If you’re bringing a car from the UK into France in 2026 or buying a car awaiting paperwork, expect a pink temporary plate and possibly more scrutiny on expired WW periods. Otherwise, the registration process stays the same.

– *WW and **W-garage plates will now have a pink background with black characters.

– WW plates will show the expiry date (month/year) on the right side.

– Existing white WW plates remain valid until they expire.

– A new car waiting for a permanent carte grise,

– A vehicle imported from abroad

– Automotive professionals using W-garage plates.

The bright colour makes temporary registrations clearly visible, helping police detect expired documents or fraud involving imported vehicles. France processes over 400,000 temporary registrations each year.

British & expat-specific implications
– If you import a UK vehicle into France, you will now be issued a pink WW plate instead of the old white version.

– Compliance checks may be stricter, because the new plates make temporary imports easier to spot. Driving with an expired WW registration will be more noticeable.

– A French WW certificate (CPI WW) is not automatically valid abroad. Whether you can drive the car temporarily in Spain/UK/etc. depends on the other country’s acceptance. (This matters for British expats who drive across borders.)

– Validity periods remain the same:

– Standard WW: 2 months, renewable once if needed.

– Certain vehicles (e.g., incomplete new vehicles, agricultural machines): 3 months.
– .For UK-imported vehicles, you still need: conformity documents, fiscal clearance, and (if required) a French CT to obtain the final carte grise. The new plate colour does not change the admin steps — just how visible the temporary status is.