ABOLITION OF FRENCH '431K....Z' SERIES VEHICLE NUMBER PLATES

Members of the personnel holding a Carte spéciale of the AT or FI series or a Carte d'assimilé à un membre de mission diplomatique issued by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs are entitled to register their vehicles in special series, namely:

• «431 K» or «431 CD» for those purchased or imported duty-free;
• «431 K ... Z» or «431 CD ... Z», for vehicles on which duty and/or tax has been paid in a member state of the European Union.

The French Foreign Ministry has now informed CERN that the number plates in the special «431 K ... Z» and «431 CD ... Z» series have been abolished with effect from 1 January 2001. The Ministry considers that the move will result in a considerable saving of time for the users; they will no longer be systematically required to provide proof of payment of duty and/or tax, and the French Administration will no longer have to carry out complicated checks when vehicle registration applications are made.
With effect from 1 January 2001 vehicles on which duty and/or tax have been paid in a member state of the European Union will be registered in the «431 K» or «431 CD» series (i.e. the «Z» category has been abolished).
However, if ownership of the vehicle is transferred to an individual who does not have the above-mentioned privileges or if the member of the personnel ceases to enjoy them, the latter must provide proof that duty and/or tax has been paid in a member state of the European Union. In the absence thereof, duty and/or tax will be levied on the basis of the applicable rates and the residual value of the vehicle on the date when the regularization formalities are done. For that reason, it is strongly recommended that the necessary substantiating documents be kept for the subsequent purchaser of the vehicle.
Vehicles already registered in the «431 K ... Z» or «431 CD ... Z» series will not be re-registered. They may therefore continue to be driven on their existing plates.

by Relations with the Host States Service