1. Application for green-plate vehicle registration (K or CD)

The application for green-plate registration cannot be initiated until the initial special residence permit (French card) has been received.

1.1 Putting together an application file

The application can only be made via the request Green plates request / Demande de plaques vertes. The member of the personnel must submit the necessary documents, as listed below, in a single application file:

* The invoice must include the tax-free price and the intra-community VAT number where applicable.

N.B. All the documents (certificates, invoice, forms...) must mention the same address in France.

You are advise to read the Information Memorandum, to submit the request Green plates request / Demande de plaques vertes via the Service Portal and then to follow the instructions provided. All necessary forms (form 1 and form 2 in French only) are also available in this application.

N.B. Green plates can be produced free of charge by the CERN workshop. These plates will not be set by CERN but will have to be set by an authorized person, for insurance reasons.

After checking the documents, the CERN Mobility Centre will invite the member of the personnel to come and sign them. By signing the forms, the applicant undertakes to comply with all the obligations specified therein, in particular those regarding administrative and customs clearance in the event of the export, destruction, sale or theft of the vehicle.
The CERN Mobility Centre then sends the application form to the MAE, which forwards it to the DGDDI and then to the Préfecture de police in Paris.

N.B. In the case of vehicles from a country that is not a member of the European Union, arriving in France with a transit document, the applicant must present Form 2, validated by the DGDDI, in order to obtain authorisation to take delivery of the vehicle without paying taxes. The applicant must remember to ask the seller to specify the vehicle’s fiscal status (i.e. whether or not duties and taxes have been paid) at the time of placing the order, as it takes around two months to receive the validated form.

1.2 Temporary certificate of registration (Certificat provisoire d'immatriculation - CPI) or temporary WW plates

If necessary, the owner can obtain a temporary certificate of registration (Certificat provisoire d'immatriculation - CPI), which is valid for three months. The CPI allows the vehicle to be driven on French territory only until the definitive registration is complete. 
The CERN Mobility Centre sends the request to the Préfecture de police in Paris by post, as soon as it receives the MAE’s acknowledgement of receipt of the application file. The Préfecture de police in Paris sends the CPI by e-mail to the CERN Mobility Centre, which then forwards it to the member of the personnel (sample temporary certificate of registration).

If the vehicle comes from abroad, the owner can obtain temporary WW plates valid for four months from an approved vehicle registration agency. In this case, driving the vehicle is authorized in Europe and Switzerland. This request must be made by the owner of the vehicle.

1.3 Obtaining the vehicle registration certificate (CIV/carte grise)

After the application has been processed by the MAE and the DGDDI, the vehicle registration certificate is issued by the Agence nationale des titres sécurisés (ANTS) and sent by post to the CERN Mobility Centre. The CIV allows special number plates to be obtained and fitted to the vehicle.

N.B. The applicant must keep and carry a signed copy of Form 2 so that it can be produced in the event of a customs check.

Ordinary license plate registration formalities can be carried out via the Carte Grise Pays de Gex registration agency in Ornex, or any other authorized agency or garage. The cost varies depending on the cylinder capacity and can be evaluated on this page (immatriculation d’un véhicule d’occasion).

2. Exchanging 431 K plates for 431 CD plates

Staff members residing in France who are issued with a CD-series diplomatic special residence permit following a promotion are obliged to change the registration of any vehicle previously registered in the 431 K series.

The staff member concerned should first take an appointment with the French customs office in Ferney-Voltaire, then hand in the existing number plates, and submit the following documents to the CERN Mobility Centre via the request "Exchanging 431 K plates to CD series" in the Service Portal:

• Demande d’immatriculation d’un véhicule automobile (Form 2 - en français seulement), completed electronically, printed on both sides and signed;
• two photocopies of the French CD-series diplomatic card;
• two photocopies of a French insurance certificate for the vehicle concerned;
• two photocopies of the certificate of cancellation of the registration in the 431 K series, issued by the French customs office at Ferney-Voltaire;
• a copy of the certificate confirming that the green plates have been handed in;
• the original of the old vehicle registration certificate (431 K XXXX), minus the detachable coupon allowing the vehicle to be used temporarily.

