Sophia Antipolis - Car purchase and sale

Buying a car
If you wish to buy a new vehicle, most car dealers are located in Cannes (avenue Carnot). Buying a new car means that car dealers do all the paperwork for you. In the unlikely event that this does not happen, for registering a new car, you will need :

• Proof of residence and identity
• The "cession" certificate
• The "carte grise"

You might want to consider the option of buying  your car tax free if you are eligible.

If you decide to buy a second-hand car, you must get a "contrôle technique" certificate. If the car is over four years, it must pass some technical controls. These technical test are compulsory for private and commercial vehicles under 3.5 tones over four years old. The document must be less than 6 month old. You do not need to pay VAT on a used vehicle.

To get a better idea of the market prices of cars, buy the magazine "Argus" which lists the value of all types of cars.

Selling a car
If  you want to sell your car in France, you will need to have the following documents ready:

• a certification de cession from the Préfecture or Sous-Préfecture (see addresses below) or the Police Station, which both parties must sign and retain a copy each. One copy is for the "Préfecture";
• a certificat de non gage, obtained from the Préfecture or Sous-Préfecture. This document proves that the seller is entitled to sell the vehicle;
• the technical control document, to be obtained from one of the authorized centers

On the "carte grise" (car registration document) the seller must sign and write vendu le followed by the date. Then he must cut off the upper right-hand corner and send it to the Préfecture together with the certificates. After sending all these documents to the "Prefecture", the new owner will receive a new "carte grise" in his/her name.

To advertise the sale of your car you can:

• put an add on the newspaper "Nice-Matin",
• park your car near a traffic circle and put a "A VENDRE" (for sale) sign, with a contact  number and price
• check if through your company you may advertise internally
• advertise for free in Paguro!

Préfecture des Alpes-Maritimes
Route de Grenoble
BP 1
Nice cedex 3
06286
France
Tel: + 33 (0) 4 9372 2000
website: www.alpes-maritimes.pref.gouv.fr/

Sous-Préfecture de Grasse
3, avenue Général de Gaulle
Grasse
06130
France
Tel: + 33 (0) 4 9242 3200
Tel: + 33 (0) 4 9242 3200
website: www.alpes-maritimes.pref.gouv.fr/pages/s_prefecture/_frame_sprefect.html