Sell or give away your vehicle

Verified 22 December 2022 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

When you sell or give away your vehicle, you must hand over certain documents to the new owner. You should also notify the administration using the National Securities Agency (NSA) online service. It is no longer possible to deposit or send your declaration of assignment to the prefecture. Here are the steps to follow.

Step-by-step approach

The Certificate of Registration (formerly called carte grise) must be in the name of the person selling the vehicle.

If you have moved since obtaining the certificate of registration, you must have changed your address before the sale (or donation). The Certificate of Registration must indicate your address at the time of sale (or donation).

Only the owner of the vehicle can sell the vehicle. If there is more than one co-holder, the signature of all persons mentioned on the certificate of registration is mandatory.

Warning  

if the vehicle is leased with an option to purchase (LOA), also called car leasingNo, you can't sell it. Only the lender, the owner of the vehicle, can do it.

If you sell or give away your vehicle over 4 years of age to one individual, you must provide the buyer with a statement of technical inspection.

The check must be carried out in an approved center.

It must be less than 6 months old.

Therefore, if your last check is older, a new visit is required. It will be carried out at your expense.

Please note

a vehicle may be sold without a roadworthiness test if it is less than 4 years old or if it is sold to a automotive professional. Some vehicles are also exempt from roadworthiness tests.

If the result of the roadworthiness test is favorable, the inspection center shall immediately issue the inspection report to you. You have to give it to the buyer.

Alternatively, a counter-visit may be imposed within a maximum of 2 months after the initial visit. Only the defects which justified the counter-visit will be checked again. It's a matter of checking that the prescribed repairs have been done. You then have 2 possibilities:

  • Either you have your car repaired at your own expense, then you have to pass the counter-visit, so that you can give the buyer the initial test report together with the counter-visit report
  • Either you sell your car as is, which means it has to be sold less than 2 months after the initial visit. It will be the buyer who will take care of the counter-visit. But, if you go beyond the 2-month deadline, you will have to do a complete check again.

Warning  

in the event of one or more critical failures, you must make the counter-visit and repair(s) before selling your vehicle to an individual. A non-rolling vehicle may not be offered for sale to an individual. You can only sell the non-rolling vehicle to a professional with a number Siret.

You must provide the buyer with a certificate of administrative status. It must be from less than 15 days.

This certificate is obtained immediately on the Internet on the website of the National Agency for Secure Securities (ANTS) at the time of your declaration of assignment.

Formerly called non-pledge certificateHowever, this document proves that you did not pledge your car for a loan.

It also proves that you paid all your tickets.

If you don't get it, it's because the public treasury (the center of your taxes) has opposed the transfer of your registration certificate.

FYI  

to inform and reassure your buyer before the sale is signed, you can send a link to the report on your vehicle history, which you will have generated on the HistoVec website. This service is free of charge and allows sellers and future buyers to share information about the technical inspection and the administrative status of the vehicle.

Apply for a Used Vehicle Administrative Status Certificate (HistoVec)

You can report the transfer of the vehicle yourself or through a licensed professional. If you donate your vehicle, you must also do this.

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You make the statement yourself

On the website of the National Agency for Secure Securities (ANTS), you must make your declaration of assignment (even in the case of a donation).

A video explaining the procedure is available:

Vidéo - Understand the vehicle assignment declaration process
Credits : ANTS

You must log in to the ANTS website either via France Connect, or by using the login and password of your ANTS user account. If you do not have an ANTS user account, you must create one.

Declare the sale or donation of your vehicle

You must, in a 1er time, fill in several information obtained from the future owner (birth name, first name, date of birth, ...).

This information is necessary even if you sell or dispose of your vehicle abroad.

You must then download and print the 2 documents that appear on the screen:

  • Cerfa Form No. 15776, called Assignment Certificate
  • Certificate of administrative status

The transfer code also appears on the screen: note this code. It is valid for 15 days. It is to be given to the future owner. It will secure and facilitate its administrative procedures on the ANTS website. It will allow him to apply for the new certificate of registration. in his name.

At this stage of the process, there are 2 cases:

  • The sale of the vehicle has not yet taken place: you can temporarily leave the approach and resume it once the transaction has been completed. To do this, you will need to log in to the "My current steps" section of your ANTS space.
  • The transfer has already taken place: you must then validate your transfer declaration.

Warning  

the completion of the transfer declaration on the internet must be completed within 15 days of the signing of the transfer certificate.

