Importing a car into France from the UK
Drivers must consider whether they need to pay import taxes
When you ship a car from a country outside of the EU, such as the UK or the US, you only need to pay customs duty once
Alicia G. Monedero / Shutterstock
Reader question: Do you have to pay customs duties twice if you import a car into another EU country and then drive it to France?
No, you are not required to pay customs duty twice on a car imported into a different EU country.
When you ship a car from a country outside of the EU, such as the UK or the US, you only need to pay customs duty once, when the vehicle first enters the EU.
This is because once the car has been legally imported into the EU, no matter where it arrived, the car is considered EU goods.
Since there are generally no customs declarations or duty required when moving goods between member states, you are free to drive the car to France from whichever EU port you shipped it to.
An important thing to consider however is whether you need to pay import taxes at all.
If you are an EU resident importing a car from outside of the bloc, which includes the UK since Brexit, the vehicle is treated like any other import, meaning you will be liable for customs duty and VAT.
This can make the process extremely expensive, with customs duty for cars charged at around 10% the value of the car, and VAT charged at 20% in France. If importing via another country you may be able to pay a lower rate of VAT, but duties are the same EU-wide.
Import fees waived if you are moving to France
However, if you are relocating to France and the car is being imported as one of your personal possessions you are normally exempt from both customs duty and VAT.
Under a 2009 EU-wide law on customs duty relief, there is an exemption for imports considered to be personal property.
However, the burden of proof rests on the importer to show that both you and the car qualify for the import tax exemption.
According to the official French Customs website (douane.gouv.fr), you will need to show that:
You have lived outside the EU for at least a year
You owned and used the car for at least six months before moving
You are moving your main residence to France
The way you apply for the exemption is by listing the car as a personal possession on your customs declaration.
EU law meanwhile prohibits you from selling the car for at least a year after relocating.
Driving with non-EU registration plates
You should also note that once the vehicle has successfully cleared customs, you will have to drive it to France still carrying the registration plates of whichever country you are moving from.
French law allows you to drive on foreign plates for up to six months so long as the car is legally registered in the country you are moving from and you have valid insurance for driving in France.
Once you establish residence in France however you typically have a month to register the car for French plates.
A French government simulator to assess the cost of registering a vehicle is available here.
