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Road groupage or dedicated van · 4-7 days

Removals to France

France is our busiest European route, and the one where paperwork decides everything. Since Brexit a British household moving to France is importing goods into the EU, and the French customs service is thorough about it.

✓ One contract, one price, nationwide ✓ £50,000 goods in transit cover ✓ £2m public liability ✓ Companies House 15886470

What actually matters on this route

Certificat de changement de résidenceProof you are genuinely relocating. Usually obtained from your local mairie or consulate.
Detailed inventory in FrenchValued, itemised, signed. Vague lists get shipments held.
Six-month ruleGoods should have been owned and used for at least six months to qualify for duty relief.
Second homesMoving furniture to a maison secondaire is treated differently from a change of residence and relief may not apply. Tell us which it is.
Wine and alcoholPersonal quantities are usually fine; anything approaching a cellar needs declaring separately.
Customs documentationExport declaration and itemised packing list - £145, added once regardless of destination or volume, never folded into the cost of the vehicle.

Customs rules change. We confirm the current requirements for your date at survey rather than relying on what was true last year.

How the price is worked out

International moves are priced by volume, not by distance. What matters is how many cubic metres you fill and how the shipment travels - a container does not care whether it started in Abingdon or Aberdeen.

  • Survey first. We measure your load in cubic metres, on video or in person.
  • Shared or sole-use. Below roughly 24 m³ sharing is cheaper. Above it, a container of your own usually wins.
  • Route: Dover-Calais or the Tunnel.
  • Transit: 4-7 days, plus consolidation before and clearance after.
  • Export packing. Every shipment gets export-grade wrap and a customs inventory, itemised as its own line - about 18% added to the shipping cost for packing that has to survive a container and a long transit, not just a van down the road. Full details of our packing service are on its own page.

We are not VAT-registered, so there is no VAT to add to your shipping cost - the figure you see is the figure you pay.

Moving to the UK instead?

If you are bringing a household back to the UK, ask us about Transfer of Residence (ToR1) relief. Applied for correctly and in advance, it lets you import your own used belongings without paying UK duty or VAT. Applied for late, it does not. It is free to apply and we will point you at the form.

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Moving to France

How much does it cost to move to France from the UK?

A two-bedroom household is typically £2,900-£3,400 and a three-bedroom £4,175-£4,900, based on volume rather than distance. Tell us about your load, access and customs needs; our team will confirm your price.

Can you do a part-load to France?

Yes - groupage shares a vehicle with other consignments, which is much cheaper than a dedicated van and adds a few days.

Can I bring wine or a wine collection?

Personal quantities are usually fine to include in the shipment. Anything approaching a proper cellar needs declaring separately rather than folded into the general household inventory.

Other destinations

Where else we ship

IrelandSpainPortugalGermanythe NetherlandsItalySwitzerlandCyprusthe UAEthe USACanadaAustraliaNew Zealand

Request a quote for France

Tell us about your load. Our team will check the details and confirm an itemised price.

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