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REMOVALS TO FRANCE

MOVING TO FRANCE?

Enjoy two months of free UK storage with every move to or from France!

MOVING TO

Paris · Marseille · Lyon · Toulouse · Nice · Nantes · Strasbourg · Montpellier

Move Assured accredited removals company Association of Independent Movers member
Gentlevan Removals and Storage, 15 years, established 2011

Removals to France

Gentlevan Removals lorry with its tail lift down, loading outside a house before a move to France

Gentlevan Removals collects from anywhere in the UK and runs regular bi-weekly UK to France house removal services from our Oxfordshire base, with prices from £1,200 for part-load removals and fully dedicated van options for larger homes. Whether you're moving to Paris, Nice, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse or a rural village in Provence or Brittany, we handle the customs paperwork and door-to-door delivery anywhere in France, with packing and export wrapping available as optional extras. A family firm established 2011, 216+ five-star reviews, Move Assured and AIM accredited.

Moving to France or returning from France to the UK? Our end-to-end service covers everything from collection in the UK to unloading at your new French address, including post-Brexit customs clearance and transfer-of-residence relief paperwork. Packing and export wrapping are optional, taken at the level you choose. France is one of our most popular destinations alongside our wider European removals network.

  • Established 2011 moving British families to France
  • 216+ five-star reviews Move Assured & AIM accredited
  • 3-7 working days typical transit, UK to France
  • Bi-weekly runs to every major French region
  • Full customs paperwork handled, inventory & ToR relief

Dedicated Vans and Shared Loads to France

SHARING A LOAD

If your move is a flat, a studio or part of a house, you can share a vehicle with other customers heading the same way and pay only for the space you take. It is the cheaper route when your dates have some give in them.

Full detail, pricing and booking are on our part-load removals to France page.

See Part-Load Service

DEDICATED LOAD

You get the van or lorry to yourself. We collect and deliver on dates you choose, drive straight to France with no other stops, and nothing of yours shares space with another customer's load. It costs more than a part-load, but it's the option for a full house, a tight completion date, or anything fragile you'd rather wasn't handled twice.

Need a weekend collection or a particular delivery day? Tell us early and we can usually work around it, in either direction, France or back to the UK.

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How Much Do Removals to France Cost?

UK to France removal costs depend on the size of your move, the destination region, and whether you choose a part-load or dedicated van service. Here is a typical price guide for 2026:

Move Size Service Type Price Range (GBP)
1-bed flat / studio Shared load £1,200-£2,500
2-bed house Shared load £2,500-£4,000
3-bed house Shared load or dedicated £4,000-£6,000
4+ bed house Shared load or dedicated lorry £6,000+

How to read these. The first two rows are shared-load prices: your belongings share the vehicle with other customers heading the same way and you pay only for the space they occupy. At those sizes a dedicated vehicle costs more and is quoted separately. From a 3-bedroom upwards the same band covers either a shared load or a dedicated vehicle, so tell us which you want and we will price it.

£1,200 is the lowest price we quote for a move to France, on a shared load where your dates have some give in them. Across the same volume, a shared load is typically 40 to 50 per cent less than a dedicated vehicle, because you pay for the space your things occupy on a run that is already going rather than for the whole lorry.

Prices include loading, transport, customs paperwork and delivery. Packing and export wrapping are optional and quoted separately. Destination region affects the final figure: Paris, Normandy and Brittany are the most competitive, while Provence, the Côte d'Azur and rural southern France cost more for the distance. You get a written quotation and that is the price you pay. Get an exact quote online in under 60 seconds.

Popular Destinations in France

We cover mainland France in full, from the Channel ports down to the Med. Most moves head to a handful of regions: Brittany and Normandy for the ferry links and short crossing, the Dordogne and south-west for the established British communities, Provence and the Côte d'Azur for the weather, and the big cities for work. We've built dedicated pages for our most-requested destinations, removals to Paris Bordeaux Lyon Nice and Toulouse and the Dordogne, plus part-load removals to France for smaller moves. Wherever you're heading, or wherever in France you're leaving, give us the two addresses and we'll quote the run in either direction.

