PERSONAL IMPORTS

I’m thinking about buying a classic Citroën in France early next year but need to clarify the registration issues so I can import the car into the UK without any fuss. The deal should hopefully be completed before any Brexit rule changes kick in but I can’t see how the registration process can work to ensure my new purchase is transferred over to my ownership at the time of purchase. Obviously, the car will need to be legally driven in France to the ferry port and then on to my home in Suffolk.

Any advice at this stage of my research would be most welcome, as I don’t want to end up being pulled over at the port or on my way home and have to explain my actions. Matthew Evans Buying a car in France this side of Brexit shouldn’t present any major problems. The way it works is that the seller declares the car as exported and as long as you take the Carte Gris (log book or V5 equivalent) with you, there should be no issues bringing the car into the UK. However, as you are not a French resident you’ll have to arrange French insurance but check first, as some UK insurers companies will insure the car on the chassis or VIN number until you get it registered. The only problem is that your aren’t really allowed to drive a foreign registered car in this country if you are a UK resident, so you need to get the car transported from the port to your home if you want to stay legal. Ed.