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Overcoming an unexpected roadblock: a smart car’s journey to approval

Overcoming an unexpected roadblock: a smart car’s journey to approval

by | May 19, 2025 | French Car Registration

When Vince Santini tried to register his right-hand drive Mercedez-Benz smart car in France, the last thing he needed was having to deal with unexpected roadblocks. However, this was the situation he faced after contacting the regional authorities responsible for approving vehicles in Normandy – DREAL. So, Vince turned to Martin Swanson of MyFrenchVA after DREAL denied his application. Martin, bilingual in French and English, has lived in France for more than 20 years and is well accustomed to dealing with the complexities of French bureaucracy.

What was the problem Vince faced?

Several technical aspects needed addressing, including the right-hand drive vehicle’s headlights, measuring its weight, the speedometer, and odometer. While most of these issues were resolved successfully, the rear-view mirrors presented a particularly thorny issue, requiring a Certificate of Conformity for driving on the right-hand side of the road.
Further, significant delays were also due to Mercedes. Although Vince paid over 300€ for an inspection, they seemed to drag out providing the outstanding information. This made a stressful situation even worse.

The road to securing approval

To resolve the matter, Martin contacted the relevant DREAL official and quickly established a rapport to smooth the path to approval. Martin approached Mercedes Benz, the car’s manufacturer, who directed him to a technician at the dealer network in Brittany. This led to Vince making a journey to Rennes to meet with a company representative – which initially appeared to have done the job, as they issued a document confirming the car’s conformity to French driving regulations. However, a crucial detail was missing: the exact wording referencing Circulation à droite 2003/97/CE 10 novembre 2003. Consequently, DREAL rejected the document – and Vince still needed approval to drive his car in France.
Perseverance finally pays off….

Undeterred, Martin persevered, contacting the manufacturers once more.

Following a successful inspection of the vehicle for its Contrôle Technique (CT), a further meeting with DREAL proceeded smoothly – resulting in Vince receiving his much-awaited approval to legally drive his smart car in France.

A Happy Customer!

Vince said:
“Martin kept on top of the whole process throughout; he so was so nice, helpful and very understanding. Martin knows the systems here and speaks French fluently. I could contact him when I wanted and he was always responsive. Thank you!”

MyFrenchVA is a Virtual Administration Assistant for English-speakers living in France or coming to live in France. Owned by expat Martin Swanson, MyFrenchVA can assist you with registering your vehicle, applying for a visa, healthcare, working in France, driving licences and more.

Web: www.myFrenchVA.com
Email: martin@myfrenchva.com
Mob: +33 (0)6 71 93 38 77

Classic car clears customs thanks to MyFrenchVA

Classic car clears customs thanks to MyFrenchVA

by | Jun 26, 2023 | French Car Registration

Chris is the proud owner of a 1989 Chevrolet Camaro IROC which won the International Race Of Champions on twelve successive occasions in the 1970s and ‘80s. Chris bought the car as new when living in Los Angeles and imported it into Europe in 1994 via Luxembourg. Chris then drove the vehicle to the UK, bringing it over to France in 1996 where it sat in the barn and did not run. Last year, Chris decided it was time to use the car again and understood that it needed to be legally imported into the country – so he contacted MyFrenchVA last autumn for help.

Chris’ story:

“I spoke to friends who had had experience importing cars into France and they told me that it can be a real nightmare. I knew it would be a challenge given its’ age and time in storage and as I am not fluent in French, I felt that this would be a step too far! So, I turned to MyFrenchVA and spoke to Martin. He has great contacts locally, is bi-lingual in French and English and gave me a very reasonable quote for the work.

“I did look at other services advertising on social media, however none of them matched Martin’s personal approach. He quickly gave me an honest assessment of what he could do and throughout the whole project was very proactive, honest and straightforward. For example, if he didn’t know the answer to a question immediately, he would tell me and get back to me later.

“Communicating with the French authorities responsible for importing vehicles can be very difficult. Martin had to make loads of calls and exchange around 25 emails! However, Martin managed to get hold of the relevant people – and most importantly, I received in January and March this year the relevant pieces of documentation to legally register my car in France and also as a classic car. I am really grateful – thank you.”

How MyFrenchVA helped Chris:
*Communicated by phone and email with Customs officials
*Handled any enquiries promptly throughout the process
*Outcome: Chris received his 846A certificate and Carte Grise to legally import his Chevrolet Camaro car into France.

My FrenchVA Website

Helping English-Speakers in France 👩‍💼
We provide Virtual Administration Assistance for English-speakers living in or moving to France. Our services include:
*Assistance with French Visas 🛂
*Help accessing the French healthcare system 🏥
*Vehicle registration 🚗
*Driver licences 🚘
*Working in France: help setting up a business or finding a job, plus access to our network of professionals 💼
*Translation services 🌐

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