Filling out a vehicle police book: example and useful information!

What is the purpose of a vehicle police book and how do I fill it in? If you're looking for an example of a completed vehicle police book, you've come to the right place.

As a professional seller of used cars, your business is subject to a number of rules, and keeping a motor vehicle police book is one of them.

This compulsory document, also known as the register of movable assets for used car dealers, records all your company's vehicle purchases and sales. It records all transactions, keeping track of the origin of the vehicles and their purchase price.

How do you fill in a vehicle police book? What legal fields should it contain? How do you manage a computerised police book using online software? Here are all the details you need to know to fill in this document accurately, with no more questions asked!

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How do you fill in a vehicle police book?

A police book is a document with a hard cover and a sturdy binding, the pages of which are irremovable and numbered. The pages are in the form of tables with fields that must be filled in scrupulously.

The rules for filling in the form are as follows

• the entries follow each other, without spaces, and with numbers in chronological order ;
• no blank pages are left;
• it must not be possible to delete information;
• no erasures.

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ℹ️ The police book must be able to be presented in due form to the inspector, i.e. it must be completed and fully up to date. In the event of an inspection by the authorities, it must be easily accessible at all times on the premises.

What information must be included?

For each entry, the mandatory information serves to guarantee the traceability of your used vehicle transactions.

It concerns the used vehicle, the seller, the buyer and the transaction:

Identification and description of the used vehicle

• the policy number (or registration number), in chronological order,
• the date the vehicle entered the fleet,
• the type of vehicle
• the make and model of the vehicle
• the colour of the vehicle,
• the year of registration
• odometer reading,
• its registration number,
• the type of vehicle registration document and VIN (serial number),
• country of origin.

Identification of the seller

In the case of a natural person or private individual :

• their surname,
• first name
• address
• identity document number.

In the case of a company :

• its name,
• contact details,
• its SIRET number.

Buyer identification

• surname
• first name
• address
• their identity document number.

Information about the transaction

• purchase price
• selling price
• method of payment,
• exit date,
• destination: sale, deposit/sale, etc.

ℹ️ There is no legal obligation to provide exit information, but it does provide greater transparency in the event of an inspection.

Example of a completed vehicle police book

To help you fill in your own register, here is an outline of a completed vehicle police book , including the mandatory fields to comply with current legislation:

Autocerfa

At a glance, you can see the vehicle's registration number, make and other features that distinguish it from another vehicle in the same category.

What you need to know: obligations and penalties

Obligations

• Have the register endorsed by your local police station, gendarmerie or town hall: it must be signed and initialled by the authorities before any information is entered;
• Precisely and unequivocally identify each used vehicle in your fleet that is the subject of a transaction;
• Each page must include the relevant legal texts .

☝️ The conditions under which a professional seller may buy and sell movable property are set out in law no. 87-962 of 30 November 1987 and decree no. 88-1040 of 14 November 1988.

Penalties

Failure to keep a police register may result in :

• fines of up to 30,000 euros ;
• imprisonment for up to 6 months.

How long must the register be kept?

The vehicle register must be kept for at least 5 years after the company closes, and must be kept in good condition.

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Software for keeping an electronic police book

Motor vehicle police book software ? It's ideal for keeping track of mandatory fields and making it easier to keep, saving time and reducing data entry errors!

Here are three programs to consider to simplify your task:

• Autocerfa: this online tool for used car dealers and resellers lets you manage your administrative documents, including your Cerfa forms and the computerised police book available in its ELITE version.
  
• KeplerVO: this software, a pioneer in computerised police book management, allows you to keep the document up to date and edit it in PDF format. Designed by automotive professionals, it facilitates and digitises all vehicle buying and selling activities.
  
• Spider VO: this all-in-one solution for car dealers and used-vehicle distributors has broad functional coverage and can generate and edit the computer policy book, the PDF version of which can be printed from any printer.

💡 Keeping a register drawn up by software is authorised, subject to the following conditions:

• the software used must ensure the chronology of entries with the numbering and date written on the pages, without the possibility of modification (or, if necessary, by creating a new computer record with an indication of its reason) ;
  
• the user must be able to prove the reliability of the system and present an up-to-date version in PDF or printed format at any time;
  
• the professional's activity must comply with the specifics of the RGPD regulations: to find out more, visit the CNIL website.

The tools presented are compliant and guarantee the integrity and security of the data they record.

We have provided you with the essentials for filling in and maintaining your police record book in compliance with the regulations. Are you switching to the digital version?

Updated article, originally published in March 2020.