vehicle data and obtain both valid originals: a duplicate invalidates its predecessor, and one part alone does not secure the purchase. Local source.
Vehicle-related debts: fordonsrelaterade skulder
With the seller, check fordonsrelaterade skulder through the appropriate channel, then clarify amounts passed to Kronofogden. Taxes and charges may expose the car to a use ban or seizure after sale. This does not automatically make the buyer personally liable for the debt; data can also lag behind events. Local source.
Besiktning and avställd/påställd status
Request the report and vehicle status. The ordinary schedule allows at most 36 months before the first test, then 24, then 14 months depending on the preceding test. French freshness remains separate. Avställd means withdrawal from road use, not permanent export deregistration; do not confuse it with a closed file. Pre-purchase data. Local source.
Avregistrering with evidence of departure
In the selected route, Transportstyrelsen deregisters after receiving the declaration, evidence of permanent departure and plates. Arrange for the carrier’s attestation stating departure from Sweden to France. The contract or invoice alone does not prove departure; the seller remains registered while the file is incomplete. Local source.
Copy of Del 2 for EU/EEA export
For France, an EU destination, the seller may use the dedicated form or a copy of both sides of Del 2. Make the copies before handing both originals to the buyer. Do not transfer the original-submission rule for destinations outside the EU/EEA to this route; retain proof of submission and subsequently check effective deregistration. 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
Obtain the original Del 1 and Del 2 from the seller with the sale document and reports; the seller keeps the form or useful copy. Agree how tax and insurance obligations continue before deregistration, or arrange an appropriate formal withdrawal from use. Departure alone does not stop them.
Load without driving the purchased vehicle and arrange collection of the plates to be sent. After departure, the seller submits the declaration, carrier’s attestation and plates to Transportstyrelsen, 701 81 Örebro. Check deregistration after receipt of the complete file. Both originals remain available for France; prior deregistration would have required the other, temporary route, which is not selected. Swedish export.
| 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Del 1 / Del 2 | Obtain both most recent originals. | To check |
| Vehicle-related debts | Check with seller and clarify reporting delays. | To check |
| Besiktning / status | Separate use, test and deregistration. | To check |
| Avregistrering | Require carrier evidence after departure. | To check |
| Del 2 copy | Preserve the original for France. | To check |
| Inspection | Read observations, defects and limits. | To check |
| France: tax and technical file | Prepare tax clearance, conformity and acceptable test. | To check |
| Transport and follow-up | Track attestation, plates and effective deregistration. | 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
Is an old Del 2 enough if the seller still has it?
Check the latest certificate’s date. A duplicate invalidates its predecessor even if the old paper remains physically available. Request both valid parts and compare the registered owner with the right to sell. If the latest originals cannot be handed over or the right to sell remains unclear, suspend payment until the issue is resolved with supporting evidence.
Does the buyer become personally liable for Swedish debts?
Not automatically, but the car may remain exposed to a use ban or seizure. Check debts with the seller and clarify possible register delays before payment.
Does avställd mean export is complete?
No: it is a withdrawal-from-road-use status. Export avregistrering remains a separate procedure, requiring the file and departure evidence after transport in this route. Check each status separately.
Must the vehicle be deregistered before the carrier collects it?
The route without temporary registration uses the opposite order: departure, then deregistration on a complete file. Agree the carrier’s attestation and the seller’s remaining obligations before departure; an invoice alone does not prove departure.
Must original Del 2 be sent for export to France?
The EU/EEA branch allows the dedicated form or a copy of both sides. Preserve original Del 1 and Del 2 for the French file and check that the seller submits the other items, including plates and departure evidence.
Does a besiktning valid for fourteen months suffice for French filing?
The Swedish limit does not determine French freshness. Request the dated report and check the less-than-six-month filing rule for an M1 car over four years old, with any retest requirement.
Does a Swedish export price remove the need for tax clearance?
Not in the ordinary EU branch without a justified exception. Check both more than six months and more than 6,000 km for VAT classification; request the quitus after delivery through the channel linked to your French address. An advertised price does not determine tax treatment.
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.
