Temporary WW plates: French provisional registration

What is a temporary WW registration

A WW certificate is a temporary French registration issued when a vehicle does not yet have a definitive SIV title. The number starts with WW and reads like a standard SIV plate: WW, three digits, two letters.

It is aimed mainly at vehicles still titled abroad (purchase, relocation, cross-border inheritance). WW is not a 'short' French carte grise: it is a separate, time-limited regime that puts you in order to drive and to take out an insurance policy.

Office Carte Grise, an authorised professional of the Ministry of the Interior, transmits the request after checking your documents. You do not need an ANTS account or to interpret the Cerfa forms alone.

The WW-123-XX number and the provisional certificate

Once the request is accepted, you receive a certificate showing the WW number. That document — not the plates alone — is what you show at a roadside check. Keep the original (or the official printout) in the vehicle.

Plates must reproduce the allocated number exactly. A registered engraver makes them in the legal format (front and rear for a four-wheel vehicle). Wrong characters or a non-compliant homemade plate can lead to a fine even if the certificate is valid.

WW does not entitle you to a change of address, a duplicate, or a sale 'as if it were a French carte grise'. Any change of keeper or technical data is handled in the definitive registration procedure.

Temporary WW versus a CPI after an SIV filing

The provisional registration certificate (CPI) issued after a change of ownership, a duplicate or an SIV correction is not a WW. That CPI follows a request already transmitted for a vehicle already known to the French file.

WW creates a new temporary number for a vehicle that still has no usable French title. Mixing the two delays the file: a CPI is not a substitute for WW, and WW does not close a private sale on French plates.

Temporary WW versus a W garage certificate

W garage is a professional regime: repairers, dealers, body shops, hauliers, importers, manufacturers. It allows removable plates attached to the business, valid for the calendar year, renewable in November–December.

A private individual who bought a vehicle for personal use does not fall under that regime. Conversely, a garage moving stock does not need a WW per chassis: it applies for or renews W garage (French-site pro procedure).

Temporary WW versus a definitive carte grise

The definitive SIV registration certificate remains the goal. It records the keeper, the French address and the technical data, and unlocks the usual procedures: change of address, duplicate, sale.

WW does not waive any document required for that next step: tax clearance or form 846A, European certificate of conformity or individual approval, roadworthiness test depending on age. Treat WW as a bridge, not a destination.

The user deadline to start French registration after the vehicle arrives is short (one month in most cases). State processing (often several weeks) is extra. WW covers that gap; it does not stretch it beyond four months.

WW after a purchase in the European Union

Bought in Belgium, Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal or another member state: the vehicle usually arrives with a national title and an invoice or transfer deed. Tax clearance (quitus fiscal) then shows that VAT has been handled. Without that quitus, definitive registration is blocked — WW can already let you drive if the rest of the WW file is complete.

Belgian, German and Dutch titles often come in several parts. You need every part (including the coupon kept by the seller or the local authority). A cropped scan is the most common rejection.

Tax clearance and definitive registration are explained on the tax-clearance and foreign-vehicle pages. This page is only about lawful use of the road while those papers catch up.

WW after a purchase outside the EU

Outside the Union, customs almost always comes before a French title. Clearance certificate 846A replaces the quitus. Conformity may require a COC, individual approval (DREAL) or, for a vehicle over 30 years old, an FFVE attestation.

Those steps often overrun the one-month window to start registration. WW avoids leaving the vehicle unused or driving on foreign plates that no longer fit once you are resident in France.

Do not confuse the WW fee (€41 incl. VAT here) with import duty, import VAT and the taxes on the definitive carte grise. Those amounts sit on other lines.

Moving to France with a vehicle already registered abroad

You settle in France and bring a car, motorcycle or motorhome already registered in your country of origin. The duty to register in France starts when you fix your main residence there, within one month.

Proof of address must be the French address that will appear on the future title. Some countries also require you to return the old plates: ask the consulate.

WW covers the weeks of paperwork (possible translations, COC, French roadworthiness test). It does not remove the duty to register once the file is ready.

When WW is the wrong procedure

Vehicle already registered in France, simple change of keeper: use change of ownership, not WW. The same applies to a change of address, a duplicate (loss, theft, damage) or a correction of particulars.

A professional who tests, recovers or moves vehicles before resale: W garage is the right regime. A WW per vehicle would be both costlier and legally the wrong tool.

If a French title exists but the test centre is blocked because the carte grise is unreadable, look at the vehicle identification form (FIV), and possibly a duplicate, rather than WW.

• Used purchase already on French plates → change of ownership
• Move within France with a French title → change of address
• French title lost, stolen or unreadable → duplicate (and FIV if the MOT is expired)
• Workshop, dealership, body shop → W garage

Validity: four months

WW is valid for four months from the date on the certificate. That is not four months from the day you engrave the plates, and an insurer cannot extend it.

Write down the expiry date on receipt. Work backwards the time needed for tax clearance, COC, the roadworthiness test and filing the definitive application. An import file taking 4 to 6 weeks is not unusual: start it while WW is running, not in the last week.

