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Carte grise for an imported car: cost, taxes and the official simulator

By Rédaction Quelle Occasion · updated on 28 October 2026

According to Service-Public.fr, issuing a carte grise is subject to payment of 4 taxes and a fee, whether the car was bought in France or imported. The amount depends mainly on the region where you live, on the car and, for the most polluting vehicles, on the malus. The most reliable way is to calculate it with the official simulator.

What makes up the cost

The Service-Public.fr page on the cost of the registration certificate (checked on 8 September 2026) lists:

  • the regional tax, which depends on the region where the applicant lives;
  • the tax on transport vehicles;
  • the tax on the most polluting passenger vehicles (cars, pick-ups), i.e. the malus;
  • the fixed tax of €11 (tax Y4 in the simulator);
  • the fee for delivery of the registration certificate, €2.76 (tax Y5 in the simulator).

The simulator refers to the CO2 malus (and/or the tax on the weight of the vehicle in running order) as tax Y3. If you use an approved automotive professional, they also charge for their service, an amount they set freely. For an imported car, also add the costs specific to importing (quitus fiscal, roadworthiness test, conformity) described in importing a used car from an EU country.

The regional tax

It varies by region. The official simulator (checked on 13 May 2026) reports these changes in 2026:

  • Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur: from €59 to €60 since 1 January 2026;
  • Corsica: from €43 to €53 since 1 January 2026;
  • La Réunion: from €57 to €60 since 1 February 2026;
  • Nouvelle-Aquitaine: from €53 to €58 on 1 March 2026;
  • Île-de-France: from €54.95 to €68.95 on 1 March 2026 (a €14 increase following the 2026 Finance Act);
  • Hauts-de-France: from €42 to €43 on 1 April 2026, and the reduction of this tax for electric and hydrogen vehicles goes from 100% to 50%.

These figures are not a complete scale: the amounts for the other regions are not in the pages consulted. The simulator applies the rate for your département.

The malus on an imported car

The malus (tax on the most polluting passenger vehicles) may be added for an imported car. Its scale changes every year: see the details in the malus on an imported car. The simulator asks in particular for the CO2 emission rate (item V.7 of the registration certificate), whether the vehicle has Community type approval (item K starting with "e") and its administrative power in CV (item P.6). The following are exempt from the ecological malus and the tax on weight in running order: a wheelchair-accessible vehicle or one with "Handicap" bodywork, the holder of a "mobilité inclusion mention invalidité" card or a military disability card, and the parent actually caring for a child holding one of these cards.

Calculating with the official simulator

  1. Open the simulator for the cost of a registration certificate on Service-Public.fr.
  2. Choose the procedure matching your case (the simulator offers "Première immatriculation en France d'un véhicule" and "Immatriculation d'un véhicule d'occasion"), then, when it asks, indicate that the vehicle was "imported into France after being registered in another country".
  3. Enter the vehicle type, its energy source, its administrative power, its CO2 rate and your département of residence, information that the simulator locates on the registration certificate (items P.6, V.7, K).
  4. The simulator shows the breakdown of the taxes and the total.

If your case is not handled by the simulator, it says so and refers you to France Titres (ex-ANTS) on 34 00 in mainland France (not a premium-rate number), Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm.

Where to pay

Payment is by bank card on the ANTS website, logging in via FranceConnect, or through the Simplimmat.gouv app. Reminder: you have 1 month after the purchase to apply for the carte grise. For the list of documents, see documents for importing a car.

Sources

Before you buy: check and equip

Check the history

Before paying, check the administrative status (lien, objection, declared claims) and the mileage recorded at the roadworthiness test.

Read fault codes

An OBD scanner plugged in under the steering wheel shows stored fault codes, even with warning lights off: useful during the test drive.

Parts and maintenance

Compare prices of car parts (timing, brakes, filters) to estimate the repairs to plan for.

Insure the car

Insurance prices vary widely from one model to another: get a quote before signing.