Removals to France from the UK

What's covered

Whether you're moving a flat, a family home or an entire office, you choose the packing level, vehicle size and any extras:

• Standard or full packing with protective materials
• Fragile and high-value item handling, piano and vehicle transport
• Short- and long-term storage in secure facilities, either end
• Transit insurance and valuation cover matched to your declared value

How it works — a simple 4-step process

1. 1Get your quotes — tell us the load and both addresses; compare up to five France-route specialists in about two minutes.
2. 2Survey & planning — an in-home or video survey confirms volume, access and the packing level, and fixes your price.
3. 3Packing & collection — professional packers prepare and load your goods, with export wrapping for anything delicate.
4. 4Transport, customs & delivery — border paperwork is managed and your goods are delivered to your new address in France.

How much do removals to France cost?

A full 3-bed house move from the UK to France starts at around £4,000 on the 2026 price lists UK–France removal firms publish. A part load costs less because you share the lorry: firms' minimum charges run from £700 to £1,580.

The firms price in different ways, so here is what each one publishes, as written. We haven't averaged them into one range none of them quotes.

Source: published 2026 prices from UK–France removal firms (PSS Removals, Gentlevan Removals, Anglo French Removals) (read 30 Oct 2026) — figures as each firm publishes them; your own quotes will depend on your load, route and dates

What changes the price

• Volume — the number of rooms, or cubic metres on a part load.
• Shared or sole use — one firm puts a shared load at 40–50% less than a dedicated lorry.
• How far into France — one firm notes the far south sits at the top of its band.
• Access — stairs, lifts, narrow streets and parking at both ends.
• Packing — usually priced on top of the move itself.
• Customs inspection fees — at least one firm excludes these from its quote.

How long a move to France takes

A dedicated lorry typically runs door to door in 3–7 working days. A part load takes 5–14 days, because it waits for the lorry to fill. Moving from France back to the UK works the same way.

Ask every firm for an itemised quote, so you can see whether packing, customs paperwork and insurance are included. Then compare like with like. See our international removal costs for other countries.

Small and part-load removals to France

Not every move to France is a whole house. A part load (groupage) shares the lorry with other households heading the same way, so you pay for the space your things take up rather than a whole vehicle. It suits a flat, a few rooms of furniture, or the contents of a holiday home.

The trade-off is dates. A shared lorry collects and delivers in windows rather than on one fixed day, because it waits for the load to fill. If a tenancy ends or a job starts on a set date, a sole-use van costs more but runs to your timetable.

For an accurate part-load quote, tell the firms:

• a list of the main items, or the rooms you are moving;
• both addresses, with stairs, lifts and parking at each end;
• how many days either side of your ideal date you can be flexible;
• anything that needs special handling, such as a piano or antiques.

Collections from Scotland, Yorkshire and the north of England are quoted the same way: the further your home is from the Channel ports, the more a flexible date helps a firm fit you into a load. Read more about part-load removals.

Where in France are people moving to?

Often not to a city. Of the France moves people asked us to quote in October 2026, four out of five were to small towns and villages. Rural homes in places such as Brittany, Normandy, the Dordogne or Limousin are often older farmhouses and village houses.

Those homes can be harder to reach than the price list assumes. Before you book, tell each firm about narrow lanes, a steep or unmade drive, or a village street a large lorry can't turn in. They may need to transfer your things to a smaller van for the last stretch.

Removals to Paris

Paris is the opposite problem: no space. The City of Paris won't reserve a parking space, but it issues a removal permit (AOT) that lets the lorry use the paid bays outside. Apply online at least 15 days before the move, with a separate request for each Paris address. For a lorry over 3.5 tonnes, it costs €60 a day on a paid bay, as of July 2026.

The permit has its own rate for a furniture lift (monte-meubles), which brings furniture in through a window when the stairs or lift are too tight. Ask whether your quote includes one, and who applies for the permit.

Source: Ville de Paris — removal parking permit (AOT) FAQ (updated 3 Jul 2026)

How does a removal cross the Channel?

The firm chooses the crossing, and it shapes the route. The short crossings from Dover and Folkestone land at Calais. LeShuttle, the tunnel service from Folkestone, crosses in about 35 minutes. That suits Paris, the north and the east.

For Normandy and Brittany, the western sailings can save hours of driving. Brittany Ferries sails from Portsmouth and Plymouth to Cherbourg, Caen, St Malo and Roscoff. Ask each firm which way they'll go, as it explains some of the gap between quotes.

What paperwork do you need to move to France?

Since Brexit, your belongings go through customs. They can enter France free of duty and VAT if you're moving your main home there and:

• you've lived outside the EU for at least 12 months;
• you've used the goods yourself for at least 6 months before the move;
• they arrive within 12 months of you moving.

You'll need form cerfa 10070, proof of the move (such as a job contract or residence card), and a detailed, dated and signed inventory in two copies. If your things travel in several loads, the first inventory must list everything.

Two catches. Furnishing a second home doesn't qualify, so duty and VAT apply. And you can't sell, lend or rent out goods brought in duty-free for 12 months.

Source: French customs (douane.gouv.fr) — transferring your main residence to France (read 30 Oct 2026)

Removals from France to the UK

The same firms collect in France for the UK, and space on a lorry heading home can price well. Coming back, you can claim UK Transfer of Residence relief if you've lived outside the UK for at least 12 consecutive months and owned your things for at least 6.

Apply to HMRC with a ToR1 form before your goods are shipped, and bring them in within 12 months of moving. As in France, it doesn't cover goods from a second or holiday home.

Source: GOV.UK — Transfer of Residence relief (updated 12 Nov 2025)