Vehicle relocation UK to France
Cars, motorbikes, vintage
Vehicle relocation as part of a household move or as a standalone service. We move the car and explain the French import steps — the 846A customs certificate, the contrôle technique and registration.
About vehicle relocation uk to france
— in detail
Vehicle relocation is handled through our vehicle-partner specialist firms — we do not run the vehicle transport in-house but we coordinate it as part of your overall UK-to-France move where the timing makes sense. Vehicles travel separately from household goods in both cases (different paperwork regimes; different customs handling), but consolidated booking with your house move is usually the most economical approach.
The French paperwork is the part most people underestimate. A private car you have owned and used for at least six months before the move can be imported under the transfer-of-residence franchise, and when the douane clears it you receive the 846A certificate. Once you have taken up residence you have one month to apply for French registration (immatriculation) online through ANTS, with the 846A, proof of address, a certificate of conformity and, for a car more than four years old, a French or EU contrôle technique. We coordinate the transport and the customs side; the registration application is yours, because it is made in your name.
Vintage and collector vehicles have specific considerations. Older vehicles may qualify for collection-vehicle status (véhicule de collection), which changes the registration track; we work with our vehicle partner on the right paperwork track. Modified vehicles, kit cars, and vehicles with non-standard registration (kit-built, Q-plate UK) may need additional French homologation work; we flag these at quote stage.
On the quote
- Coordinated alongside household moves where timing fits
- Specialist vehicle transport partner network
- 846A customs certificate and immatriculation guidance
- Contrôle technique alignment guidance
- Vintage and collector-vehicle handling
- Insured vehicle transport
Right for
- Households moving a primary vehicle alongside the household.
- Vintage and collector-vehicle owners relocating their collection.
- Households with a second-home situation where the vehicle moves between UK and France.
Common questions
-
Generally yes. Customs clearance gives you the 846A certificate; with that, proof of conformity and a contrôle technique where required, you apply on the ANTS website. The deadline is one month from taking up residence in France, so it is worth having the documents lined up before the car arrives. Some non-standard vehicles need homologation work first; we flag this at survey.
-
Often yes — booking it alongside the house move usually works out better than separate single-vehicle shipping, particularly to the same destination region, and it keeps the customs declarations together.
-
Yes — same vehicle-partner network handles motorcycles. The French registration paperwork is similar to cars; for high-value collector bikes there may be additional declared-value insurance considerations.
-
EV relocation is straightforward; charging-infrastructure considerations at the French destination are something to plan ahead of the move (rural French destinations may have limited public-charging access).
Ready to book?
Send us your brief.
Start a quote How it actually runs
A car can travel with the household or make its own way, and the right answer depends on the crossing, the vehicle and whether you intend to drive it down yourself. Cars and motorcycles differ in how they are loaded, secured and documented, and both need their ownership papers settled before anything is booked.
Registration at the French end is a separate matter from transport entirely — a different authority, a different queue, its own deadline, and a process that has caught out a great many people who assumed the delivery was the end of it. We move the vehicle and tell you plainly what the immatriculation process will ask of you. Completing it is yours, and the vehicle guide sets out the order.