Household Removals to France: A Step-by-Step Checklist for UK Movers
Moving your household goods to France starts well before the removal vehicle arrives. You need to decide what to take, establish your customs position, choose a suitable transport service and make sure your belongings can reach the rooms where you want them.
For most households, the challenge is coordinating these decisions around property dates, travel plans and a realistic budget. A delayed key handover, an incomplete inventory or a staircase too narrow for your sofa can change the arrangements.
This guide explains how to prepare for household removals to France from the UK, with a practical checklist covering quotations, packing, customs documentation, transport, storage and delivery.
Who Is This Guide For?
This guide is intended for:
Individuals and families transferring their main home to France.
British residents relocating for work, retirement or family reasons.
French nationals returning after living in the UK.
People moving a smaller selection of furniture and personal belongings.
Homeowners sending goods to a second property in France.
Movers who may need storage between collection and delivery.
The customs information focuses on goods travelling from Great Britain to mainland France. Ask for route-specific advice if your goods are leaving Northern Ireland or travelling to a French overseas territory.
What Do Household Removals to France Involve?
A household removal typically involves a survey, an agreed quotation, packing, collection, customs arrangements, transport and delivery. Storage, unpacking and specialist handling may also be required.
Your written quotation should explain which services are included and what information you must provide.
Before booking, establish five things:
What is moving: the inventory and estimated packed volume.
Where it is going: the delivery address and access conditions.
When it is needed: your preferred dates and acceptable flexibility.
How it will travel: part-load or dedicated transport.
What must be prepared: customs documents, packing and any permissions.
These decisions work together. A small shipment with flexible delivery dates has different requirements from a full household that must leave its UK property on a fixed day.
Step 1: Build an Accurate Household Inventory
Start with a room-by-room list of everything you intend to move. Include belongings in the loft, garage, garden shed and any separate storage unit.
For larger items, record dimensions and whether they can be dismantled. For smaller belongings, estimate the number of cartons while making clear that the final quantity may change.
Your initial inventory should identify:
Sofas, armchairs, beds and mattresses.
Dining tables, chairs, wardrobes and cabinets.
Desks, shelving and home-office equipment.
Kitchenware, books, clothing and personal effects.
Mirrors, pictures, artwork and fragile ornaments.
Outdoor furniture, bicycles and tools.
Anything unusually heavy or valuable.
Decide what is worth taking
Compare the cost of moving an item with its usefulness, condition and replacement cost. Sentimental value also matters.
Measure your new home before committing to large furniture. Check entrances, stairs and landings as well as room dimensions.
Practical example: A wardrobe may fit comfortably in the bedroom but require dismantling to pass through the staircase. If it cannot be dismantled safely, alternative access needs assessing before collection.
Your action: Create a clear “moving”, “staying” and “undecided” list before the survey.
Step 2: Arrange a Survey and Confirm the Volume
A survey helps establish how much space the shipment needs and what resources are required to handle it.
During a video survey, show every area containing goods to be moved. Open cupboards where relevant and point out items that may not be obvious on camera.
Tell the surveyor about:
Items being added later.
Goods held at another address.
Fragile surfaces or existing damage.
Furniture requiring dismantling.
Heavy items needing additional labour.
Packing you intend to do yourself.
Why packed volume matters
The volume of a shipment is not simply the sum of the furniture’s external dimensions. Packing, protection and the way items can safely be loaded also affect space requirements.
Ask whether the quotation uses an estimated volume, an agreed allowance or a later measurement. Make sure you understand how a difference will be handled.
For reference, one cubic metre is approximately 35.3 cubic feet. This helps when comparing quotations expressed in different units, although volume alone does not determine the total cost.
Your action: Check that the quotation matches the latest inventory and ask how changes will be priced.
Step 3: Choose Between Part-Load and Dedicated Transport
Reloux offers part-load and dedicated transport for removals to France. Part-load combines shipments; dedicated transport allocates a vehicle to your move.
The right choice depends on the volume, your budget and how much flexibility you have.
