Organising an international removal to France

An international removal to France is decided through five choices made in the right order: the real volume to be shipped, the transport formula, groupage or a dedicated truck, the temporary storage of part of your belongings, the customs formalities of transferring residence and the arrival window coordinated with the state of the property. French Realty informs, guides and coordinates this chain with a partner removal firm: your dedicated contact prepares the file, tracks the steps and reports back to you. This guide covers each decision, along with the costliest pitfalls.

The removal is one of the steps in the method described in the guide on furnishing a home from afar: it always comes after the utilities and before the finishing touches.

Which choices should be structured before any quote?

No serious quote is drawn up blind. Four decisions frame everything else:

• The real volume: take an inventory room by room, and ask for each lot whether it deserves the journey. A volume estimated off the top of your head is paid for twice, at loading when it overflows, and on arrival when it clutters.
• The transport formula: groupage shares the truck with other flows and offers gentler arithmetic, against a wider arrival window; a dedicated truck locks in a precise calendar. The right choice depends on how firm your date is and on the state of the property.
• Temporary storage: keeping part of your belongings at the departure end, or in France, so that you deliver only what the home can receive, especially if works or a fit-out are under way.
• Access to the French property: floor, presence and size of the lift, width of doorways, room to park a lorry outside. These details, surveyed by someone on site, change the organisation of the day and sometimes the quote.

How do you prepare the removal from your country of residence?

Remote preparation rests on four pillars, each easy to organise from abroad:

• The video inventory: the partner removers assess the volume camera in hand, room by room, and spot items needing special handling, a piano, a work of art, a vehicle.
• Transport insurance: check what is covered, declare the value of the items concerned, and know what requires professional packing to be guaranteed.
• Packing: by professionals for fragile and bulky items, by you for the standard ones, with each box marked by destination room and by level of fragility.
• Coordination with the state of the property: do not let anything arrive at a home with no water or electricity, whose contracts are not live, or whose fit-out has not made room for it.

One point deserves special care: do not pack any useful document in the boxes. Identity papers, proof of address, the property file and insurance certificate travel with you, never in the lorry.

What should you expect from customs when transferring residence?

Your personal belongings may enter France within the framework of a transfer of residence, under conditions and free of duty according to the rules in force. In practice, the file is prepared with:

• A detailed inventory, box by box or piece by piece, accompanied by a consistent valuation.
• Proof of your residence outside France: certificate, employment contract or lease at the previous address, according to your situation.
• Proof of your installation in France: title deed, lease or employer’s attestation.
• The list of goods subject to their own rules, such as alcohol, vehicles or works of art.

These requirements belong to practical process: the more precise the inventory and consistent with your supporting documents, the simpler the crossing. The partner removal firm tells you which documents to gather, when each must be ready and the declaration formalities in force. French Realty offers no legal interpretation: your dedicated contact makes sure the file is complete, consistent and ready at the right time.

What calendar should you follow for a coordinated arrival?

The calendar is built backwards from your move-in date and synchronised with the property:

• Book early: the good slots close, especially around school holidays and month-ends, and a file booked ahead absorbs slippage.
• Set a realistic arrival window: in groupage, delivery is given as a window rather than a date; plan to live on arrival without the boxes to avoid pressure.
• Sequence with the property: contracts live, purchases received, furniture assembled, then boxes delivered, in that order where possible.
• Arrange a presence on the day: you, or a mandated person, with the keys and the storage plan.

Phase	Decisions	Pitfall
Inventory	What to ship, what to leave, what to store	Estimating the volume in your head and finding twice as much at loading
Transport	Groupage or dedicated, route, dates	Confusing an arrival window with a firm date
Formalities	Customs documents, transport insurance	Leaving a proof of residence packed in a box
Reception	Who receives, where the boxes go	Delivering into a home with no live contracts or cleared space
Aftermath	Reservations, claims, gradual unpacking	Signing without reservations and finding breakage too late

How do you receive a removal from a distance or on arrival day?

Receiving a removal follows the same principle as any remote sign-off: compare the expected with the actual, and write the reservations before signing. On the day, that means counting the boxes against the inventory, checking the condition of the furniture and fragile cartons, photographing anything damaged and recording the reservations on the carrier’s document before signing. Breakage not reserved at delivery is far harder to argue afterwards.

If you are not yet in France when the lorry arrives, a mandated person can receive on your behalf: a simple written mandate, the reference inventory, photos at unloading and a reconciliation afterwards are enough to secure the operation. It is a role your dedicated contact can hold, the decision on any reservations remaining yours. Once the boxes are set down, the natural next step follows: equipping a home for short stays if the property will only be partly used, or carrying on the fit-out room by room.

French Realty coordinates this file with a partner removal firm via the removal service page, and the other steps of installation are gathered in the Journal’s Fit-out & installation category.

A successful international removal is recognisable by its file: precise inventory, supporting documents ready, calendar planned backwards. To build yours, the complimentary study offered by French Realty lets you settle its main lines with your dedicated contact, in step with your move-in date.