Publié par Eplaque
Posté le 14 octobre 2022 - Mis à jour le 13 mars 2023 - 8 min de lecture ⏳
Any car registration document holds a lot of useful information regarding the vehicle. For example, about the power of the car, its fiscal power, how many passengers can travel in it, etc. Below, every single piece of information found on the French equivalent of the V5 registration document is explained. Whether you need to find your VIN number, the weight you car can tow or the emissions of your vehicle, you’ll find the answer below.
The French gray card is structured in headings and fields that make it easy to understand the vehicle registration document. These markers are particularly useful for completing Cerfa forms, the documents used to request things such as a car registration, a change of address, a vehicle ownership transfer, etc. Indeed, they indicate which fields on the vehicle registration document to use to complete the form.
Up to to the field F, the description of the data is written on the French V5C, which greatly facilitates understanding. After that, you will need explanatory material such as the one provided below to know what it refers to.
The registration number is the one that appears on your French plates. Since the implementation of the SIV system in 2009, it follows the “AA-111-AA” structure. If your license plate looks different, your vehicle is still in the old FNI system.
The date on which the vehicle was put into circulation for the first time, which therefore corresponds to the date of creation of the first registration certificate.
The items with a C concern the holder of the gray card:
The vehicle identification number, or VIN, is also known as the “chassis number” in France. This is a unique number that identifies the vehicle. It is widely used to check if a car has been stolen.
All the fields of the F. marks are expressed in kilograms:
In theory, this field is empty since the validity of a gray card is unlimited. However, there are exceptions, such as WW certificates (4 months validity).
It is simply the date of issue of the vehicle registration document.
It is in the J fields of the vehicle registration document that we determine to which category the vehicle belongs (car, quad, van, motorcycle, etc.).
This field is populated only when the vehicle has been imported. In this case, knowing how to read your car registration document can exempt you from COC.
The above elements are crucial to calculate the price of the vehicle registration document (regional tax and taxes on polluting vehicles):
Vehicle power to weight ratio, only for motorcycles.
Here, knowing how to read your car registration document can determine if your vehicle is making too much noise:
Date on which the vehicle must pass its first or next technical inspection (MOT).
In Y, you’ll find the breakdown of the taxes and the total price of the French registration document. All amounts are in euros:
The Z field makes it possible to highlight particular characteristics on the registration certificate, so it’s mostly empty. It can show, for example, “collection” for vintage cars classified as such.
Now you know in depth what information is found on a vehicle registration document in France!
Paperwork for registering a car in France will depend on the type of request, the origin of the car, etc. For more info, see our page registering a car in France. In short, you will mostly need:
You can apply with us. How to apply for a duplicate vehicle registration document? We’ll need from you:
What is the cost of replacement of a vehicle registration document? To get a copy, around EUR 55 with Eplaque, taxes, shipping and service fee included.
If you notice an error on your logbook, you must request a correction.
The “formula number” is printed in bold on the first page of the document. The first 4 digits correspond to its year of issue. It is available on SIV cartes grises (issued from 2009), it is some kind of reference of the gray card. If your car registration document doesn’t show this number, the date of the certificate must be provided instead.
If you have lost your confidential code, or your vehicle was registered in the old system, you must request a new one via the ANTS website. You can also make you car registration formality with us without it, we don’t need it.
Yes, in France you can scrap any vehicle without its registration document. You’ll have, however, to declare at the police the loss or the theft of the carte grise. With the complaint receipt, you’ll be able to scrap the car without the certificate.
A ton! See above, every field is explained extensively.
It depends who you ask! It can the V5 or the V5C, in other words the logbook. It can also be the Cerfa 13750 form that must be filled to request a car certificate.