Regions of France & What Each Means for Your Move

Gentlevan cartons on a sack truck being wheeled from a property to the vehicle on a tree lined street
Access, parking and carry distance are what we check at the survey, at both ends of the move.

France is a big country and no two moves look the same. A modern house with a driveway is straightforward, the lorry pulls up and we load. A fifth-floor Paris flat off a cobbled courtyard, a farmhouse down a single-track lane, or a chalet up a mountain road is a different job, and we plan for it before we set off. Wherever you're headed, we check the access first, usually on Street View, or from photos and a short video you send us on WhatsApp, or a dropped Google Maps pin, so we arrive with the right vehicle instead of working it out on the day. Where a full-size lorry can't get in, we tranship to a smaller van and shuttle the last stretch. Here's roughly what to expect by region.

Two Gentlevan crew packing a Paris apartment, filling branded cartons beside tall French windows and a wrought iron balcony
A full pack in a Paris apartment. Packing is optional and taken at the level you choose: the whole house, the fragile items only, or you pack and we load.

Paris & Île-de-France

Narrow one-way streets, cobbled courtyards, and flats up several floors, often Haussmann buildings with a small lift or a stairs-only option. Kerb space is tight, and you usually can't just pull a lorry up outside to load.

Where the streets won't take a full-size lorry, we tranship to a smaller van nearer the address. Some central addresses also need a permit to reserve the kerb for loading, we can arrange this on request (it usually needs a few weeks' notice), or you can sort it through your local Mairie; either way we'll flag it at the quote stage. More on removals to Paris.

Brittany & Normandy

The closest corner of France to the UK and our shortest crossing, which is why so many British moves head here. The towns are easy enough; it's the rural properties, long gravel drives, low farm gateways, single-track lanes between hedgerows, that need a bit of thought.

If the lane is too tight or too soft for the lorry, we bring a smaller van to the door and shuttle from the road. A quick video of the approach when you book tells us exactly what we're dealing with, so there are no surprises on the day.

Nice, Cannes & the Côte d'Azur

Lovely to drive, awkward to deliver into. The corniche roads are steep and winding, the resort centres are dense and part-pedestrianised, and a lot of the housing is gated estates or hillside villas with tight, sloping approaches.

This is the area we stage Monaco moves from, so we know it well, often the lorry comes as far as it sensibly can and we finish with a smaller vehicle. Send photos of the gate, the drive and any low branches or cables and we'll size the van to match. More on removals to Nice.

Bordeaux & the South-West

Bordeaux itself, plus the Lot and Gascony. It's a longer haul from the UK, and a lot of the housing is rural: stone farmhouses, hamlets and converted barns, often down a track with a gatepost narrower than it looks.

We plan the route and the access before we set off and carry a smaller vehicle for the last stretch where the lorry can't follow. A Google Maps pin dropped on the exact entrance saves a lot of guesswork. More on removals to Bordeaux, or, if you are heading for the Périgord or the Charente, our removals to the Dordogne page.

Lyon, Rhône-Alpes & the Alps

Lyon is a fairly straightforward city move; the Alps are not. Chalets sit up switchback roads and mountain villages with steep, narrow approaches, and the access changes with the season, a drive that's fine in July can be under snow in January.

For mountain addresses we time the run around the weather and, where the road is too steep or too tight for the lorry, tranship to a smaller van for the climb. Tell us the resort and the exact chalet at the quote stage. More on removals to Lyon.

Marseille & Provence

Marseille's old quarters and the hilltop villages of the Luberon and Vaucluse share the same catch: streets built long before removal lorries, and often a flight of steps between the van and the door. Provence spreads out too, so a rural mas can sit a fair way off the main road.

We check the final approach before we come and bring a smaller vehicle where the lorry won't fit. If it's a stair-carry, we'd rather know in advance so we turn up with the right crew and kit, a short video usually tells us everything.