What to do as WW approaches expiry

Before expiry: file the definitive registration as soon as tax clearance (or 846A) and conformity are ready. An SIV CPI can then cover the wait until the definitive title is printed.

At expiry without a French title: the vehicle must no longer use the public highway on the WW number. Store it or have it transported, and finish the file. Driving 'a few extra days' is not a grace period.

Contact us if a document is still blocking: a status check is better than discovering the deadline the night before a trip.

Where you may drive on WW plates

WW is designed for French territory. Motorways, trunk roads and urban streets are all in scope, subject to insurance and a roadworthiness test when the vehicle requires one.

A foreign trip on WW plates is not the intended use. Neighbouring countries and insurers differ; do not assume a green card will be issued for the whole EU on WW alone. Check with your insurer before any border crossing.

W garage is likewise limited to France (except very specific prototype tests). Neither regime creates an 'international transit' plate.

Having WW plates engraved and fitted

After the certificate is issued, have the plates made by a professional. SIV format, legal characters, front and rear plates for a car. Two-wheelers: one rear plate, motorcycle size.

Keep the certificate with the vehicle. A phone photo of the title is not a substitute in a thorough check.

Do not order plates 'at random' before the number is allocated. The WW prefix is shared; the digit-letter series is unique.

Insuring a vehicle on WW plates

One reason to obtain WW is to give insurers a French identifier. Most companies will issue a certificate (and, where relevant, an international card) from the WW document, whereas they often refuse to cover a vehicle that is still titled only abroad once the driver lives in France.

Have the WW certificate, photo ID, a licence for the category, and a bonus-malus statement if you already had a policy. State clearly that it is a four-month temporary registration: the contract will need to switch to the definitive number afterwards.

Without insurance, WW does not protect you. Compulsory insurance applies as soon as the vehicle is used or parked on the public highway.

Roadworthiness testing while WW is valid

A vehicle more than four years old normally needs a test for definitive registration. A recent European test can sometimes be accepted (except Monaco); a French test remains the safest default.

Without a readable French title, some centres refuse the vehicle. In that case the vehicle identification form (FIV) acts as a technical ID for the test lane, alongside WW.

WW does not replace an expired test. It mainly lets you drive to the centre and insure the vehicle until the appointment.

Vehicle identification form (FIV) and WW

FIV is not a circulation title. It is an identification extract used when a test centre wants an SIV document and the French carte grise does not yet exist, or is no longer usable.

On an import, FIV + WW often go together: WW to drive and insure, FIV to unlock the test, then the foreign-vehicle file for the definitive title.

FIV is ordered separately on the vehicle identification form page.

Roadside checks with WW plates

At a check, show the WW certificate, proof of insurance, a licence for the category, and, where relevant, the test report. Plates must match the number on the certificate.

Expired WW, non-compliant plates or no certificate on board are treated as driving without a valid title. Having 'ordered the definitive carte grise' is not enough if nothing has been transmitted yet.

Documents required for WW plates

The WW file is shorter than a definitive import file, but it still has to be nominative and readable. Blurry, cropped or incomplete scans mean a round trip.

• Complete foreign registration certificate (every part if the title is multi-part)
• Valid photo ID (national ID, passport or residence permit)
• French proof of address less than 6 months old, full address
• Proof of purchase: transfer certificate from a private seller, invoice from a trader
• Valid driving licence for the vehicle category
• Application Cerfa 13750*05 and mandate 13757*03 if you use an authorised professional

Cerfa 13750 and mandate 13757

Cerfa 13750 is the registration application. Cerfa 13757 authorises a professional to transmit on your behalf. Both must be dated and signed (company stamp for a business).

On our flow, these forms can be generated after you order: you do not have to complete them by hand first. They remain downloadable in the CERFA block below if you prefer to prepare them early.

A missing signature or a name that does not match the ID blocks transmission. Check keeper and co-keeper before you send.

Multi-part foreign titles (Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands)

Belgium: the title has several parts; the buyer does not always leave with all of them on sale day. Collect every coupon before you file for WW.

Germany: Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I and Teil II must both be present. One part is not enough.

The Netherlands: the kentekenbewijs is also split. Scan everything, including technical notes useful later (COC, taxes).

Without the full set, both WW and definitive registration will be rejected. Delaying the order by 48 hours is better than restarting an incomplete file.

How much temporary WW plates cost

At Office Carte Grise the displayed price is €41 incl. VAT: €11 state fixed tax and €30 handling. It is a flat fee, independent of fiscal horsepower and département.

It does not include regional tax Y1, any malus, or the manufacturer's COC fee. Those fall due on the definitive carte grise. Estimate them with the registration cost calculator, the tax calculator, or the 2026 fiscal horsepower rates by region.

Engraved plates, insurance and the roadworthiness test remain payable separately.

