stuck between France and the Netherlands.
My little white car came with us to France and has served us well. But it would rather go back to the Netherlands. At least, that’s what it seems like, judging by the agony of importing it.
How can I make a long story short?
Before we left, Rob had already arranged a number of documents required to import a car into France. On 22 November 2024, the car passed the French inspection with flying colours. After a bit of insistence, the dealer where I bought the car also sent me the Certificat de Conformité. Yes, it’s unbelievable how much paperwork is required.
And once all the paperwork is done, it’s just a matter of handing it in and waiting for the new registration certificate (Carte Grise). Where do I submit my file?
This is done using a kind of DIGital ID platform called France Connect. However, you can only access it once you have paid your first income tax, which for me will probably be at the end of 2025. So that’s not an option right now.
So what can I do?
*First, I tried a car garage, because they often do this, but after 10 days, it still didn’t work.
*Within France Connect, it is also possible to carry out transactions ‘on behalf of someone else’ within your own account. A friend tried to help us, but after two hours online, we were back to square one for the fifth time, so we gave up.
*We then made an appointment for 4 p.m. on 31 December 2024 at a France Service desk to get help. Everyone was ready for a New Year’s Eve party at that point, even the France Connect platform, which was completely offline at the time. Since we had nowhere else to turn, the lady uploaded our file at the beginning of January so that we could at least go home and drink champagne.
So far, so good. And then it’s a matter of waiting. For the French civil service. Because, yes. Here, files are still processed manually. Sigh.
- On 20 February 2025: rejection: VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) entered incorrectly. However, the numbers did match, so the lady uploaded the entire file again.
- On 25 March 2025: rejection again because the wrong path was used within France Connect. So the lady immediately re-uploaded the file following the recommended path.
Now we must wait again.
In the meantime, I received a message from the RDW in the Netherlands that my car must pass its vehicle inspection by 29 March 2025 at the latest. To be certain, I checked with the helpdesk whether the French vehicle inspection from November 2024 is also valid, but it is not.
Conclusion: I will travel to the Netherlands in the week of 29 March, just a quick trip, to have my car inspected in Hapert. This is a significant unforeseen expense, but fortunately I have a fund for such things: ‘First Aid for When My Back is Against the Wall’.
The question: Why is all this happening?
The answer: Rob and I are not in flow*, the energy is stagnating. When things are going better for us and between us, this ‘issue’ will also resolve itself.
On 2 April, another error message appears on my application: the Quitus Fiscal (a document from the tax authorities) is registered to two names and the car is registered to one name. This mismatch is the last hurdle and then everything should be fine.
At the dedicated desk, I request a new Quitus Fiscal in my name only, which arrives within four days. What a pleasant surprise!
After the lady uploaded this new document and ‘Part II’, I received an invitation to pay on 16 April, because… The file had been completed and my licence plate number was known.
Sinds 17 april 2025 rijdt mijn Witte Godin met haar nieuwe nummerplaat en verzekerd rond in haar land van herkomst. En helemaal verbonden met mij 😉.
Explanation on *: We ordered a new roof in January, but the work is not going smoothly. Almost every day there are unpleasant surprises, and the end result is not of the quality we expected. The roof is therefore symbolic of our current energy, full of lessons and processes. It is still not finished at Easter: to be continued in a future blog.
On 2 April, another error message appears on my application: the Quitus Fiscal (a document from the tax authorities) is registered to two names and the car is registered to one name. This mismatch is the last hurdle and then everything should be fine.