Moving to France from abroad: customs, duty relief, lead times, quotes, pets and the car
An international move is not a matter of boxes: it is first a customs file, which opens or closes a relief from duties and taxes, then a transit calendar that is always underestimated. This guide says what customs expect, what a serious quote contains, and what Home Select organises with a mover used to arrivals from abroad.
By Jean Mascla, founder of Home SelectUpdated · 13 min read
What is an international move, in customs terms?
A transfer of normal residence, not a mere transport of boxes. The distinction is not one of vocabulary: it is what opens or closes the relief on duties and taxes for your personal belongings. Shipping furniture to a second home is not a move in customs terms, and that furniture is taxable.
Three situations, and their customs treatment
Your situation
The treatment
What to produce
You transfer your residence from a third country
Relief from duties and taxes on personal belongings
Declaration of transfer of residence and valued inventory
You come from another Union Member State
No customs and no relief: free movement applies
Nothing for goods, a tax clearance for a vehicle
You equip a second home without settling
Ordinary importation, duties and value added tax due
A standard import declaration
How does a move to France unfold?
In five stages, the first of which decides all the others: the inventory. It is the basis for the quote, the declaration of value, the customs declaration and, on the day of a dispute, the proof of what was shipped. A sloppy inventory is paid for at each of those four points.
The technical survey and the inventory: volume, access, fragile or valuable items, and what will stay behind. Done on site or by video call, never on a phone estimate.
The quote and the declaration of value: the quote states the price, the declaration of value states what the carrier owes if everything disappears. The two are read together.
The customs file, from a third country: valued inventory, declaration of transfer of residence, evidence of the former and the new address.
Collection and transport: packing, loading, carriage, with a lead time that depends on the mode chosen far more than on distance.
Delivery: item-by-item check against the inventory, written and precise reservations on the delivery document, and confirmation by registered letter within ten days.
On what conditions do you obtain relief from duties and taxes?
Three, set by community regulation 1186/2009, and all three are checked: meeting two is not enough. They bear on you, on how long you have owned the goods, and on what you will do with them after arrival.
The three conditions, and how each is evidenced
The condition
What it requires
What evidences it
Transfer of normal residence
Genuinely leaving your country to settle in France
Deregistration or consular certificate, lease or deed, employment contract
Prior ownership of the goods
Having owned them at least six months before departure
The valued inventory, and invoices for recent items
Non-disposal after arrival
Not selling or lending them for twelve months
A signed undertaking, and a possible check during that period
What does the cost of a move depend on, and what doubles it?
On volume and mode of transport, in that order, and far less on distance than people think. Two items escape that logic, however, and blow budgets: access, which appears on no quote drawn without a survey, and the packing formula chosen.
What weighs in the price, and by how much
The factor
Its effect
What controls it
The volume carried
The first factor, proportional
Sorting before getting a quote, never after
The mode: shared sea, dedicated sea, road, air
From single to multiple, and it governs the lead time
Deciding early between cost and arrival date
Access at both ends
The most underestimated item: no lift, narrow street, furniture hoist
The technical survey, on site or by video call
The packing formula
From plain carriage to full packing of fragile items
Choosing full packing only for the items that deserve it
The declaration of value
It raises the price and sets the compensation
Calibrating it on real value, neither above nor below
How long does it take, and what stretches the transit?
From a few days to several months depending on the mode chosen, and the mode is chosen well before collection. Shared sea freight, the cheapest, is also the one with the least firm arrival date: the container leaves when it is full.
The modes, their lead times and what makes them uncertain
The mode
Usual lead time
What stretches it
Road, from within Europe
A few days to two weeks
Access, and the summer peak season
Air
One to two weeks
The cost, which confines it to small volumes
Sea, dedicated container
Four to eight weeks depending on origin
Customs clearance on arrival if the file is incomplete
Shared sea freight
Six weeks to three months
Waiting for the container to fill, beyond control
What changes depending on whether you come from the Union or elsewhere?
The whole customs side, and nothing of the transport side. From another Member State there is no declaration, no relief to claim and no valued inventory to produce: free movement of goods applies and your furniture travels as if it were changing region. From a third country, the entire customs file is added to the move.
Union or third country: what is added
The point
From the Union
From a third country
Customs declaration
None
Compulsory, with a valued inventory
Relief from duties and taxes
Not applicable: nothing is due
To be claimed, under the regulation’s three conditions
Personal vehicle
Tax clearance then registration within the month
Customs clearance, then clearance and registration
Pet
Electronic identification and European passport
Same rules, plus the origin country’s health requirements
What should be checked in a moving quote?
Not the price first, but what the price covers, because two quotes at the same amount can carry very different commitments. Five lines decide what happens in case of breakage, delay or impossible access, and none of the five is the total at the bottom.
The five lines that genuinely commit
To read
What to look for
The declaration of value
The real compensation ceiling, and the per-item ceiling, often much lower
The packing formula
Who packs what: an item packed by you is almost never covered
The access conditions allowed for
Floor, lift, carrying distance, hoist: what is missing will be charged extra
The lead time and its nature
A firm date or an indicative range, which do not commit alike
Any storage
Who charges it, from when, and who insures during that time
Honfleur, Normandie
What risks does an international move carry?
Three, and none of them is breakage, the only one people think of. Breakage is anticipated, priced and compensable. The three real risks are a refused customs file, compensation capped well below value, and an expired claim period.
The three real risks, and what holds them
The risk
What it costs
What holds it
Relief refused on arrival
Duties and value added tax on the whole load, plus storage charges
A complete file BEFORE shipping, never during
Capped compensation
The gap between real value and the ceiling, at your expense
A calibrated declaration of value, and valuables listed
Late or vague claim
No remedy, even on obvious damage
Precise reservations on delivery, confirmed within ten days
How do you build the relief file, document by document?
