Register a motorhome in France as a non-resident

The Issue

As a non-resident, you can’t simply register a vehicle in France in your own name. The carte grise requires a French address, but the problem runs deeper than that. Putting your personal name on a French registration (even at a friend’s address) raises questions about your tax residency, can trigger French tax obligations, and may cause insurers to reject your non-French driving licence. A workaround at the address level alone doesn’t fix this. You need a different ownership structure.

The Solution

The solution is a société civile, a French legal entity created specifically to own and operate a non-commercial asset like a motorhome. Crucially, the SC is a separate legal person from you. The vehicle is registered in the SC’s name at the SC’s French address, not in yours, which means:

• Your personal residency status stays untouched (no French tax exposure on your foreign income or assets)
• Your foreign driving licence is recognised because you’re driving an SC-owned vehicle, not personally registering a French car
• The vehicle has a legitimate French registration without you needing to claim French residency

You retain full ownership and control of the SC through its shares. When you sell or close the SC, you take or recoup the value of the vehicle.

Our French accountant creates the société civile in your name. A separate domiciliation company linked to the accountant provides the official French address and handles incoming mail. At completion you receive the KBIS document, which you use to complete the carte grise registration and take delivery of your motorhome.

The Timescale

This process normally takes 3–5 weeks but no definite date can be given due to the various moving parts. Waiting times also vary by time of year — spring being the busiest and autumn the quietest. We recommend starting the process as early in the trip planning as possible to avoid delays. You will be asked to produce scanned and physically mailed signed copies of the documentation.

Pricing & Details

The setup fee is 1,950 €. This includes all the legal document creation and registration with the French state.

The only running cost is the domicile address assigned to the société civile and mail handling which is 60 € per year from the second year.

After Your Trip

Once you are done with your trip you have the option to sell your legal structure if desired, keep it active for your next vehicle purchase, or close it down and deregister.