Why Choose Gentlevan Removals?

Furniture export wrapped and blanketed inside a Gentlevan vehicle loaded for a European move
Export wrapping and padded blankets on a loaded vehicle. A run to France is a lot longer than a UK move, so everything is wrapped for the distance.
Gentlevan vehicle loaded for a European removal, furniture blanketed and strapped for the run to France

We have run the UK to France route since 2011, and it's one of our busiest. Being a family firm, you deal with the people who actually run the route rather than a call centre. Alongside the removal itself, we handle:

Inside a sealed timber storage container, cartons hand labelled by room with rolled and taped furniture blankets
Sealed and numbered timber containers at our Oxfordshire warehouse, cartons marked with the room they came out of and listed against your inventory. Two months are included free on every European removal.

Whether we're taking your things out to France or bringing them back to the UK, it is our own crews and our own vehicles running the job rather than a partner firm picking it up at the port, for anything from a one-bedroom flat to a six-bedroom house. A lot of our France work comes from people passing our name on, which is the recommendation we care about most. Send us the details and we'll put together a straight, no-obligation quote.

Additional Services and Benefits

Gentlevan branded cartons packed and stacked ready for collection
Packed and labelled by our own crew. Cartons are marked with the room they came out of, and the load itself is built for weight and fit.

Alongside the removal itself, these are the parts of a French move people most often need:

  • Optional packing, a full pack, a part pack covering the fragile items only, or you pack and we load.
  • Export wrapping for the distance, because a run to France is a great deal longer than a move across town.
  • Two months of free UK storage in sealed numbered containers while the French completion catches up.
  • A written inventory on every job, whoever packed the boxes, because it is the basis of the customs entry.
  • Transhipment for awkward access, a smaller vehicle for the last stretch where the lorry cannot reach the door.
  • Pianos and specialist items, travelling on the same load. We do not move cars or other motor vehicles.

We own our vehicles and pack with proper materials, and because we run France on a regular schedule there's rarely a long wait for a slot. As a family business, we'd rather get your move right and keep you in the loop than treat it as one more job on a list.

MoveProtect: Enhanced Cover for Your Move

Every move is covered by our standard liability, but if you want fuller cover we recommend MoveProtect optional enhanced cover available on any move. You declare a Maximum Replacement Value for your belongings, and they're protected against loss or damage in transit and storage, with no excess to pay on a claim. Just ask about MoveProtect when you request your quote and we'll talk you through it.

Moving to France from the UK

Since Brexit, moving to France from the UK is a two-track job: there is the visa and residency side, which is yours to apply for, and the customs side, which travels with your belongings and is ours to prepare. They run on different clocks, and the usual reason a move gets messy is that one was started months before anybody thought about the other. Below is the order things actually need to happen in, based on the moves we run on this route every couple of weeks.

The order it needs to happen in

  • 6 to 9 months out

    1. Decide what kind of resident you are

    Staying under 90 days in any 180 is visa free and is a second-home arrangement, not a move. Anything longer means a long-stay visa, and which one you apply for shapes the paperwork for everything after it, including whether your belongings qualify for customs relief.

  • 3 months out

    2. Apply for the long-stay visa

    Applications to the French consulate open 90 days before travel and cannot be made earlier, so this is usually the fixed point everything else is planned around. Book the appointment as soon as the window opens rather than waiting for the property to complete.

  • 6 to 8 weeks out

    3. Get the move surveyed and quoted

    Moves to France are surveyed by video rather than in person: you walk through the house on your phone and send it on WhatsApp. You get a written quotation, and that is the price you pay on the day.

  • 3 to 4 weeks out

    4. Book the date and decide on packing

    Three to four weeks is the lead time that keeps your choice of dates open. This is also where you choose the level of service: a full pack, a part pack covering fragile items only, or you pack and we load. Packing and export wrapping are optional and quoted separately.

  • Loading week

    5. The inventory and the customs file

    A written inventory is produced on every job, whoever packed the boxes, because it is the basis of the customs entry. The file is prepared with you and lodged by the customs agent we use on every French job, which is what transfer-of-residence relief is claimed against.