Consideration | Part-load removals | Dedicated transport |
Vehicle arrangement | Space shared with other customers’ shipments | Vehicle allocated to your move |
Main cost advantage | Transport costs are shared | Can suit a larger shipment needing substantial vehicle capacity |
Scheduling | Collection and delivery fit a combined route | More scope to organise transport around your requirements |
Best fit | Smaller shipments and flexible schedules | Larger moves or closer scheduling requirements |
What to ask | How consolidation affects the delivery window | What timing and vehicle capacity are included |
Key limitation | Less control over the overall route | Higher cost may be difficult to justify for a small shipment |
Does dedicated transport guarantee a delivery date?
A dedicated vehicle gives more scheduling flexibility, but a preferred date should only be treated as confirmed to the extent stated in your written agreement.
Customs clearance, transport disruption and property access can still affect the move.
Your action: Tell your mover which dates are essential and which are preferences. Ask for the proposed arrangements in writing.
Step 4: Understand What Affects the Cost
There is no single reliable price for household removals to France. Two households with the same number of bedrooms may have very different volumes, access requirements and service needs.
The main cost considerations include:
Shipment size
More goods generally require more packing materials, labour and vehicle space. Reducing unwanted items before the survey can help establish a more useful quotation.
Collection and delivery locations
Provide full postcodes where possible. If your French address is not confirmed, explain the likely area and request clarification of the assumptions used.
Packing requirements
A shipment of robust furniture and cartons needs different preparation from one containing large mirrors, fragile cabinets or stone surfaces.
Access
Stairs, long carrying distances, restricted parking, shuttle vehicles and specialist lifting can affect the work involved.
Transport and timing
Ask for both transport options where appropriate. Explain any fixed collection deadline or limited availability at the destination.
Storage and additional handling
Storage may involve separate receiving, handling, release and onward-delivery charges.
Customs charges and protection
Confirm how customs clearance services, any applicable duties or taxes, and optional protection are treated in the quotation.
Your action: Compare the complete service and its assumptions, rather than comparing only the headline total.
Step 5: Establish Your French Customs Position
Used household goods are not automatically exempt from import charges. Your circumstances and the eligibility of the goods matter.
For a normal transfer of main residence, French Customs generally requires at least 12 months’ residence outside the EU and at least six months’ private use of the belongings before the move. Relevant origin-country customs or tax charges must have been paid.
Goods must normally be imported within 12 months of the residence transfer. Restrictions also apply to selling, lending, renting or otherwise disposing of exempt goods during the first 12 months after entry.
What if you are furnishing a second home?
The transfer-of-residence exemption does not apply simply because you own a French property or the furniture is second-hand. Goods for a second home require separate assessment for applicable duties and taxes.
Avoid applying a single assumed percentage to the whole shipment; request an assessment based on the goods and their declared values.
Your action: Explain your residence circumstances before booking and consult the French Customs guidance on transferring your main residence.
Step 6: Prepare the Customs Documents
Service-Public lists a detailed, valued, dated and signed inventory in two copies, evidence of previous residence outside the EU and settlement in France, and the completed Cerfa 10070 declaration.
For staged imports, the initial inventory must identify all goods for which relief is requested.
Ask your customs representative for the precise checklist applicable to your shipment. They may also request identification, authority to act on your behalf and supporting documents in a particular format.
Keep your documents consistent
Check that names, addresses and shipment details match across the paperwork. Flag any differences, such as documents issued in a spouse’s name, before submission.
Keep customs and protection valuations clearly identified. Ask which valuation basis applies to each; do not automatically copy one figure into every form.
The Service-Public guide to moving belongings to France provides a useful official reference.
Your action: Submit clear copies by the agreed deadline and ask whether anything remains outstanding.
Step 7: Check Special Items Before Packing
Do not assume that everything in your home can travel under ordinary household arrangements.
French guidance identifies categories that may need prior authorisation, including certain cultural goods, weapons, plants, animals and medicines. Alcohol, tobacco and some professional goods are outside the normal household exemption.
Separately, ask your mover about its own acceptance rules for:
Batteries and battery-powered equipment.
Paint, fuel, solvents and aerosols.
Food and liquids.
High-value collections.
Commercial stock or goods intended for sale.
Carrier rules and customs rules are separate checks. Acceptance by one does not automatically satisfy the other.
Your action: Send a list of unusual items before packing and obtain instructions on anything needing separate arrangements.
Step 8: Compare Quotations Like for Like
Use the same inventory and access information when requesting prices.
