After a successful trial phase, France is now offering the simplimmat.gouv app to everyone wanting to register a used vehicle in their name or document a transfer of ownership.

After a vehicle is resold in France, the person must declare the transfer of the vehicle no later than 15 days after having physically transferred it. This is designed to protect the seller from traffic fines that may occur with the new buyer.

Meanwhile, if someone buys a used vehicle, they must have a registration document issued in their name within the month following the declaration of transfer.

On the new Simplimmat mobile application, the administrative transfer of the vehicle and the request for a new registration document can be completed in around 10 minutes, and even carried out at the same time as the vehicle keys are handed over.

The buyer will then receive the registration document at their home three to four days later.

What are the advantages?

The Simplimmat application prevents the situation where the seller fails to declare the transfer of the vehicle on the National Agency for Secure Titles (ANTS) website, thereby blocking the buyer when they go to register the vehicle in their name.

The fact that the seller and the buyer carry out the procedures at the same time, and in the physical presence of each other, also helps to avoid errors in entering information relating to the sale which are likely to lead to administrative blockages.

The Simplimmat app also verifies compliance, so when the papers of the vehicle are not in order, Simplimmat blocks the transfer of the vehicle. The buyer therefore has a guarantee that the vehicle is not stolen, for example.

After trial phases in the Centre Val de Loire, Normandy, Yveline Brittany and Ile-de-France regions, the app is now accessible to all individuals residing in France, who sell or buy a vehicle registered in the country.

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Photo: Why Kei, Unsplash