To finalize your transfer declaration on the internet on the ANTS website, you will need to fill in the following information:

  • Date and time of assignment
  • Vehicle mileage
  • Full address of the new owner

On the completion screen of the tele-gait, you can download an acknowledgement of registration of your vehicle transfer declaration.

Of numeric dots (with computers, printers and scanners) are available in each prefecture and in most sub-prefectures. You can do the walk there. You can be assisted by digital mediators if you have difficulties using the Internet.

You can also be accompanied in your approach by a France Services house :

Who shall I contact

You go through a licensed professional

You can file your transfer declaration through a private agent, approved and authorized by the ministry of the interior.

You must send him the supporting documents required for the registration of the transfer on the site of the ANT.

The proxy will need to connect to sound ANT account (not yours) or will have to create one in its name.

That person will have to indicate that they are doing the work for you ("For someone else" button).

For security reasons, you will need to provide them with the 5-digit PIN mentioned on the letter you received along with your certificate of registration.

On the day of the sale of your vehicle, you must complete and sign the cerfa form n°15776 with the buyer.

This is the compulsory sales document of your vehicle. It is made in 2 copies, 1 of which will be given to the buyer.

You and the buyer must complete and sign the box for each.

You must also complete the box for the vehicle. Finally, you must give copy No 2 of the form to the buyer and you keep copy No 1.

You must certify the mileage traveled since the 1re registration of the vehicle, unless you bought it yourself used. In this case, you can refer to the transfer declaration, after the indication of the mileage recorded on the meter, the indication "not guaranteed".

You have an obligation to inform the buyer about the condition and essential characteristics of the car. You should mention its general maintenance condition and the existence of any defective or replacement elements (wear of brake disks, shock absorbers, oil leakage, etc.). You must also tell the buyer if the car has been damaged and the severity of the accident(s).

Warning  

vehicle defects and their consequences discovered after the sale may be subject to buyer's appeal. This remedy is possible even if it has accepted an additional clause to limit your liability.

Issuance of Certificate of Registration

As soon as the sale is concluded, you must give the buyer the vehicle's certificate of registration.

You must cross it out and mention it in a legible and unalterable way, "sold on" with the date (day/month/year) and time of the assignment, followed by your signature.

If you sell your vehicle abroad, outside the European Union, add the mention "export sale" on the certificate of registration.

The detachable coupon is to be filled in, except in case of sale to a automotive professional.

You must complete the back of the detachable coupon by entering the name of the buyer. You must sign at the place indicated, without cutting the detachable coupon. If there are one or more co-owners, the signature of each of them is mandatory.

You have to put it back in its entirety the registration certificate issued to the purchaser of the vehicle.

The detachable coupon allows the buyer to circulate for 1 month with the vehicle, while receiving the new certificate of registration.

Warning  

the detachable coupon does not allow you to travel abroad. The foreigner purchaser must register the vehicle in his country of residence.

The sale of a vehicle registered in the old system (FNI), of type "123 AB 45", will result in the issue of a new registration certificate. A new registration number will be assigned to you in the format "AB-123-CD" in the Vehicle Registration System (VRS).

Delivery of other documents

You must also provide the buyer with the following documents:

  • Copy No 2 of the certificate of assignment
  • Assignment code obtained on the internet when you declare your assignment on the ANTS website
  • Certificate of administrative status, dated less than 15 days, also obtained on the site of the ANT
  • Technical inspection report less than 6 months old if your vehicle is subject to it

It is also advisable to present the future buyer with certain documents, not mandatory but useful:

  • Car maintenance log book
  • Maintenance and Repair Invoices
  • If your vehicle is sold abroad: European Certificate of Conformity and Approval of the vehicle (available from the dealer) + Export Certificate (to be requested from the geographically competent customs office)
  • Histovec Report of your vehicle, which retraces its complete history

Don't forget to notify your insurer when you transfer your vehicle so that it can terminates your insurance contract.

Declare the sale or donation of your vehicle

Who can help me?

Find who can answer your questions in your region

  • For more information about the process

    carte grise 34 00 - Information on the

    Carte grise National interactive voice server providing automated answers regarding the following:

    Carte grise If the user does not get the answer to his question about the taking of the vehicle or the driving license, he will be put in contact with an advisor of the National Agency for Secure Titles (ANTS).

    By telephone

    From the metropolis:

    34,00 (cost of a local call)

    From overseas:

    09 70 83 07 07

    From the foreigner:

    +33 9 70 83 07 07

  • To be helped in the accomplishment of the process

    France Services / Maison de services au public

FAQ