Emigrating to France

PandMThomson
PandMThomson Forum Participant Posts: 4

In a few months' time we'll be moving permanently to France. We need to make up our mind what to do about our caravan, and wonder whether anyone else on here has been through this process. Options: (1) register the caravan in France, (2) leave it in storage in the UK for when we come back, (3) sell it and buy a French one when we get there (any more?).

The Club's technical department has helpfully told me what we'd need to do to get the caravan registered in France, and it sounds pretty intimidating and probably expensive. On the other hand they pointed out that getting insurance for a UK caravan when we're resident in France may be a problem.

We'd appreciate any comments from experience!

Comments

  • eribaMotters
    eribaMotters Club Member Posts: 1,223
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    edited April 2022 #2

    Do you really want another thing to worry about at such a stressful time. If you did take it you would eventually need to sell it one day, so the problems you thought you had solved would come back again. 

    I'd sell it in the UK where you know it's value and when settled in France buy another.

     

    Colin

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176
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    edited April 2022 #3

    When our friends moved to France they found it easier to buy a van in France. They sold it in France when they moved back recently, it was less complicated that way. smile

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited April 2022 #4

    Sell it in the UK ,it is a sellers market at this time 

  • commeyras
    commeyras Club Member Posts: 1,853
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    edited April 2022 #5

    We moved to France in 2004 and returned to UK in 2010.  We took our caravan with us.  As you probably know, caravans in France have their own registration number.  I went through the process and basically it was this.  Initially I had to get the gas and electrics checked to see  that they conformed, I had to change the UK internal 220v plugs to French type which was straight forward; next a check of the caravan to see that suspension etc conformed basically this involved a trip to a test station where they were only interested in seeing the chassis number!  Next to the local registration office where the idiot demanded to see the UK registration doc for the caravan!!  I showed her the CRIS certificate which satisfied her and left the office with my Carte Gris!  All a bit of a fav so if I was doing now I would be tempted to sell in UK and buy another over there. 

  • Rocky 2 buckets
    Rocky 2 buckets Forum Participant Posts: 7,101
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    edited April 2022 #6

    Take it with you & rent it out as a mobile Gite👍🏻😊