Anyone exported at GS to France?

Puggy

Puggy

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Hi all,

I am thinking to permanently exporting my 2005 GS to France to leave there. Has anyone been through this process? Doing some research, there is a mountain of paperwork to export the bike, get the Controle Technique and eventually the Carte Grise.

Along the way, i need to get a certificate of conformity from BMW and also switch the headlights to ride on the right hand side of the road. Has anyone had any experience of these two things and the best way to go about it?

Best wishes Puggy
 
To be honest I would not bother, leave it on UK plates, because all Motorbikes and cars from year 2000 are forbidden in Paris and a few other places, and its getting worse, if the Police stop you, they only want to see you are insured and have all the paperwork, and a driving license, they do not bother if bike is in country for years, in Paris you heve thousands of German cars driving around as private taxis.
 
Have a look on one of the Anglo French forums and try to get some up to date advice.
It will help a lot if you speak the language well.
I did it in 2007 and it was a right royal pain in the bottom and I would not want to repeat the exercise.
A lot will also depend on how helpful the person is at the prefecture for your home department.
Good luck.
 
Sorry for the hijack, but this is sort-of connected! I have an English friend who's lived in France for 30 years who has a 0-miles '07 GSA just sitting in a garage - supplied in Germany, but French-registered. It might be easier to buy that! Just a thought! :)

Pete
 
milleplod said:
Sorry for the hijack, but this is sort-of connected! I have an English friend who's lived in France for 30 years who has a 0-miles '07 GSA just sitting in a garage - supplied in Germany, but French-registered. It might be easier to buy that! Just a thought! :)

Pete
Click to expand...

Hi Pete

Sounds interesting. I'll pm you my email and if your friend is interested send him my details.

Thx. P


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Hustler said:
Have a look on one of the Anglo French forums and try to get some up to date advice.
It will help a lot if you speak the language well.
I did it in 2007 and it was a right royal pain in the bottom and I would not want to repeat the exercise.
A lot will also depend on how helpful the person is at the prefecture for your home department.
Good luck.
Click to expand...

Hmm. I have done some research and it does look a PITA. I did keep a bike out there for a year on UK plates without a problem but it didn't need an MOT. Worried about an older bike that needs an mot and on UK insurance...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I know a few bike tour organisers in France that keep their bikes on UK plates as it's infinitely easier for a number of reasons.
 
Smogbob said:
To be honest I would not bother, leave it on UK plates, because all Motorbikes and cars from year 2000 are forbidden in Paris and a few other places, and its getting worse, if the Police stop you, they only want to see you are insured and have all the paperwork, and a driving license, they do not bother if bike is in country for years, in Paris you heve thousands of German cars driving around as private taxis.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure how you think a vehicle kept full time in France can be insured on a UK policy. Even if it could, which I doubt, the bike would have to have a UK MOT each year. Across the EU vehicles must be locally registered if they stay for longer than six months. Maybe those German cars don't stick around long enough or pop back to Germany on a regular basis. If they bike stays in France the law requires it is registered there.

Presumably the OP is lucky enough to have a property in France and wants to be able to enjoy a bike there. Flouting the laws in any country is not a great way to endear yourself with the locals.

If he is going to do it I would say get on with it before we are dragged out of the EU. A certificate of conformity can be ordered through BMW here although when I registered my GS in Austria they insisted on a certificate from BMW Austria. Check first because, unlike in 2008 when i did mine, BMW UK charge for the certificate- no point in paying twice if you have to get one from BMW France.

I am sure the process will be "interesting" it certainy was in Austria! It would be nothing however, compared to finding yourself going through the French legal system because, having been involved in an accident, your UK registration and insurance were show to be worthless.

Good luck. I found in Austria you needed persistence plus someone who knows the system. Having a female friend with a very short skirt attend the tax office with me also helped!

ohn
 
To run a British registered bike you need a British address and insurance that allows unlimited use outside UK. You will need to return annually to get the MOT.

It's all fine if you have friend/family over here, but if you plan on emigrating, you'll be better to sell the bike. EU compatibility is a myth at the best of times. Brexit won't improve matters and France now offering a 1/2 Brexit change over is likely to cause even more muddle.
 
The Grey One said:
I'm not sure how you think a vehicle kept full time in France can be insured on a UK policy. Even if it could, which I doubt, the bike would have to have a UK MOT each year. Across the EU vehicles must be locally registered if they stay for longer than six months. Maybe those German cars don't stick around long enough or pop back to Germany on a regular basis. If they bike stays in France the law requires it is registered there.

Presumably the OP is lucky enough to have a property in France and wants to be able to enjoy a bike there. Flouting the laws in any country is not a great way to endear yourself with the locals.

