Import of vehicles

You bought a motor vehicle during business trip or a holiday abroad. When returning to Monaco, you are required to complete certain formalities in order to bring your vehicle back. Indeed, strict rules apply to the import of new or second hand vehicles, regardless of their origin (European Union or third country). The operation may be tedious and expensive. For your convenience, let MARI TRANSPORTS MONACO take charge of all the administrative processes.

The rules governing the import of vehicle

The rules concerning the import of vehicle (motorcycle or car) from an EU country are different from those from a third country. In both cases, you will have to pay taxes that are proportional to the number of kilometers on the vehicle's odometer, its age and its origin. Customs duties equivalent to 10% of the value net of tax of the vehicle are also due.

If the vehicle was purchased in an EU country, you will not have to go through customs. However, you should provide a tax clearance certificate which certifies that you paid VAT or are exempt from it. Note that only new vehicles are subject to VAT.

The vehicle is also exempt from customs duties and taxes in the context of a move (normal transfer of residence), if:

you have used it for 6 months
you paid the taxes in the country of origin or provenance,
if it does not belong to the army

On the other hand, going through customs is essential if the vehicle was purchased in:

a country outside the EU,
a French overseas department,
an overseas collectivity,
New Caledonia or the French Southern and Antarctic Territories,
any territory excluded from the Community by community customs and tax legislation (Canary Islands, Ceuta, Gilbraltar or Melilla).

To simplify the procedures with the customs office, present the following documents to us:

The detailed, estimating dated and signed inventory of your imported personal belongings (in 2 copies)
The Cerfa form n°10070*03 (in 2 copies)
The certificate of residency change in France
The registration certificate of the originating country of the vehicle
The purchase invoice of the vehicle including valid foreign number plates

In return, the customs authorities will give you:

a stamped copy of the inventory
the 846 A customs clearance certificate, to be attached to the documents on the ANTS website within 4 months for the car registration

In the case of an import outside the EU, a franchise is possible under certain conditions:

your main residence is transferred to France
you have lived in a third country for at least 12 years
you have used the vehicle privately for at least 6 months before the transfer of main residence
you must bring the vehicle back to France within 12 months of the date of residence transfer
you have a tax clearance indicating the payment of all taxes related to the import of the vehicle

Registration of the imported vehicle

So that the imported vehicle benefits from registration in France, certain documents must be presented to the DREAL/DRIEE/DEAL in your region: