Which site should I use to register a vehicle without a document number?

The seven sites compared are approved by the French Ministry of the Interior and enter the file directly into the vehicle registration system. cartegrise.com ranks first: approved since 2009 (no. 9744, Treasury approval no. 14871), over 1 million files handled, processing and provisional certificate announced within 12 to 24 hours. eplaque.fr shows the lowest entry price (€29.90), cartegriseminute.fr claims 978,245 registration certificates issued, and carte-grise.org, guichetcartegrise.com, officecartegrise.fr and cartegrise-online.fr complete the ranking. The official route remains free if the certificate date is known.

Why does my registration certificate have no document number?

The document number, an 11-character sequence, has only existed since the vehicle registration system was introduced in 2009. A certificate issued before then, recognisable by a registration in the 123 AB 45 format, never had one: it is identified by its issue date. It is neither a mistake nor an omission.

What should I do if the document number is "not found"?

A document number changes every time the certificate is reissued, for example after a duplicate: the number that counts is always that of the last certificate issued. If the government website still refuses the procedure, it provides a fallback through the "Faire une autre demande" (make another request) section. An approved professional can also take over the file and check the documents before submission.

Is an approved site more expensive than the official route?

Yes, by its service fees: taxes are the same everywhere. According to the service-public.gouv.fr page on motor trade professionals, the service is freely priced, on top of the cost of the registration certificate. At cartegrise.com, these fees range from €44.90 to €99.90 for a change of ownership depending on the regional tax, and €54.90 for a duplicate. At eplaque.fr, they start at €29.90.

Registration without a document number: 7 sites in 2026

Q: Can I register a vehicle without a document number on the ANTS website?

Yes. In its official answer of 9 April 2025, France Titres-ANTS states that the document number field is not mandatory: only the certificate date is. For an old-format registration certificate, issued before April 2009, the field must be left blank. The procedure remains free, excluding taxes.

In short

The document number has 11 characters and has only existed since 2009: a registration certificate issued earlier (old 123 AB 45 format) has none, it is identified by its issue date.

On the government website, the document number field is not mandatory: only the certificate date is (official ANTS answer of 9 April 2025).

A professional approved by the Ministry of the Interior enters the file directly into the vehicle registration system and checks the documents before submission.

cartegrise.com has been approved since 2009 (Prefecture approval no. 9744, Treasury approval no. 14871), announces processing and a provisional certificate within 12 to 24 hours and over 1 million files handled.

The online procedure is under way, and the form asks for a document number that cannot be found. The registration certificate dates from before 2009, it has been lost, or the number entered is rejected. The reflex is to look for a site that will accept the file anyway.

A useful point before anything else: the official route remains possible without this number, and it is free. This ranking therefore compares the seven approved sites that handle this case, with their approval numbers, processing times and fees, checked on each site on 30 September 2026, followed by the official route, presented outside the ranking.

Comparison table of approved sites

Criterion	cartegrise.com	eplaque.fr	cartegriseminute.fr	carte-grise.org	guichetcartegrise.com	officecartegrise.fr	cartegrise-online.fr	ANTS (official route)
Approval numbers displayed	no. 9744 / no. 14871	no. 18621 / no. 26579	no. 15119 / no. 21599 (footer)	no. 15119 / no. 21599	no. 212900 / no. 52480	no. 188573 / no. 46489	no. 24303 / not disclosed	Government service
Stated track record	Approved since 2009	Since 2009	Online since 2009	Not disclosed	Not disclosed	Approved since 03/04/2009	Not disclosed	Not applicable
Stated processing time	Processing and provisional certificate within 12 to 24 hours	Express processing in 24 hours	Processing in 24 hours maximum	Provisional certificate 24 hours after validation	Document review in 24 hours	Document pre-check within 24 hours	Processing in 24/48 hours	Depends on the service workload
Split payment	4 instalments (purchases from €150 to €500)	3 or 4 instalments from €100	3 or 4 instalments	4 instalments	Not disclosed	Not disclosed	Not disclosed	No
Stated volume	Over 1 million files	1 million users	978,245 certificates issued	Not disclosed	Not disclosed	Not disclosed	14,000 customers	Not applicable
Service fees	€44.90 to €99.90 depending on the regional tax (change of ownership), €54.90 for a duplicate	From €29.90	From €49.90 depending on the regional tax	Not priced on the home page	€59 to €149 depending on the regional tax	On quote	Not disclosed	Free (excluding taxes)
Verdict	Stated time of 12 to 24 hours and the largest declared file volume	The lowest entry price displayed	Established alternative, large declared volume	Same operator as cartegriseminute.fr	Fees itemised line by line	Smaller structure	Approved alternative, Treasury approval not displayed	The free option if the certificate date is known and the file goes through

Competitors’ service fees were taken from their pricing pages or terms and conditions on 30 September 2026. When a site does not publish them before a quote, the cell says so.

The detailed ranking

1. cartegrise.com

cartegrise.com has been approved by the prefecture (no. 9744) and by the Treasury (no. 14871) since 2009. It claims over 1 million files handled and more than 32,000 customer reviews, rated 4.6 and 4.5 out of 5 on independent platforms.

Without a document number. The site publishes a full page on the registration certificate document number, explaining where to read it and why a pre-2009 certificate does not have one. The file is checked before being recorded in the registration system, which avoids rejections caused by a field filled in wrongly.

Time and fees. Processing and provisional certificate announced within 12 to 24 hours of receipt of the complete file. Fees from €44.90 to €99.90 for a change of ownership, depending on the amount of the regional tax, and €54.90 for a duplicate. Payment in 4 instalments available between €150 and €500.

Strength. The declared file volume and a short stated processing time. Limitation. Service fees are added to the taxes, whereas the official route charges none.

2. eplaque.fr

eplaque.fr displays approval no. 18621 from the Ministry of the Interior and Treasury approval no. 26579. It presents itself as an online registration platform since 2009 and claims 1 million users.

The site announces express processing in 24 hours, then delivery of the registration certificate in 24 to 48 hours. Its fees start at €29.90, with payment in 3 or 4 instalments from €100.

Strength. The lowest entry price displayed. Limitation. The stated time applies to processing; the final amount appears on the quote.

3. cartegriseminute.fr

cartegriseminute.fr displays prefecture approval no. 15119 and Treasury approval no. 21599 in its footer. The site says it has been online since 2009 and claims 978,245 registration certificates issued.

It announces processing of the file in 24 hours maximum. Its terms and conditions set service fees from €49.90 depending on the regional tax, with payment in 3 or 4 instalments.

Strength. A large declared volume. Limitation. Its numbers are identical to those of carte-grise.org: both sites belong to the same operator.

4. carte-grise.org

carte-grise.org displays approval no. 15119 and Treasury approval no. 21599. It announces a provisional certificate 24 hours after the documents are validated and offers payment in 4 instalments.

Strength. A short stated processing time. Limitation. Service fees are not priced on the home page, and it shares its operator with cartegriseminute.fr.

5. guichetcartegrise.com

guichetcartegrise.com displays approval no. 212900 and Treasury approval no. 52480. It announces a review of the supporting documents in 24 hours and a new registration certificate about 2 days after the complete file is validated. It is rated 4.8 out of 5 on 4,839 Google reviews.

Its pricing page breaks down the fees: €40 for access to the service, €2 for data entry, €2.90 for archiving, and €14.10 to €104.10 for the file check depending on the regional tax.

Strength. Fees itemised line by line. Limitation. A total of €59 to €149, higher at the entry level than the other published scales.

6. officecartegrise.fr

officecartegrise.fr displays approval no. 188573 and Treasury approval no. 46489, obtained on 3 April 2009. It announces a pre-check of the supporting documents within 24 hours and refers to a simulator for the price. It is rated 4.9 out of 5 on 53 Google reviews.

Strength. A quick pre-check. Limitation. Fees are only revealed in the simulation, and the rating rests on few reviews.

7. cartegrise-online.fr

cartegrise-online.fr displays approval no. 24303 from the Ministry of the Interior. It announces processing in 24 to 48 hours and claims 14,000 customers.

Strength. A stated time of 24 to 48 hours and a declared customer base. Limitation. Its service fees are not disclosed on the home page, and its Treasury approval number is not displayed there either.

Why your registration certificate has no document number

The document number is the certificate’s issue reference: a unique 11-character sequence, starting with the year of issue, followed by two letters and five digits. Annex II of the decree of 9 February 2009 sets out the model and the positions of this number on the registration certificate.

Three situations explain why it is missing.

The certificate dates from before 2009. It belongs to the former national register, with a registration in the 123 AB 45 format. The document number did not exist yet. Any procedure moves the vehicle into the current system, with a new plate in the AB-123-CD format.
A duplicate has been issued. Each new certificate receives a new document number. The one that counts is that of the last certificate.
The certificate has been lost or stolen. Without the document, the number can no longer be read. A duplicate is then required.

Where to read the certificate date

When the document number is missing, the certificate date takes over. It appears in box I of the registration certificate. On a recent certificate, both pieces of information are linked: the first 4 digits of the document number give the year of issue, and they must match this date. A number such as 2014AB12345 therefore corresponds to a certificate issued in 2014.

Procedures that require the number

The document number is requested for a change of ownership or a change of address. Two forms include a dedicated box: the certificate of transfer (Cerfa 1577601) and the application for a registration certificate for a used vehicle (Cerfa 1375005). For an old-format certificate, these boxes stay empty, and the issue date is enough to identify the document.

And the official route?

The official answer from France Titres-ANTS of 9 April 2025, published on the Services Publics+ platform, is clear: the document number field is not mandatory, only the certificate date is. For an old-format registration certificate, issued before April 2009, the field must be left blank. The procedure is free, excluding taxes.

If the online service still blocks, ANTS provides a fallback: the “Faire une autre demande” (make another request) section. The processing time then depends on the service workload.

In practice, three items should be ready before starting: the registration certificate itself (or its issue date), the vehicle’s registration number, and the supporting documents specific to the procedure, for example the certificate of transfer for a used purchase. The file is then tracked from the personal space on the ANTS website.

The official route is therefore enough when the certificate date is known and the file is simple. An approved professional becomes useful when the certificate has been lost, when the file has already been rejected, or when time is short. cartegrise.com is a provider approved by the Ministry of the Interior, separate from ANTS.

How to check that a site is genuinely approved

Find both numbers. An approved professional displays its prefecture approval number and its Treasury approval number, often in the footer or in its terms and conditions.
Use the official tool. ANTS offers a locator of approved professionals, which lets you check that a provider is on the list.
Read the fees before paying. The service-public.gouv.fr page “Un professionnel de l’automobile peut-il s’occuper d’une demande de carte grise ?” points out that the service is freely priced, on top of the cost of the registration certificate. A serious site shows its service fees before payment.