If he is going to do it I would say get on with it before we are dragged out of the EU. A certificate of conformity can be ordered through BMW here although when I registered my GS in Austria they insisted on a certificate from BMW Austria. Check first because, unlike in 2008 when i did mine, BMW UK charge for the certificate- no point in paying twice if you have to get one from BMW France.

I am sure the process will be "interesting" it certainy was in Austria! It would be nothing however, compared to finding yourself going through the French legal system because, having been involved in an accident, your UK registration and insurance were show to be worthless.

Good luck. I found in Austria you needed persistence plus someone who knows the system. Having a female friend with a very short skirt attend the tax office with me also helped!

ohn
Click to expand...

Yep I forgot about the MOT issue, so better sell it and get a good newer second hand one in France.
 
Well to be honest I do not have experience of registering a bike but I have done a car and it is a piece of piss. Get a certificate of conformity for the bike from BMW the take that and the reg docs to the prefecture and the job is done. Now at then moment bikes do not have to have a controle technique so take your MOT if you have one but I do not think they will want that because it is not something that is issued by the French. For example I had an MOT for my car the guy at the prefecture just said so what that has nothing to do with us you need a controle technique done when you have that come back and we will get this finalised and you will get your carte grise... I did and they did it was that easy so why a bike would be any different I have no idea. You will have to get a certificate saying you have no tax to pay for the import but that is again very easy you just visit that tax office and they issue the form. There is a registration fee again not a problem. The alternative of having a bike here and having it registered in the UK is not worth it just too many complications and against the French laws !!
 
jwpzx9r said:
Well to be honest I do not have experience of registering a bike but I have done a car and it is a piece of piss. Get a certificate of conformity for the bike from BMW the take that and the reg docs to the prefecture and the job is done. Now at then moment bikes do not have to have a controle technique so take your MOT if you have one but I do not think they will want that because it is not something that is issued by the French. For example I had an MOT for my car the guy at the prefecture just said so what that has nothing to do with us you need a controle technique done when you have that come back and we will get this finalised and you will get your carte grise... I did and they did it was that easy so why a bike would be any different I have no idea. You will have to get a certificate saying you have no tax to pay for the import but that is again very easy you just visit that tax office and they issue the form. There is a registration fee again not a problem. The alternative of having a bike here and having it registered in the UK is not worth it just too many complications and against the French laws !!
Click to expand...

Thanks = that's very helpful
 
As far as I know there is a bhp limit on exporting bikes to France. I got my 2008 GSA when the owner retired to France and found it was over the bhp limit. He had investigated all sorts of work arounds and failed.
 
as explained above - the system is a little bureaucratic, (it's France), a little time consuming paperwork -wise .......you have to pay for the French equivalent of the V5, (Carte Grise) ..... depends on the HP I think and could be as much as Euros 100, (but I'm not sure of the figure).
You will probably find that Bike insurance in France is more expensive than the UK ....... but the the Insurance Co will usually accept your NCB if you have a letter from your UK Insurance co, plus a French translation, which you can do....... they will accept your UK Driving license

There is no MOT, (French equivalent), in France .. so you can ride around on any old junk
 
BillN said:
as explained above - the system is a little bureaucratic, (it's France), a little time consuming paperwork -wise .......you have to pay for the French equivalent of the V5, (Carte Grise) ..... depends on the HP I think and could be as much as Euros 100, (but I'm not sure of the figure).
You will probably find that Bike insurance in France is more expensive than the UK ....... but the the Insurance Co will usually accept your NCB if you have a letter from your UK Insurance co, plus a French translation, which you can do....... they will accept your UK Driving license

There is no MOT, (French equivalent), in France .. so you can ride around on any old junk
Click to expand...

But crash with an unroadworthy bike and expect the insurance to do what they always do in such cases,
 
Bendy toy said:
But crash with an unroadworthy bike and expect the insurance to do what they always do in such cases,
Click to expand...

I am not sure how they can assess the limits of road or "unroadworthyness"


There is also no annual Road tax in France, UK equivalent VED
 
Although there is no MOT in France at the moment, it is highly possible that it will happen on the 1st of October 2017 for selling your motorcycle, basically if you are selling means you must have a MOT, does not say anything about changing your bike from another country, but I bet my last Euro they will add this in, but this is not set in stone as the bikers in France are up in arms, so it could get cancelled again.
 
Thing about these issues that there is so much hysterical hearsay and it just does your head :) The best thing to do is this. Get a CoC for the bike and visit the prefecture with your other documents... if you need other things then you will be told but get it from the horses mouth not horror stories :) Of course everybody at a prefecture is not the same but the guy that dealt with my car import could not have been more helpful.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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