Importing a GS to France

Does the speedo not have both mph and kph on it and therefore legal in the UK?

As long as the bike can display kph, there's no need to change anything, especially as there's no MOT here for bikes..... For the time being.

I couldn’t get a registration number without the new speedo as the original was primarily kph.
 
Does the speedo not have both mph and kph on it and therefore legal in the UK?

As long as the bike can display kph, there's no need to change anything, especially as there's no MOT here for bikes..... For the time being.

An MOT has nothing to do with importing a bike.
 
Quick update...

...well, so far, so good:

- Bike imported without charge (10 mins work at Lyon airport 'Douanes' offices) as we are migrating to FR (and, I guess, as I've owned the bike for >6 months). This provided the 'Quitus Fiscal'/equivalent import document that's needed before you can reregister the bike in FR from the UK (Brexit has complicated things a bit here it seems).
- Bike is now insured via a French 'mutuel' insurer (costs about half of what I was paying in the UK/London)
- Carte Gris issued (similar to the V5 in the UK)
- No need for a Certificate of Conformity (CoC) as the V5 'has enough' detail on it
- No need for a Controle Technique (MOT) as bikes don't need them in France (!)
- New temporary FR number plate issued (all this was about 40Euros and 15 mins in an office that supports the issue of 'Carte Grise' documents)
- My 'final' FR number plate will be provided once the insurer sends through a paper contract I can present to the people dealing with the re-registration at the CG office

This is good news all round, as setting up an 'ANTS' account (the FR version of the DVLA) to register the bike has proven impossible until I'm a formally registered tax payer etc. which is a little way off.

Also good to know that my UK licence is now valid in FR until it naturally expires - there had been concerns that we'd need to swap for FR licences immediately.

Having a FR wife is definitely helping get things done!
 
I’m about to move to France and will be taking 5 bikes with me. Can anyone in France who has gone through this process provide anything more to add to the previous posts in this thread. Any help would be greatly appreciated
 
I’m about to move to France and will be taking 5 bikes with me. Can anyone in France who has gone through this process provide anything more to add to the previous posts in this thread. Any help would be greatly appreciated
It will depend on what the 5 bikes are. I brought a 2017 Africa Twin across in Sept 2022. All went well with registering it via a 'garagiste' as I didn'ty have access to the ANTs online govt site to do it. It cost me about €40 for his services. I DID require a CoC that Honda at Chester had supplied to me FoC. I also initially struggled to find somewhere to insure my UK regd bike until it received its French plates. Someone suggest an office of Generali in Cognac who were superb.(..and who we still use for the bike(s), car and motorhome)
 
I’m about to move to France and will be taking 5 bikes with me. Can anyone in France who has gone through this process provide anything more to add to the previous posts in this thread. Any help would be greatly appreciated
I think it will probably be more costly now as I think you may have to pay import duty due to Brexit. My brother did it before then and it was fairly straight forward but I’m sure he needed a Certificate of Conformity.
 
I’m about to move to France

Shrewd move (y)

Which bit ?

Just remembered !

it takes 13 years to get full no claims bonus in France

When I moved here I was lucky enough to have proof of all my bike and car insurance history and managed to get it taken into account

A lot of insurers will apply your car bonus to a bike policy or vice versa, either way if you can get a history statement or bring your old renewal docs it may save you some money
 
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It will depend on what the 5 bikes are. I brought a 2017 Africa Twin across in Sept 2022. All went well with registering it via a 'garagiste' as I didn'ty have access to the ANTs online govt site to do it. It cost me about €40 for his services. I DID require a CoC that Honda at Chester had supplied to me FoC. I also initially struggled to find somewhere to insure my UK regd bike until it received its French plates. Someone suggest an office of Generali in Cognac who were superb.(..and who we still use for the bike(s), car and motorhome)
Thanks Davey, can you pm me the details of the garagiste you used?
 
Shrewd move (y)

Which bit ?

Just remembered !

it takes 13 years to get full no claims bonus in France

When I moved here I was lucky enough to have proof of all my bike and car insurance history and managed to get it taken into account

A lot of insurers will apply your car bonus to a bike policy or vice versa, either way if you can get a history statement or bring your old renewal docs it may save you some money
Yup, we just can’t stand it anymore!
 
When I moved here I was lucky enough to have proof of all my bike and car insurance history and managed to get it taken into account

A lot of insurers will apply your car bonus to a bike policy or vice versa, either way if you can get a history statement or bring your old renewal docs it may save you some money
Worth knowing - thank-you (y)
 
I think it will probably be more costly now as I think you may have to pay import duty due to Brexit. My brother did it before then and it was fairly straight forward but I’m sure he needed a Certificate of Conformity.
No you don't. If you are moving to France with a visa...and provided that you have owned the vehicle for more than 6 mths, there is no duty, vat or tax to pay. To register mine it was around €170....plus the garagiste fee. We don't pay road fund licence here and until this year, no MOT either.
As Mr Leadfarmer says....you need to be able to show several (3 from memory) years NCD and not just one sheet of paper that says you have 9yrs NCD...they wanted the 03/2019-20, 03/2020-21 and 03/2021-22 from mine but I had them for the bike NCD which they have used for the bike and both the car and MoHo

Madhatter, sending you a PM
 
No you don't. If you are moving to France with a visa...and provided that you have owned the vehicle for more than 6 mths, there is no duty, vat or tax to pay. To register mine it was around €170....plus the garagiste fee. We don't pay road fund licence here and until this year, no MOT either.
As Mr Leadfarmer says....you need to be able to show several (3 from memory) years NCD and not just one sheet of paper that says you have 9yrs NCD...they wanted the 03/2019-20, 03/2020-21 and 03/2021-22 from mine but I had them for the bike NCD which they have used for the bike and both the car and MoHo

Madhatter, sending you a PM
That’s great then. Thanks.
 
I’m about to move to France and will be taking 5 bikes with me. Can anyone in France who has gone through this process provide anything more to add to the previous posts in this thread. Any help would be greatly appreciated
Hi, I brought my bikes over pre-Brexit and it was pretty easy, this included modern and a classic BMW that needed to go through the FFVE process. However, from some of the sites it does appear to have become a little more involved since the UK left the EU.
I'm not a Facebook fan but these two groups are excellent, the driving license group moderator takes no prisoners and doesn't suffer fools, but her guides are superb Changing UK Licence to French
The other site is for exactly what you want to achieve and the Garagiste is Mark Rimmer, I haven't used him but friends have and they had no issues with cars or bikes, but contact him early Registering Vehicles in France - Mark Rimmer
Hope this helps and if you need any help let me know. Colin
 
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