Buying a Car in France as a Foreigner

Yes. There is no nationality or residency rule for buying. You pay, the seller hands over the car and the paperwork, and the seller declares the sale online with ANTS.

The catch is the next step: the buyer must register the car within one month, and French registration requires a proof of French address less than 6 months old. Without a French home, you register the car in another EU country instead.

For a used car from a private seller or dealer, you should receive:

• The registration certificate (carte grise), crossed out and signed by the seller with the date and time of sale
• The certificat de cession (cerfa 15776), signed by both parties
• A certificat de situation administrative (non-gage), less than 15 days old, showing there is no lien or objection on the car
• For cars over 4 years old, a contrôle technique report less than 6 months old

Keep a copy of everything; German registration needs the original French registration certificate.

• Leboncoin is the biggest private marketplace; La Centrale and AutoScout24.fr are strong for dealer cars.
• Mandataires (car brokers) sell new and nearly-new cars, often below French list prices.
• Compare with the German market: see the cheapest countries to buy a car in Europe and our mobile.de guide.

Buying is the easy part. Registering in France usually requires local residency, a local tax number and a local address, which visitors do not have. See register a car in France.

The CarTurf route: you buy the car as the owner, and we register it in Germany through our German partner CarTurf UG as the registered Halter. Registration takes 1–5 business days once we have the documents (the original registration papers, proof of purchase and, where needed, a certificate of conformity). You get German plates and insurance and can drive the car in France and across Europe. Customers contract with CarTurf Global FZCO (Dubai). Our German partner CarTurf UG (haftungsbeschränkt) is the registered Halter. For plans and prices, see Pricing.

Insurance is with AXA and comes with the CarTurf registration; there is no stand-alone temporary insurance. AXA's Schutzbrief (assistance abroad) is included, and ADAC cover can be added for €149/year. Default cover is for drivers aged 23+; drivers aged 18–22 (minimum 18) pay a higher premium. A no-claims discount from a foreign insurer does not carry over; one from a previous German policy does. Premium ranges are on Pricing.

Car delivery: €0.75/km base calculation, plus route-specific costs depending on distance, multiple countries, overnight stays and return travel. We don't arrange shipping to the USA, but we can recommend shipping partners.

Not found the right car locally? We can buy for you at trade-only dealer auctions (autobid.de, AUTO1.com, CarOnSale, OPENLANE, BCA and Ayvens Carmarket and others) for €750 + 4% of the net vehicle price; auction fees and delivery passed through at cost. See German car auctions.