  • First 3 months in France

    6. Validate the visa at the French end

    Most long-stay visas have to be validated online with the French authorities within three months of arrival, with the applicable tax paid at the same time. That validation is what later leads to a carte de séjour if you stay on.

Which long-stay visa applies

UK citizens now need a long-stay visa (visa de long séjour) to stay in France for more than 90 days in any 180. The main types are:

  • Retiree, for those with proof of pension or passive income and private health cover. Valid a year and renewable, and the most common one on our France work.
  • Work, which needs a confirmed job offer or contract. Covers employees, intra-company transfers, highly skilled workers and some self-employed roles.
  • Family, for spouses, children or dependants of French citizens or legal residents.
  • Student (VLS-TS Étudiant), for higher education or training, four months to a year, with part-time work allowed up to 964 hours a year.

Worth knowing separately: the UK and France have a double taxation agreement, so income is not taxed twice in both countries. That is worth working through before you move rather than after, because it can change which visa route makes sense.

What happens to your belongings at the border

Since Brexit a household move to France is a customs movement. Your goods travel against a customs entry supported by a valued inventory, and used household effects are normally exempt from duty and VAT under transfer-of-residence relief where you are genuinely moving your main home and the goods have been owned and used for at least six months. Furnishing a holiday property is a different case, and we will tell you which one you are in at quotation stage rather than at the border. One firm limit worth knowing early: we do not move cars or other motor vehicles, which need a specialist shipper.

How long the move itself takes, and what it costs

Door to door on a dedicated vehicle is 3 to 7 working days depending on the region, and 5 to 14 days on a shared load, which travels on our scheduled France run. Prices start at £1,200 and the full bands are in the price guide above. If the French completion slips, which it often does, two months of free UK storage is included on every European removal, so the move does not have to wait for the keys.

Where people are actually moving to

Not sure where to settle? From the Dordogne and Brittany to Provence and the Côte d'Azur, our guide to the best places to live in France for English speakers covers the most popular regions for British expats, and we have pages of our own for the Dordogne and the Charente, Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon, Nice and Toulouse. For the detail on the residency side, see our guides on retiring to France and how long you can live in France without becoming a resident. Heading for the Riviera? You may also be weighing up neighbouring Monaco.

Frequently Asked Questions about Removals to France

Shared-load removals to France from the UK cost between £1,200 and £6,000 for most homes, depending on the volume, the French region and the access at both ends. A dedicated vehicle costs more and is quoted separately. £1,200 is the lowest price we quote, on a shared load for a studio or one-bed flat with flexible dates. A shared load is typically 40 to 50 per cent less than a dedicated vehicle for the same volume. Prices include loading, transport, customs paperwork and delivery; packing and export wrapping are optional and quoted separately. Request a free no-obligation online quote for an exact figure.

On a dedicated vehicle, most UK to France removals are completed within 3 to 7 working days door to door depending on the destination region. Paris, Lille and Normandy deliveries are often 3 to 4 days, while Provence, the Côte d'Azur or rural southern France take 5 to 7 days. A shared load travels on our scheduled France run and takes 5 to 14 days from collection to delivery, because the load is consolidated with other work heading the same way.

Yes we handle all post-Brexit customs paperwork for you, including the inventory of belongings, T1 transit documents, and transfer-of-residence relief where you qualify. Personal household effects moved within 12 months of changing your main residence to France are normally exempt from duty and VAT under transfer-of-residence relief.

Since Brexit, UK citizens moving to France for more than 90 days must apply for a long-stay visa (VLS-TS) from the French Consulate before travelling. Apply 30-90 days before your move date. You'll also need to prepare a detailed inventory for customs and complete a non-cession declaration for tax-free import of household goods. A professional removals company can handle the customs side for you.

