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New System For Registering Cars in France

SIV (Système d'Immatriculation des Véhicules) 2009

The new system for registering cars will come into effect on 1 January 2009. Cars will get a registration N° (comprising 2 letters, 3 numbers and 2 letters) for life – unlike the present system where it changes if the car moves to another département.

The implementation of the SIV will be phased as follows:

• All new car registrations from 1 January 2009
• Any operation involving the issue of a new Carte Grise (CG), for example on change of owner, change of address, from 1 March 2009
• Any other operation related to registration from 1 June 2009

All cars will thus keep their present registration plate & N° until the car is sold or whatever. Taking the car for a Contrôle Technique doesn't mean you have to change the registration N°.

About the new registration plates:

• They will be white with a blue block at each end.
• The left-hand block will be printed with the European star symbol and the letter F for France.
• The right-hand one can if the owner wishes carry the name of a département and/or the logo of the corresponding region. It can be where you were born, where you live, where your mistress lives or whatever. n.b. the front and back plates must be identical, so you can't have the wife's département on the front plate and the mistress's on the back.
• The new plates come in rectangular and square shapes to accommodate 4x4's etc.

There are special provisons for old cars registered on a Carte Grise Collection Collection:

• From 2009, cars on collection plates must be at least 30 years old, not 25 as at present.
• The cars can keep their old shape of number plate and use the old-style silver letters on a black base, if desired.
• The cars will be subject to a Contrôle Technique every 5 years (in addition to the one necessary when CG status is first applied for), instead of the 2-yearly CT for cars on CG Normale.
• n.b. it's yet to be determined (at March 2008) how the 5-yearly Contrôle Technique provisions will come into force, i.e. when cars currently on CG Collection will have to be tested.
• The limitations on use to the local départements will be removed, the current system of notification of out-of-area journeys to the Préfecture will no longer apply. You will also be allowed to lend the car to anyone else for such journeys (subject of course to their being insured to drive your car).

Mary Hall   hall.bureau@neuf.fr

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