Quotation item | What to confirm | Why it matters |
Shipment volume | Allowance, measurement method and changes | Extra goods may alter the price |
Packing | Labour, materials and specialist protection | “Packing included” may have limits |
Dismantling | Exact furniture covered | Complex items may need specialist work |
Customs service | Declarations and representation included | Clearance fees differ from duties and taxes |
Delivery access | Floors, lift, parking and carrying distance | Additional labour or equipment may be required |
Unpacking | Furniture unwrapping or carton unpacking | These are different service levels |
Reassembly | Items included and any exclusions | Not every item can be rebuilt by a standard crew |
Storage | Rate, minimum period and handling | Weekly rent is only part of the total |
Protection | Terms, valuation, excess and exclusions | Cover must suit the shipment |
Payment and changes | Due dates and amendment terms | These affect your booking commitments |
Reloux’s published terms refer to the written service agreement and require accurate move information and documentation. Confirm the applicable terms with your quotation.
Your action: Resolve exclusions and unclear wording before accepting.
Step 9: Assess Delivery Access in France
The delivery postcode does not tell the whole story. Your mover needs to understand the route from the vehicle to the final room.
City apartments
For an apartment in Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux or another city, provide:
Floor level and whether a lift is available.
Lift-door and cabin dimensions.
Staircase width and tight turns.
Entrance and courtyard details.
Available parking and carrying distance.
Building rules affecting deliveries.
Confirm any necessary arrangements with the building management or concierge. Do not assume the removal company will organise building permissions unless this is explicitly agreed.
Village and countryside properties
For a rural home, send photographs or video of the approach, including narrow lanes, gates, overhead obstructions and turning space.
Check whether a large vehicle can reach and leave the property safely.
When a shuttle vehicle may be needed
A shuttle transfers goods between the main removal vehicle and a property that it cannot reach directly. It adds handling and may affect cost and timing.
Your action: Have access assessed before dispatch and ask for any additional arrangements to be priced.
Step 10: Agree Packing and Move Protection
Agree who will pack each category of goods and whether any items need bespoke protection.
If you are packing cartons yourself:
Use suitable boxes and packing materials.
Avoid making cartons too heavy.
Label them clearly by room and contents.
Ask whether they must remain open for checking.
Confirm how owner-packed contents are treated under the protection terms.
Photograph fragile or valuable items before collection, including existing marks. Keep purchase records or supporting valuations where available.
Reloux offers MoveProtect and requests a completed valuation form. Confirm the terms, cost, excess and exclusions before the move.
Your action: Complete packing and protection decisions before collection day.
Step 11: Plan Storage if Your Dates Do Not Align
Storage can help if you must leave the UK before your French home is ready.
Request the full cost of the proposed arrangement, including collection, storage, handling, release and final delivery.
UK storage
Ask whether your belongings can remain in the UK until your French address and receiving date are confirmed. Establish the notice required to schedule onward transport.
Storage in France
If the goods will already be in France, ask about availability, handling, local delivery and how much notice is needed.
The best option depends on the whole route and timetable. Comparing weekly storage rates alone can miss significant differences.
Your action: Agree a contingency before your property dates become urgent.
Step 12: Prepare for Collection and Delivery
Before collection
Keep passports, medication, keys, jewellery and essential travel items separate from the shipment.
Identify goods that are staying behind, clear safe working routes and confirm how the crew will gain access.
Walk through the property with the crew, then check cupboards, storage areas and outside spaces before departure.
Before delivery
Provide a working local telephone number and confirm who will receive the goods.
Prepare a room plan so furniture can be placed correctly. Ensure the property is accessible and ready for the work agreed.
During delivery
Check items against the inventory where practical. Record visible damage or missing items accurately and notify your move coordinator promptly.
Follow the claims procedure and deadlines in your contract and protection terms.
Your action: Keep the inventory, contact details and delivery instructions available throughout the move.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Adding goods without updating the quotation
A few extra pieces may affect volume, packing and documentation. Send the revised list before collection.
Treating an estimated delivery window as a fixed appointment
Clarify what is confirmed before arranging time off, contractors or other commitments.
Waiting until collection to mention difficult access
A narrow staircase or restricted road may require advance planning.
Assuming every service is included
Unpacking, reassembly, specialist lifting and packaging removal should be described clearly.
