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Last updated: May 2026
France has been one of the UK’s most popular destinations for overseas movers for decades, the proximity, the lifestyle, and the range of regions mean it suits retirees, families, and professionals in equal measure. Since the UK left the European Union, the process of moving your belongings there has changed. The route is still straightforward, but it now involves customs steps that simply did not exist before January 2021.
This page explains what the removal process looks like now, what documents you need, and what your move manager handles from the first call to the final delivery.
Before 2021, moving from the UK to France was straightforward: your belongings crossed the border freely, with no customs declarations, import procedures, or duty considerations.
Since Brexit, two things now apply that did not before:
Your belongings require customs clearance on both sides. Moving from the UK (now a third country) to France (an EU member state) means your removal crosses a customs border in both directions. Your removal company files a UK export declaration before collection and a French import declaration on arrival. These are handled by your removal company and their French customs agent, but the documentation to support them must come from you.
You need valid residency documentation. To import your household goods duty and VAT-free under Transfer of Residence relief, you must be establishing permanent residency in France. That requires a long-stay visa or titre de séjour, and it needs to be in progress before your removal is booked.
Neither requirement is unmanageable. But the paperwork needs to be in the right order, and getting the sequence wrong creates delays.
UK citizens can visit France for up to 90 days without a visa. But to live there, which is what a removal represents, you need a Visa de Long Séjour avec validation (VLS-TS). This is applied for at the French consulate in the UK before you leave, via the France-Visas website.
The long-stay visa is one of the documents required to import your belongings duty-free. Start the application as soon as your move is confirmed, processing times vary and applying late compresses the timeline for everything that follows.
The titre de séjour is France’s residence permit. You apply for it after arriving in France, not before. For your removal, the long-stay visa plus proof of your French address is sufficient to support the customs import declaration, you do not need the titre de séjour in hand before your belongings leave the UK.
To clear your household goods through French customs (Direction générale des douanes et droits indirects, DGDDI), your removal company will prepare the import documentation with you. They need:
The inventory needs to be accurate and complete. French customs can inspect shipments, and an incomplete or incorrectly formatted inventory delays clearance. This is one of the areas where having an experienced move manager makes a direct practical difference.
Transfer of Residence (ToR) relief allows you to import your household goods into France without paying customs duty or French VAT (TVA), provided:
If these conditions are met, the import is duty and VAT-free. Standard French TVA is 20% if they are not. Your move manager will confirm eligibility with you before your removal is booked, this is not a detail to resolve at the customs stage.
Road freight is the standard method for UK to France removals. Your belongings travel by removal vehicle via the Channel Tunnel (Folkestone to Coquelles) or by ferry from Dover, Newhaven, or Portsmouth, depending on your UK location and French destination.
UK origin | French destination | Typical transit time |
Anywhere in UK | Normandy / Brittany | 1–2 days |
Anywhere in UK | Paris / Île-de-France | 2–3 days |
Anywhere in UK | Lyon / Bordeaux | 3–4 days |
Anywhere in UK | Provence / Côte d’Azur | 4–5 days |
Anywhere in UK | Corsica | 5–8 days (includes ferry from mainland) |
These are typical times for a dedicated vehicle. Groupage services, where your shipment shares a vehicle with other customers’ goods, take longer but cost significantly less for smaller moves. Your move manager can advise on whether groupage is the right option based on your volume and timeline.
Want to know what you can expect from our extensive moving services? Choose international removals from the UK to France that fit your budget and timeline, without the stress.
We only use premium materials and the latest techniques to ensure all of your belongings are safely sent to France. No matter the item, how fragile or expensive, we treat all with great care. Expect everything to arrive safely with our packing and wrapping services.
The biggest items in your home need an expert approach, which we can offer no matter the size. Let us know which furniture can be safely disassembled, if possible, and we’ll do our utmost to prepare them for shipping. Carefully wrapped and loaded, we’ll make sure they arrive exactly as you expect in your new home.
