We sell a car on a Saturday afternoon, the buyer is in a hurry, and we find ourselves in the evening in front of the screen looking for which form to fill out and on which site to submit it. The online transfer declaration is quick, provided you know two or three blocking points that standard tutorials gloss over.
Transfer code on France Titres: what gets stuck in practice
The most common trap does not concern the paper form, but what happens afterward. When you declare the sale on the State portal (formerly ANTS, now referred to as France Titres), a transfer code is generated at the end of the online procedure. This code must be passed on to the buyer so they can initiate their request for a registration certificate.
The problem is that the validity of this code is short, around fifteen days. After this period, the buyer can no longer use it. You then have to get back in touch with the seller or even go through an authorized SIV professional to resolve the situation.
Another scenario that competitors do not explain: when an authorized SIV professional registers the transfer on behalf of the seller, no transfer code is generated. The buyer goes through a different technical circuit. If you intend to fill out a vehicle transfer declaration online yourself, you must check in advance if a professional has not already registered the operation.
Cerfa 15776 version 2026: check the correct form before starting
The majority of online guides still mention Cerfa 15776*01 or *02. In 2026, the current form is Cerfa n°15776*03, with the year clearly indicated on the official PDF and the mention France Titres replacing ANTS.
Using an old version does not automatically block the file, but feedback varies on this point. Some users report refusals during online submission when the scanned form does not match the expected version. To avoid any rejection, download the Cerfa directly from the service-public.gouv.fr site on the same day as the transaction.
The three sections of the form to fill out without error
The Cerfa is divided into three distinct blocks. Each has its traps:
- Vehicle section: registration number, date of first registration, certificate of registration formula number. The classic mistake is to confuse the formula number with the vehicle identification number (VIN). The formula number is located at the top right of the registration certificate, in the format xxxx-xxxx-xx.
- Former owner section: name, first name, address, date and time of the transfer. Noting the time is mandatory, as it determines responsibility in case of an infraction committed on the day of the sale.
- New owner section: complete contact details of the buyer. Both parties sign at the bottom of this section. A missing signature renders the document invalid.
Online transfer declaration process: concrete steps on the portal
Before opening the portal, gather everything on the table: original registration certificate, completed and signed Cerfa, and the administrative situation certificate (formerly non-gage certificate) downloadable for free via Histovec.
Technical inspection and validity period
For vehicles over four years old, the technical inspection must be dated less than six months before the sale. Without this document, the transfer is legally contestable, and the buyer can refuse to finalize the transaction. Don’t wait until the last day to check the expiration date.
Login and entry on France Titres
Log in via FranceConnect on the France Titres registration portal. The process is called “Sell or give away my vehicle.” The online form contains the same information as the paper Cerfa, but the system checks in real-time the consistency of the registration number with the SIV database.
Once the entry is complete, the portal generates the famous transfer code. Note it immediately and send it to the buyer without delay. A simple oversight in transmission can block the registration for weeks.
Crossed-out registration certificate and obligations after the sale of the vehicle
The online declaration does not exempt you from physically crossing out the registration certificate. You write “Sold on” or “Transferred on” followed by the date, time, and your signature. This crossed-out document is handed over to the buyer along with the signed Cerfa.
The seller has a fifteen-day period after the sale to complete the online declaration. In practice, it is done on the same day. As long as the transfer is not registered in the SIV, any fines generated by the vehicle remain attached to the former owner.
What to hand over to the buyer
- The signed Cerfa 15776*03 transfer certificate by both parties (one copy each)
- The crossed-out registration certificate with the date, time, and signature of the seller
- The transfer code generated by the France Titres portal
- The valid technical inspection report
The buyer then has one month to request their new registration certificate. Without the transfer code or with an expired code, their request will be blocked, and it is the seller who will have to intervene to regularize the situation.
The online transfer declaration rarely takes more than ten minutes when the documents are ready. The real time saver is the preparation: up-to-date Cerfa, registration certificate on hand, verified technical inspection. The rest is just a form to fill out.