Sending documents without checking them
Missing signatures, unclear scans and inconsistent details can create avoidable follow-up work.
Choosing storage on weekly price alone
Compare handling and onward transport as well as the storage charge.
Frequently Asked Questions About Household Removals to France
How much does it cost to move household goods from the UK to France?
The cost depends on volume, addresses, packing, access, transport type and any additional services. Request a survey and an itemised quotation.
Ask what could change the final price, including extra goods, revised addresses, storage or access requirements that were not disclosed initially.
How long do removals to France take?
Request an estimate specific to your route and service. Clarify whether it runs from collection, warehouse receipt or dispatch.
Part-load scheduling may include time to combine shipments. Dedicated transport allows closer scheduling, but the agreed arrangements still need to account for clearance and operational conditions.
Is part-load transport suitable for a small household move?
It is worth comparing if you are moving a smaller volume and have flexibility over delivery. Ask about the minimum charge and the expected delivery window.
For a time-sensitive move, compare the cost of dedicated transport against the practical cost of waiting for your belongings.
Is there a minimum charge?
Ask for the minimum applicable to your route and service. A small shipment still requires collection, handling, administration and delivery, so its cost will not necessarily fall in direct proportion to its volume.
Are customs clearance and import taxes the same thing?
No. Clearance is the process of declaring and releasing the goods; duties and taxes are potential charges on the import.
Ask your mover to identify which clearance services are included and how any assessed import charges would be paid.
Can I send newly purchased furniture?
Declare it separately and provide purchase details. Ask the customs representative to assess eligibility and any charges before dispatch; newly purchased goods should not automatically be treated like long-used household effects.
Can I move my belongings in two shipments?
Discuss this before the first shipment. Each collection needs its own transport arrangements, and the overall customs plan must account for both.
Keep a clear record of which items are included in each load.
Can I move goods directly from a UK storage unit?
Provide the storage address, access hours, loading arrangements and an inventory. Explain whether the goods can be inspected and whether any repacking is required.
Ask how existing packaging affects handling and protection options.
What if my French address changes after booking?
Notify your mover immediately. A nearby address may still have different access requirements, while a move to another area can change the transport arrangements.
Request confirmation of the revised price and timing before proceeding.
Can I pack my own boxes?
Ask your mover before starting. Agree the materials, labelling and inspection requirements, and check any limitations applying to owner-packed contents.
Professional packing may be particularly useful for fragile or difficult items.
Are beds and dining tables dismantled and reassembled?
Ask for these items to be listed in the agreed scope. Explain unusual construction or previous repairs.
Fitted furniture, complex wardrobes and items requiring specialist installation should be assessed separately.
Is insurance or MoveProtect automatically included?
Do not assume comprehensive protection is included in the transport price. Check the written cover, valuation requirements, excess and exclusions.
Ask about fragile items, high-value belongings and owner-packed cartons before accepting the arrangements.
Can delivery be guaranteed for a specific date?
Discuss the date before booking. Explain whether it is essential or preferred and ask what the mover can commit to in writing.
Dedicated transport may offer more flexibility, but a date should not be treated as guaranteed unless the agreement expressly provides for it.
What happens if my French home is not ready?
Contact the move coordinator as soon as possible. Ask whether dispatch can be adjusted or storage arranged, and obtain the associated charges.
Early notice gives more time to assess available options.
Your Final Household Removals Checklist
Before collection, confirm that you have:
An agreed inventory and volume basis.
A written quotation covering the services required.
Clear collection arrangements and a realistic delivery window.
The required customs documents submitted for checking.
Packing instructions and special-item approvals.
Property access and parking arrangements confirmed.
Any storage arrangements agreed.
Protection terms reviewed and valuations completed.
Essentials separated from the shipment.
Contact details for your move coordinator and receiving person.
Planning Your Move to France with Reloux
A well-prepared move begins with clear information: what you are taking, where it is going and how your dates fit together.
Reloux provides removals to France from the UK, with options covering packing, part-load or dedicated transport, customs support, storage and delivery. The services and availability for your move should be confirmed in your quotation.
To start planning, share your collection postcode, French destination, preferred dates and an initial inventory. A survey can then help establish the volume, access requirements and suitable transport options.
