A car from France: how to bring it to Greece

Documents you need

• Certificat d’immatriculation (carte grise): first registration date (field B), CO₂ (V.7) and emission class (V.9).
• Certificat de situation administrative (non-gage): confirmation that the car is not pledged or subject to an objection.
• COC (certificat de conformité): the manufacturer’s certificate of conformity.
• Invoice (facture) or certificat de cession with seller, buyer and price.

Private seller or dealer: VAT

• Private seller (particulier): no VAT. The contract must be certified by a Greek consular authority in France.
• Dealer under the margin scheme (régime de la marge): no separate VAT on the invoice and no Greek VAT. Pay by bank transfer: customs will ask for a bank document showing you paid more than 50% of the invoice value.
• Dealer charging French VAT (TVA) on the invoice: as a private buyer you pay French VAT and not again in Greece.
• If the car is less than 6 months from first registration or has up to 6,000 km, it counts as new for VAT and you pay 24% VAT in Greece.

Transport from France

The road distance to Athens is about 2,850 km from the Paris area, depending on whether you take a ferry from Italy. You can drive it on temporary WW plates with journey insurance or ship it on a car carrier. Get quotes; prices vary a lot.

What to check before buying

• The exact Euro standard and CO₂ on the carte grise (V.9) and the CoC. Ask for a photo before you buy: Euro 6b instead of 6d raises the tax by 50%.
• The Greek retail price of the same model and version when it was first released. That is the tax base, not the purchase price.
• Whether the contrôle technique is still valid. It does not replace the Greek KTEO inspection, but helps get it recognised.
• That the car is registered in an EU country (in free circulation).