Allow six to nine months from first decision to arrival if you are moving permanently, because the visa is the long pole rather than the removal. Long-stay visa applications to the French consulate can only be made in the 90 days before travel, so that window usually fixes everything else. The removal itself needs three to four weeks of notice to keep your choice of dates open, and the journey is 3 to 7 working days door to door on a dedicated vehicle or 5 to 14 days on a shared load. Once you arrive, most long-stay visas must be validated with the French authorities within three months. The full order of events is in our moving to France from the UK section above.

Yes, and it is a regular part of what we do rather than a sideline. Because that journey has its own paperwork, its own access problems and its own pricing, it has a page of its own covering collection areas, return-leg pricing, Transfer of Residence and the UK customs entry. See our removals from France to the UK service.

Ask three things. First, do they run the route themselves or hand it to a partner once it leaves the UK, because that decides who is accountable if something goes wrong. Second, who deals with the customs paperwork, and is it someone who does it every week rather than something you are left to work out yourself. Third, is the quote a written fixed price after a proper survey rather than an estimate off a form. We run our own vehicles and crews to France, we use the same customs agent on every French job so the paperwork is in experienced hands, and we quote in writing after a survey you can do by video from your phone.

Yes, and they are among our busiest parts of France. Brittany and Normandy are the closest regions to the UK and often the quickest to reach. The Dordogne and the Charente have long-established British communities and a page of their own: removals to the Dordogne covers the towns, the route and the rural access in full. Wherever the property is, a narrow lane or a gravel drive at the far end is exactly what the survey is for, and where a lane will not take the large vehicle the load transfers to a smaller one for the last stretch.

A part load, also called a shared load, means your belongings share a vehicle with other customers heading to France on the same scheduled run. It starts from £1,200 and is typically 40 to 50 per cent less than a dedicated vehicle for the same volume, but the delivery is tied to our scheduled runs and takes 5 to 14 days. Dedicated means a van or lorry is booked solely for your move, so you choose the collection and delivery dates, there are no other stops en route, and door to door is usually 3 to 7 working days. We'll recommend the best option when you request a quote.

Yes we include 2 months FREE UK storage with every UK to France (and France to UK) removal. This is ideal if you're waiting for a French visa, your French property completion is delayed, or your UK house sale and French move don't line up. Storage is at our secure Oxfordshire facility, in sealed and numbered containers. See our storage service for details.

Removals from France to the UK

Plenty of our France work runs the other way. Our vehicles come back every couple of weeks, so a move home can often travel on a return leg that is already scheduled, with Transfer of Residence and the UK customs entry prepared for you and two months of free UK storage while you find somewhere to live.

See our removals from France to the UK service for collection areas, return-leg pricing and the customs paperwork in full.

Contact Us for a Free Quote

Whatever your requirements, if you need a removal company for removals to France, contact our friendly and professional team for a great-value, no-obligation quote today! Call us at +447861930529 or request a free quote online. We look forward to hearing from you soon! Our price guide above sets out what a move to France costs and how the figure is put together.

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How Your Move to France Works

Gentlevan lorry and transhipment van parked together at Beziers in southern France during a delivery run
Our lorry and the smaller transhipment van at Beziers in the south of France. Where a village lane or a narrow street will not take the big vehicle, the load transfers across and goes the last stretch on the small one.

We run regular bi-weekly services between the UK and France, so there is rarely a long wait for a slot. For collection and delivery we use a road train paired with a smaller transhipment van, which lets us reach narrow French village streets and tight access points a full-size lorry cannot, without you paying for a dedicated truck the whole way.

A typical move runs video survey, loading (with optional packing and export wrapping), customs paperwork handled by us, the Channel crossing and door-to-door delivery, with most regions completed in 3-7 working days on a dedicated vehicle. If your French completion or handover slips, your belongings wait safely in our UK storage at no extra cost.

Testimonials from Our Satisfied Customers

Much of our France work comes from word of mouth and repeat customers. The feedback we hear most often is about clear communication from the office, careful packing, and belongings arriving in France, or back in the UK, in the same condition they left.

Read verified reviews on our reviews page and in the widget above.

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