Shipping and Removals in France
Expats will find shipping to France a fairly painless affair. The nation has plenty of ports - the largest of which are Marseilles and Le Havre - a high density rail system and is home to one of the largest and most-well known international airports on the planet, Charles de Gaulle.
It follows that expats can choose to ship by sea, by air or by land; there are plenty of service providers who can help to ship goods from door-to-door, or who can simply rather take responsibility for a piece of the process.
Still, despite the apparent ease of sending goods abroad, expats should note that shipping is expensive, and it’s often the case that you can purchase new or used household good upon arrival for less, or can find furnished accommodation available in your destination.
Shipping costs are calculated based on volume, method of delivery and distance of the delivery.
Those who’d rather leave this earth than leave their bedroom furniture, however, should pay attention to a few key points if planning to ship to France.
First, get at least three quotes from shipping service providers, and make sure your chosen provider ticks all the boxes.
Common services to look for in a shipper
- Pick-up goods at your location
- Basic disassemble and reassemble of furniture
- Border clearance and customs formalities at the destination
- Professional wrapping of all wooden, metal and fabric furniture
- Fuel surcharge
- Export documents for household goods only
- Wooden crate liftvan or palletizing
- Preparing professional inventory list
- Unloading all items to destination residence, and setting all items per your request
- Agent fees and NVOCC deconsolidation charges
- Removing packing debris from destination resident
Most shippers will charge by weight (in pounds), and/or according to the number of cubic feet taken up by your items. Expats should be aware that shippers often tack on additional expenses for certain packing materials, handling and hoisting of excessively large items and certain processing requirements.
Common extra expenses a shipper might charge
- Custom built wooden crates
- Documentation fee for vehicles and commercial cargo
- Piano handling
- Custom exam, inspection and/or x-ray
- Storage
- Local duties and taxes
- Packing service for small and breakables items
- Fumigation charges and quarantine
- Insurance (unless purchase separately ahead of time)
- Insurance processing fee
- External hoisting or crane equipment
- Additional collection or split delivery locations
- Long carry over 75 feet away from main entrance
- Stairs fees- over 1st floor walk-up
Furthermore, it’s a good idea to buy insurance from a company other than the shipping company used, to ensure reliable coverage on broken cargo.
Can I ship 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 you’ve lived outside of the EU for more than a year.
In order to do so though, you’ll need to have proof of residency in France, along with a small pile of additional paperwork.
Documents needed to ship duty-free to France
- Copy of valid passport.
- Inventory of goods to be shipped, valued in Euros dated and signed
- Letter of Professional Transfer (on Company Letterhead), certifying that the
- employee spent at least one year abroad.
- Non-cession certificate (document basically testifying to your personal ownership of used goods)
- Proof of residency in France (utility bill)
