Evidence to request from the seller, transport and French formalities for a purchase in Switzerland.
Before paying a deposit in Switzerland, request the registration permit, draft sale agreement, VIN, approval data and available origin evidence. In particular, check code 178 and the holder’s right to sell.
The decisive question is the cost and feasibility of Swiss export, French customs and conformity together. This guide uses a cancelled permit followed by loaded transport, with a declarant and an 846A certificate. Customs-cleared does not automatically mean registrable; clarify both files before funding delivery.
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
Cancelled registration permit and the seller’s plates
In Geneva, the seller has the original cancelled and hands it to the buyer, while the seller’s plates remain theirs. Vaud confirms return of the cancelled permit. Identify the actual canton and arrange handover before transport. Cancellation is neither customs clearance nor permission to drive to France. Vaud procedure. Local source.
Code 178: change of holder prohibited
Read the permit’s annotations: code 178 prohibits a change of holder, notably for leasing. Bern’s procedure requires the leasing company’s involvement and the original permit. Have effective removal confirmed in the competent canton before final payment; the holder’s name does not prove unrestricted disposal rights. Local source.
Swiss export declaration
The OFDF requires a permanent-export declaration at an office competent for goods, with the permit, identity and customs documents. Appoint the declarant with the carrier and agree the crossing. Loaded transport is expressly permitted but removes none of the formalities; the Swiss declaration does not replace French import. Local source.
Evidence of preferential origin
Ask the seller for available origin evidence before agreement. The exporter must be able to substantiate origin, including through importer documents or previous customs clearance. Have their French admissibility checked: purchase location, European brand and VIN do not by themselves prove a tariff preference. Local source.
Swiss inspection and type approval
Request the date, available report and approval data for the Swiss inspection. Geneva’s cited conditions are cantonal and tied to the described cases; they do not automatically require a new inspection for every transported car. This inspection and Swiss approval replace neither French conformity nor an acceptable roadworthiness test. 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
The seller has restrictions removed, cancels the permit under the canton’s procedure and removes the plates. Receive the cancelled original and sale evidence. With the declarant, prepare the currently accepted declaration channel; do not copy an old e-dec Export tutorial. The OFDF operational page distinguishes the systems and decisions to obtain. Export channel.
Have the vehicle loaded and routed through a crossing suitable for goods. Agree condition, liability and departure references, then French import and 846A. Cantonal export plates, insurance and a driving route would form another option, not confirmed here. OFDF 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. |
Clear customs, then prepare French registration
This sale to someone already resident in France is a non-EU import, without assumed moving-house relief. Prepare customs clearance and the 846A certificate, unless a customs exception is justified; the EU quitus is not this branch’s document. Swiss export declaration and French import are separate acts. French customs.
The French customs source dated 5 February 2021, retained on 8 September 2026, gives a general framework of 10% duty and 20% import VAT. These are not assessed amounts for your car. Have classification, rates, origin and customs value confirmed. Duty applies to the confirmed value; the VAT basis includes duty and legally required expenses. Do not count transport twice or mix CHF and EUR without a documented conversion. A European brand does not prove preferential origin. Customs framework.
Before payment, agree the competent border office, documents and value with the declarant. Entry into the EU through another country requires assessment of import there or transit to France; do not improvise it on the journey. Do not anticipate any Swiss VAT refund without a contractual and tax basis.
Have conformity assessed separately. A European COC or suitable certificate may enable the applicable route; a Swiss purchase does not automatically require RTI. Swiss approval or successful customs clearance does not guarantee registration. AVDT and RTI are not interchangeable. Documentary rules, technical routes.
The Swiss inspection alone does not replace a French roadworthiness test or an acceptable EU document. For an M1 car over four years old, arrange an acceptable test, generally in France, less than six months old when filing, respecting any retest requirement. A French critical defect limits validity to the test day. Registration, roadworthiness testing.
Apply within one month of purchase through “Immatriculer pour la première fois un véhicule en France”, with the cancelled permit, acquisition evidence, recent address evidence, 846A and required technical documents. This is an application deadline, without guaranteed issue or permission to drive. France Titres.
| Situation | Decision before commitment |
|---|---|
| Purchase in Switzerland | Non-EU customs branch and a separate technical file. Prepare clearance, 846A, conformity and an acceptable roadworthiness test before departure. |
| 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. |
| Swiss route: customs duty | Not priced | 10% reference; classification, origin and base to confirm. |
| Swiss route: import VAT | Not priced | 20% reference on the confirmed taxable basis. |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Permit / canton | Obtain the cancelled original and remove plates. | To check |
| Code 178 | Confirm removal before payment. | To check |
| Swiss export | Specify declarant, crossing and evidence. | To check |
| Preferential origin | Verify evidence before any claimed saving. | To check |
| Inspection and conformity | Arrange acceptable testing and French technical route. | To check |
| Pre-purchase inspection | Confirm local feasibility and terms. | To check |
| Import / 846A | Confirm basis, rates and customs document. | To check |
| Transport / budget | Avoid duplicates, mixed currencies and assumed VAT. | 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 this project in Switzerland
Frequently asked questions
Is a cancelled Swiss permit enough to drive in France?
No. The cited cantonal procedures allow its handover as a vehicle document, not an international drive home. The selected plan uses loaded transport and a separate customs declaration.
What if code 178 appears?
Seek its effective removal by the beneficiary and competent canton before final payment. Bern’s example involves the leasing company and original permit; the holder’s promise alone does not release the change-of-holder restriction.
Does a European brand avoid customs duty?
It does not establish preferential origin. Request origin evidence before departure and have its acceptability for French import checked; keep the amount unknown until rate and basis are established.
Does the Swiss inspection replace the French roadworthiness test?
Not by itself: Switzerland is not an EU member. For the relevant M1 car, arrange an acceptable, sufficiently recent test, generally in France, without confusing it with a COC or RTI.
Should you request a quitus for the Swiss purchase?
The described branch requires customs clearance and an 846A certificate, unless an exception is justified. The EU quitus does not replace it. Have the declarant prepare Swiss export and French import separately.
When should this Swiss purchase be suspended?
If code 178 remains active, export papers are unavailable or French conformity is unresolved, postpone the affected commitment. A negotiated price or available delivery does not resolve these obstacles.
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.
