Shipping and removals in France

Common services to look for in a shipper

• Pick-up of goods at your location

• Basic disassembly and reassembly of furniture

• Border clearance and customs formalities at the destination

• Professional wrapping of all wooden, metal and fabric furniture

• Export documents for household goods only

• Wooden crate lift van or palletising

• Preparing a professional inventory list

• Unloading of all items to destination residence, and setting all items per request

• Agent fees and NVOCC deconsolidation charges

• Removal of packing debris from destination resident

Most shippers will charge by the weight and/or volume of the items. Expats should be aware that shippers often tack on additional expenses for certain packing materials, handling and hoisting of excessively large items, as well as for certain processing requirements.

Expats are advised to purchase insurance from a company other than the shipping company used, thus ensuring reliable coverage for broken cargo. 

Shipping duty-free to France

Expats can ship used household goods and personal belongings duty free to France, provided the goods are more than six months old and they have lived outside the EU for more than a year. In order to do so though, expats must have proof of residency in France along with additional paperwork.

Because such stipulations are subject to change at short notice, expats are advised to check with the relevant government department for an up-to-date list of terms and requirements before shipping duty free to France.