Guides
Keeping your UK car when moving to Burgundy
Before keeping a UK car in Burgundy, separate DVLA export rules, customs, vehicle conformity and French registration requirements.
Contents
You have chosen the house and plan to drive your British car to Burgundy. The journey may be straightforward; keeping the vehicle after relocation raises different questions. Before arranging departure, treat the car as a separate small project: the nature of your stay, UK documents, any customs requirements, technical conformity and registration. This gives you a decision based on verified costs, rather than assuming the arrangements used for holidays also cover residence.
A British time limit does not replace the French process
GOV.UK requires DVLA notification when a vehicle is taken out of the UK for twelve months or more. Separately, Service Public says French registration must be requested within one month of settling in France as your principal residence. These concern different procedures. The British threshold is not permission to wait twelve months before dealing with French registration.
First establish whether this is a temporary visit or relocation. The date you buy a house does not necessarily describe the whole change of residence. Have the actual circumstances considered, rather than attempting to fit the vehicle into whichever category appears easiest.
Keep the documents needed at the French end
The UK process distinguishes the permanent-export section of the V5C from the rest of the document, which you retain for registration abroad. Check the official procedure before posting an original. Sending the entire vehicle file back to Britain by habit could leave you without material needed at the other end.
Identify the vehicle precisely too: version, first-registration date, identification number and technical documents available. This allows the manufacturer or relevant professional to answer about your car, rather than a similar model mentioned in an online discussion. Keep a note of the exact version when requesting quotations.
Customs clearance is not technical conformity
French Customs describes conditional relief when transferring a principal residence and refers to the 846 A certificate for vehicle registration. Any exemption is not automatic simply because you already own the car. Confirm the customs treatment and evidence relevant to your circumstances.
The French registration file separately requires appropriate technical evidence. A customs document therefore does not establish vehicle conformity by itself. Before commissioning work, ask the manufacturer, Dreal or relevant specialist what is needed for the exact version. Do not derive a list of modifications solely from the fact that the steering wheel is on the right.
Compare the complete cost and an interim option
Collect confirmed costs for documents, formalities, any required inspection, necessary adaptations, insurance and registration. Add temporary transport separately if the car cannot be used during part of the process. Each quotation should state what is included and what remains your responsibility. An attractive single fee may describe only one stage.
Ask your insurer how the change of residence and different stages affect cover. A policy response about holidays is not sufficient evidence for relocation. If comparing the proposal with a rental or another vehicle, use offers covering equivalent dates and practical requirements, including who will drive and where the car will be kept.
Finally, test parking at the proposed home against the actual dimensions of your car: the approach, doorway and usable space. Our moving-to-Burgundy guide covers the wider relocation. Shawez Ali, agent immobilier, can help check the property’s features; the relevant authorities and specialists establish the vehicle requirements.