Until the new CIV is received and “CD” series plates are obtained, the member of the personnel must register the vehicle under its normal “SIV” number. The procedure for obtaining new plates takes 10 to 12 weeks.

3. Transfer of vehicle

In the event of the vehicle being sold to another person eligible for green plates, the owner must make an appointment at the customs office in Ferney-Voltaire or visit the office during its usual opening hours, to submit Form 2 and the vehicle registration certificate (CIV) and, if applicable, to hand in the green plates.

The owner then gives the buyer Form 2, the CIV, the certificate of transfer of title (certificat de cession) and the certificate issued by the customs office confirming that the green plates have been handed in, all of which must be included in the application file for the new registration.

4. Cancellation of green plates and final settlement of customs duties

Green plates must be cancelled and customs duties settled when:

• the vehicle is destroyed (including voluntary scrapping) (see Notes from the French customs office in paragraph 5),
• the vehicle is sold to anyone not eligible for green plates,
• the vehicle owner loses their privileged status (e.g. end of contract, retirement, CERN working hours less than 51%, French naturalisation),
• a new vehicle is purchased for registration in the special series and the owner already owns one or two vehicles (as applicable) with green plates,
• the vehicle is stolen.

Documents cancellation provided by the French customs must be sent to the CERN Mobility Centre via the request Green Plates Cancellation from the Services Portal.

However, no duties or taxes are payable if the owner moves to Switzerland or to another country (in this case the vehicle must be exported according to the procedure in force).

The member of the personnel must contact the French customs office in Ferney-Voltaire directly to submit the file, settle any duties or taxes that may be payable and hand in the registration plates. The customs office will provide the member of the personnel with a certificate confirming that the green plates have been surrendered and will validate the relevant documents, depending on the vehicle’s destination.

The calculation of the amount of VAT as well as the conditions of application of duty-free admission are determined exclusively by the French customs administration and are not the responsibility of the Organization.

For information on registration fees, please refer to the point 1.3 of the procedure.

5. Notes from the French customs

N.B. Since September 2017, the formalities for the registration of vehicles in the special series have been the responsibility of the Préfecture de police in Paris, using the single application file procedure outlined above. The formalities for registration in the normal series must be completed online via the following website: https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F1050. All customs formalities must be made by appointment only, at the address cern-ferney-voltaire@douane.finances.gouv.fr.

• Scrapping a vehicle in France
• Sale of a vehicle to a person eligible for green plates (sale between members of the CERN personnel)

5.1 For vehicles with double registration (from 15.04.2009: green  plates and French plates with SIV number*)

• Customs clearance before registration of a vehicle on standard French plates, sale to a private individual, sale to a dealership - (with SIV No.)
• Vehicle being transferred to an EU country - (with SIV No.)
• Vehicle being exported to a non-EU country - (with SIV No.)
• Transfer of a personal vehicle without change of owner into another series within the same organisation or other entity – (with SIV No.)
• Customs formalities for vehicles bought inclusive of taxes before registration of a vehicle on standard French plates, sale to a private individual, sale to a dealership - (with SIV No.)

5.2 For vehicles with only green plates registration (without SIV number)

• Customs clearance before registration of a vehicle on standard French plates, sale to a private individual, sale to a dealership - (without SIV No.)
• Vehicle being transferred to an EU country - (without SIV No.)
• Vehicle being exported to a non-EU country - (without SIV No.)
• Transfer of a personal vehicle, without change of owner, into another series within the same organisation or other entity – (without SIV No.)
• Customs formalities for vehicles bought inclusive of taxes before registration of a vehicle on standard French plates, sale to a private individual, sale to a dealership - (without SIV No.)

* https://immatriculation.ants.gouv.fr/Tout-savoir-sur-le-SIV/Le-Systeme-d-Immatriculation-des-Vehicules-SIV.