How long the WW certificate takes

Once scans are readable and payment is confirmed, transmitting a WW is usually far quicker than a full import registration. The bottleneck is scans and multi-part titles, not a long tax-clearance wait.

Allow time to engrave plates after the number arrives. If you have an insurance appointment or a trip the next day, order WW early enough to chain engraver and insurer.

Applying for WW plates online with an authorised professional

You can in theory file alone on ANTS. The import path there is poorly guided: Cerfa, the nature of the papers, WW versus W garage versus CPI.

Through an authorised professional you pay, you upload evidence in the client area, we check, we transmit. If a document is missing you are asked for it instead of being rejected without explanation.

Start at step 2 of the procedure when your foreign title, identity and address are ready. The Cerfa forms are generated in the flow.

After WW: tax clearance, COC and definitive registration

As soon as WW is in hand, chain the bricks of the definitive title. Do not serialise them 'after the four months'.

• EU purchase: tax clearance (quitus) from the tax office, or via our tax-clearance page
• Non-EU purchase: 846A customs certificate; the same tax-clearance path also covers this case
• Conformity: European COC, DREAL individual approval, or FFVE attestation if the vehicle is a classic
• Full file: foreign-vehicle registration before WW expires

Vehicles imported from Belgium, Germany or the Netherlands

These three origins account for a large share of WW files. The trap is not WW itself, it is an incomplete title and a quitus in the wrong name.

The quitus must show the same keeper (and co-keeper) as the registration application. A quitus in the foreign seller's name does not unlock SIV.

Recent EU-market vehicles often already have a COC; older or off-catalogue versions may need a manufacturer order. Start it while WW is valid.

Spain, Italy, Portugal

Iberian and Italian titles are usually a single document, easier to scan than Belgian or German files. Still check that the VIN is readable and matches the invoice.

A vehicle bought from a French trader who imported it from Spain or Italy needs the trader's foreign purchase proof, not only their resale invoice.

A still-valid test from the country of origin can help; still plan a French test if the centre or the examiner asks for one.

Switzerland and other non-EU countries

Switzerland is not an EU member: expect an 846A and conformity to prove. A recent Swiss vehicle often has a European history, but that is not automatic.

United States, Japan, Canada, Gulf states: originally outside European standards, individual approval or classic status (over 30 years) is the usual path. WW lets you garage and insure the vehicle in France during those inspections; it does not skip them.

United Kingdom after Brexit

Since the UK left the EU, a UK import is a non-EU flow: customs, VAT, 846A, conformity. WW remains useful: customs and manufacturer delays (British COC or equivalent) often exceed one month.

The UK path is detailed in the Brexit import article. On this page, remember only that WW does not 'convert' a British title: it covers French circulation during clearance and the SIV file.

Car, motorcycle, motorhome or van

Private car: the most common case. Front and rear plates, category B licence, roadworthiness test if the vehicle is over four years old.

Motorcycle and two-wheelers: licence for the category (A, A2…). One rear plate. Moped test rules still apply; WW does not waive them.

Motorhome and special bodywork (VASP): check that the foreign title and COC show the right body type. An unapproved conversion blocks definitive registration, WW or not.

Van and company: recent company extract, stamped Cerfa, suitable licence. WW can be in the legal entity's name.

Classic vehicles and the FFVE attestation

A vehicle over 30 years old, no longer produced, unmodified, can aim for collector status. The FFVE attestation then stands in for a missing COC.

WW can cover the wait for the attestation and the classic-registration file. It does not grant collector status by itself, nor the five-year test cycle.

Order the FFVE attestation or classic registration in parallel, without waiting for the end of the four months.

A vehicle in a company's name

A company can apply for WW for a vehicle it uses (director import, service vehicle waiting for a French title). Attach a recent company extract and have the legal representative sign the Cerfa forms.

This is not a professional purchase declaration and not W garage. If the business is trading stock for resale, use the pro procedures (purchase declaration, W garage) rather than WW 'as a private individual'.

Selling the vehicle while WW is still valid

WW is not a title of ownership meant to change hands like a carte grise. Selling a vehicle still on WW complicates life for the buyer: the temporary number cannot be renewed, and the definitive file must match the new keeper.

If a sale cannot wait, build a clear transfer file (invoice or transfer Cerfa) and tell the buyer they must finish French registration before expiry. In most cases it is better to obtain the French title first, then sell.

Frequent mistakes that block the file

• Incomplete foreign title (a missing part in Belgium, Germany or the Netherlands)
• Proof of address too old, or a foreign address while you live in France
• Licence for the wrong category (motorcycle without the right entitlement, heavy vehicle)
• Unsigned Cerfa, or a keeper who does not match the ID
• Waiting until WW expires to start tax clearance and the COC
• Ordering WW for a vehicle already registered in France (wrong procedure)
• Mixing up WW and W garage on the professional side
• Test refused for lack of FIV, while WW alone does not unlock the test lane

If you are hosted by a third party

• A signed accommodation certificate from your host
• Your host's proof of address

If there is a co-owner

• The co-owner's photo ID