It can be a worry transporting delicate or expensive items across the world, which is why we understand that these need additional care and attention. We provide specialist packing that provides an extra layer of protection, keeping everything from valuable artworks to sentimental ornaments in perfect condition. Our careful, custom approach means you’ll have one less thing to worry about.
The perfect move ensures your whole life leaves one destination and arrives at the other without issue, and our door-to-door delivery service makes this happen. Leave the worry behind with international removals to France that take your move seriously, so you can seamlessly start building your new life without the hassle.
Unsure about complex customs forms and legal requirements? You can trust us to provide a lending hand to make this as simple as possible for you. Part of the service is making sure all of your paperwork is up to date and ready, so you can move to France without the worry and any unexpected delays.
Have items you need to put into secure storage? We have the solution with both short and long-term storage options available in the UK and France. This is ideal if you need some extra time before and after your move, so just let us know what you need.
If you are moving abroad it couldn’t be simpler. Your move with Gerson Moving Services is as easy as these 4 simple steps;
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Packing &
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Sea, Air or Road
Transport
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Unpacking
Gerson Moving Services handles full household removals to France, including furniture, appliances, clothing, books, artwork, and personal effects. We also arrange:
We are members of the British Association of Removers (BAR), the International Association of Movers (IAM), and hold FIDI FAIM accreditation, the international quality standard for removal companies.
From the point of your survey, a dedicated Gerson Moving Services move manager coordinates your removal to France. They cover the documentation sequence with you from the first call, not the week before your removal date. That means flagging the visa timeline early enough to act on it, preparing the inventory in the correct format for French customs, and coordinating with the receiving agent in France to ensure customs clearance is confirmed before your belongings arrive.
Your move manager remains your contact throughout. When your goods reach France, they track the shipment, liaise with the French customs agent, and keep you informed. You do not hand off to a different team when your removal crosses the Channel.
The France route is one of our most frequently run. It is straightforward when the paperwork is in order, and we have managed the specific complications, customs delays, storage during visa processing, part-load scheduling, often enough to plan around them.
Yes, for stays longer than 90 days. UK citizens need a Visa de Long Séjour (VLS-TS) applied for at the French consulate in the UK before leaving. You then apply for a titre de séjour after arriving in France. Your long-stay visa is required as part of the customs documentation for importing your household goods duty-free, apply as soon as your move is confirmed.
Not if you qualify for Transfer of Residence relief. The conditions are: 12 consecutive months UK residency, goods owned and used for at least six months, and items for personal use only. If these are met, the import is duty and VAT-free. Standard French TVA (20%) applies if they are not. Your move manager confirms eligibility before the removal is booked.
Passport, long-stay visa or titre de séjour reference, 12 months’ proof of UK residency, proof of French address, and a detailed inventory. Your move manager prepares the inventory and customs documents with you, the format matters and getting it right avoids delays at the border.
Typically 1 to 5 days by road depending on your French destination: Normandy and Brittany are the fastest at 1 to 2 days; the south of France and Côte d’Azur are 4 to 5 days. Corsica adds ferry time and typically takes 5 to 8 days in total. These are transit times for a dedicated vehicle; groupage takes longer.
Yes. The titre de séjour is applied for after arriving in France. What you need before your removal is a valid long-stay visa and a confirmed French address. These, combined with your UK residency history, support the customs import declaration for your household goods.
France is one of the most manageable international moves from the UK when the documentation is in order. The route is reliable, the transit times are short, and the customs process, while new, is straightforward with the right preparation. What requires attention is the visa sequence and the customs documentation, both of which your move manager handles with you from the first call. Get a quote for your move to France.
Real feedback from people who chose our international moving company.
“Relocating to France was a major step for us, but the entire move was handled smoothly and professionally. Communication was clear throughout, and everything arrived safely and on time. It made settling into our new home far easier than expected.”
“Our move to France was organised brilliantly from start to finish. The team managed every detail efficiently, kept us updated throughout the process, and ensured all our belongings arrived in perfect condition.”
“Moving to France felt overwhelming at first, but the support and professionalism we received made all the difference. The whole process was seamless, well managed, and completed exactly as promised.”