Before shipping, never during. A container arriving with an incomplete file does not leave again: it waits in a warehouse, at the consignee’s cost, until the missing documents are produced. This is the most avoidable expense of the whole move.
The valued inventory, in French or translated, listing each lot with an honest value: it is the key document, and the one that also serves in a dispute with the carrier.
Proof of the residence left behind: consular certificate, deregistration, or any official document from the country of departure.
Proof of the residence taken up in France: title deed, lease, or employment contract depending on your situation.
The undertaking not to dispose of the goods for twelve months, signed by your own hand.
An identity document and, where applicable, the residence permit or visa on which your settling rests.
How do you move a pet to France?
With three documents and a calendar, and it is the calendar that causes trouble: some health requirements involve a waiting period after vaccination, which can delay the animal’s departure by weeks compared to yours. This step is started first, not last.
The three requirements, and when to start them
The requirement
What it involves
When
Electronic identification
A chip meeting the international standard, readable in France
First: everything else attaches to it
Valid rabies vaccination
A first vaccination after identification, never before
Several weeks before departure
The passport or health certificate
A European passport from within the Union, a certificate from a third country
Once identification and vaccination are in order
Should you ship your car, and on what conditions?
Rarely, and the question turns on two points unrelated to transport: the vehicle’s conformity with European standards, and which side the steering is on. A non-conforming vehicle must be modified, sometimes heavily, and that expense often exceeds its value.
The steps for an imported vehicle, in order
Rank
The step
What it involves
1
Check European conformity
A certificate of conformity, or individual type approval
2
Clear customs, from a third country
The import declaration, with or without relief
3
Obtain the tax clearance
It precedes registration and cannot be obtained after
4
Register
Within the month of acquisition or import
5
Insure
No French insurer covers an unregistered vehicle for long
Which mistakes cost the most in a move?
They come down to two families: having built the customs file after shipping instead of before, and having read the quote on its total instead of its commitments. Both are corrected upstream and can no longer be corrected afterwards.
Six mistakes, and what they cost
The mistake
What it costs
Shipping before the relief file is complete
Duties and taxes on the whole load, plus storage while waiting
Getting a quote with no technical survey
A surcharge on collection day, for access never seen
Writing "subject to unpacking" on delivery
No remedy: the wording has been held insufficient
Missing the ten days to confirm reservations
The right to compensation lapses, even on obvious damage
Packing yourself what matters
An item packed by you is almost never covered by the carrier
Vaccinating the pet before identifying it
The vaccination is not recognised, and departure slips by weeks
What Home Select organises for your move
The move comes after the keys, but it is prepared during the search: the date of the deed sets the delivery date, and the customs file is built before departure, not on arrival. Home Select keeps that calendar with you.
We introduce you to an international mover used to France and to your country of departure, who quotes on an inventory, assembles the relief file and follows the transit. Transport, customs and the insurance of your belongings are their responsibility.
Frequently asked questions
Can you import your furniture into France without paying duties?
Yes, if you come from a country outside the European Union and three conditions of community regulation 1186/2009 are met together: genuinely transferring your normal residence to France, having owned the goods for at least six months before departure, and not disposing of them for the twelve months that follow. The relief is not automatic, it requires a declaration of transfer of residence and a valued inventory. From another Member State the question does not arise: free movement applies.
Does equipping a second home qualify for the relief?
No, and this is what most surprises buyers who keep their residence abroad. The relief supposes a transfer of normal residence; shipping furniture to a house you spend a few weeks a year in is an ordinary importation, subject to duties and value added tax. On ordinary furniture from another continent, buying it in France is almost always cheaper than shipping it.
What do you do if items arrive broken or missing?
Record written and PRECISE reservations on the delivery document, then confirm them by registered letter within ten days of delivery, under article L133-3 of the Commercial Code. Precision decides everything: "box 14 crushed, crockery broken" protects, "subject to unpacking" has been held insufficient and protects nothing. After ten days the right to compensation lapses, even on obvious damage.
How do you move a dog or a cat to France?
With three documents, and above all in the right order: electronic identification first, rabies vaccination next, European passport or health certificate last. The order is a rule and not a convenience, a vaccination given before identification not being recognised. It is the most frequent mistake, and the only one that can make an animal travel weeks after its family, since everything must start again, waiting period included.
How long does a sea container take to arrive?
Four to eight weeks in a dedicated container, six weeks to three months in shared freight, depending on origin. Shared freight is the cheapest and the least firm on dates, since the container leaves when it is full. So plan for living through the transit: documents, bedding and minimal crockery travel with you as accompanied baggage, never in the container, because they are your real equipment for weeks.
Do you organise international removals?
We scope your project end to end, then point you to a specialist partner remover: sea, air or road transport depending on volume and country, customs clearance, transit insurance and delivery to your French address.
How does a removal work when I already live abroad?
Everything is managed remotely: a technical survey by video or through a local partner to assess volume, a written quote, dates aligned with your travel. On the day, one of our staff can attend delivery to receive on your behalf and check the condition of the furniture.
What about customs clearance for my furniture?
Moving home to France can qualify for duty relief on long-held personal belongings, with proof. The transport partner prepares the documents (detailed inventory, proof of residence) and handles customs formalities for you.
And for a purely French removal?
Same coordination: truck, carrying crew, optional packing and reassembly, insurance. For a flat in a co-owned building, we first check the building’s rules: time slots, lift booking, management’s authorisation.
How is the removal priced?
By quote, after the technical survey: volume, distance, access, packing services and insurance.
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