You’ve found the used car of your dreams and you can’t wait to get behind the wheel. You need to complete a few formalities in order to use it with complete peace of mind and this involves several important documents that the owner of the car to be purchased must provide you with. Contact your car dealer in Villeneuve Loubet for any further questions.

The certificate of registration of the car

The owner of the vehicle must provide you with the registration certificate (formerly the grey card) which is the identity card of the car. This document must be crossed out with the date of sale and the owner’s signature. The registration cards issued before 2004 have a detachable coupon in the upper right corner with the inscription “Part to be cut out when the vehicle is sold”. This is the part that the owner must give you. For the most recent ones, the tear-off coupon is at the bottom of the sheet. It allows you to note the information necessary for the transaction. You will drive with it for one month in order to complete the formalities to establish the registration certificate in your name.

The certificate of sale

The certificate of sale is also called certificate of declaration of transfer. It acts as a sales contract for a sale between individuals. It must include the specificities of the used vehicle, namely
– the make ;
– the date of registration
– the model ;
– the chassis number (VIN);
– total mileage.
The certificate of sale must also mention the date of the sale and the price with all taxes included. The information (name, first name, address) of the seller and the buyer must appear on the certificate. It is available from the administrations, namely the town hall, the prefecture and the gendarmerie. For those who can’t go to the town hall, they can print it on the service-public.fr website. It is made in two copies, of which you keep one and the seller keeps the other.

The certificate of administrative status

The certificate of administrative status guarantees that the vehicle is not prohibited from being sold. It assures you that the vehicle has not been stolen from its true owner, that it is not pawned and that its use is not restricted. Indeed, it is possible that the car is subject to an immobilization for non-payment of fines. Demand this document in order to fully and legally enjoy your vehicle. It would be embarrassing for you to be fined more than 3,000 euros or 3 months in prison for using a vehicle that has been immobilized due to the fault of the previous owner. The certificate of administrative status also certifies that the car can be registered in your name.

The technical inspection report

The technical control is mandatory for all cars four years after their first circulation. This inspection is carried out every two years and failure to do so is severely punished. If the used car you want to buy has been on the road for 4 years, then you should ask for the technical inspection report. You must send this document for the transfer of the registration certificate. This technical inspection must have taken place less than 6 months before the application for the registration certificate. If there was a second inspection, this certificate must be less than 2 months old.
The seller is not obliged to give you the maintenance booklet of the car. This document informs you about the maintenance the vehicle has received and how you should take care of it. It is highly recommended for luxury cars such as Audi, Porsche or Ferrari.