Are you moving to Paris from the UK? Gentlevan Removals has been running removals since 2011, and we'll handle every part of your Paris move, UK collection, post-Brexit French customs paperwork, advice on the Mairie parking suspension, and door delivery inside your Paris flat. Shared loads start from £1,200, the lowest price we quote for a move to France. Most shared loads land between £1,200 and £6,000 depending on your arrondissement and load size. Dedicated, shared-load and part-load options are all available, plus 2 months FREE UK storage built into every Paris move.
Paris is one of those moves where the haul is the easy bit. The journey from Oxfordshire is roughly 500 miles via Dover-Calais, a single working day for a dedicated van. The hard part is what happens at the Paris end: the parking suspension permit from the Mairie d'arrondissement, the monte-meubles (external furniture hoist) for a top-floor Haussmann flat without a passenger lift, the Crit'Air emissions zone covering central Paris, the cobbled courtyard you can't drive into. We plan for all of it.
Family-run from Oxfordshire since 2011, with 216+ five-star reviews and accreditations from Move Assured and AIM. Paris sits inside our wider UK to France removals service, alongside Nice, Toulouse and the rest of mainland France. Our own crews and our own vehicles, in either direction.
Honest answer: most shared loads to Paris land between £1,200 and £6,000 door-to-door. £1,200 is the lowest price we quote for a move to France, on a shared load for a studio or one-bed flat with flexible dates, and a shared load is typically 40 to 50 per cent less than a dedicated vehicle for the same volume. Paris is around 500 road miles from Oxfordshire, so the haul cost is modest, what nudges the price up is access. A ground-floor flat in Boulogne-Billancourt with proper kerbside parking and a 1-bed studio in a 6th-floor walk-up off Rue de Rivoli are the same kilometres but very different invoices.
| Move Size | Service Type | Price Range (GBP) |
|---|---|---|
| 1-bed flat / studio | Shared load | £1,200 to £2,500 |
| 2-bed house or apartment | Shared load | £2,500 to £4,000 |
| 3-bed house or apartment | Shared load or dedicated | £4,000 to £6,000 |
| 4+ bedrooms / large 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.
Quotes include UK collection, transport, French customs paperwork, ToR relief support and door delivery in Paris. Parking permit application, monte-meubles hire (where required), packing service, dismantling/reassembly and MoveProtect cover are optional add-ons priced at the survey. Get an exact figure online, most quotes come back the same working day.
Paris is the closest European capital to the UK. We use Dover-Calais for the crossing (or Eurotunnel where the schedule prefers it), then south on the A26 / A1 autoroute corridor into the Île-de-France. The whole journey is around 500 road miles from Oxfordshire and takes 2 to 4 working days door-to-door on a dedicated run.
Customs clearance happens at the French border. Post-Brexit, every UK to Paris removal needs a customs declaration, but it's well-trodden ground for us, and household goods clear duty-free under Transfer of Residence relief if your paperwork is right. We prepare the file as part of every move.
Shared-load timings add a few days for the consolidation cycle, since France-bound runs often combine multiple deliveries, Paris, Lille, Reims and beyond. Dedicated runs go through-and-back without detours.
One Paris-specific timing point: if your move involves a parking suspension permit, the Mairie typically needs 7 to 15 working days' notice. We flag that at survey stage. Booking the bay is your responsibility, though we can arrange it for a small extra fee if you ask, and either way it is worth starting before the move date is locked.
Paris is divided into 20 arrondissements arranged in a clockwise spiral from the centre. Each has its own character, and its own access reality for a removal vehicle. Here are the patterns we plan for at the survey:
Le Louvre, Marais, Île de la Cité, Île Saint-Louis. Narrow medieval streets, pedestrianised zones, weight-restricted bridges. Most addresses need a parking permit and a smaller vehicle to access. Some streets are closed to vehicles entirely outside delivery hours.
Building-wise: a mix of pre-Haussmann townhouses with no lifts and modern conversions. Monte-meubles is common.
Latin Quarter, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the 7th around the Eiffel Tower and Invalides. Wide Haussmann boulevards alongside narrow side-streets. Embassies and historic institutions add traffic restrictions during state events.
Many buildings here have small original lifts, fine for boxes, often too small for a sofa or wardrobe.
Champs-Élysées, Trocadéro, Passy, Auteuil. Larger flats, period townhouses (hôtels particuliers), and a high concentration of expat clients. Wide streets generally permit kerbside parking with a permit.
Hôtels particuliers often have private courtyards behind a porte cochère, sometimes large enough for a van, often not. Photo of the gate at booking saves time on the day.
Opéra, Pigalle, République, Bastille, Oberkampf. A mix of grand Haussmann blocks and walk-up apartment buildings. Heavy traffic and narrower streets than the west, parking permits are essential and kerb space is competitive.
We've moved many UK clients into renovated walk-ups in this arc; expect a monte-meubles for anything above the third floor.
Bercy, Place d'Italie, Montparnasse, Vaugirard. More residential, more 1960s, 80s apartment blocks with proper service lifts. Generally the easiest central arrondissements for delivery, lifts work, streets are wider, parking permits are more straightforward.
Popular with expat families because of school options and value-for-space relative to the central arrondissements.
Montmartre, Belleville, Ménilmontant. Hill geography (especially the 18th) creates steep narrow streets that lorries can't reach. Vibrant, multicultural, and increasingly popular with creative-industry expats.
We use a smaller vehicle for the final approach in much of the 18th and 20th. Tell us the street name at the quote and we'll size it correctly.
The wealthiest and most expat-heavy of the inner suburbs. Just outside the Périphérique, generally easier vehicle access than central Paris, with proper service lifts in most modern buildings.
Often quoted alongside central Paris because the corridor is the same; the address determines the access plan.
Yvelines (78), Essonne (91), Seine-et-Marne (77). Family relocations to the green outer ring, proper houses with driveways, gardens, and straightforward access.
Same one-day haul from Oxfordshire as central Paris; usually a simpler delivery day.
Three things define a Paris move that don't really exist anywhere else in our network. Get them right and the day is straightforward. Get them wrong and the lorry circles for an hour while the parking inspector hands out a fine.
Issued by the Mairie of the relevant arrondissement, the permit reserves a section of kerb for the removal vehicle for an agreed slot, usually a half-day or full day. Most central addresses need one; without it the only option is double-parking, which Paris enforcement does not tolerate.
Application notice varies by arrondissement (typically 7 to 15 working days), there's a small Mairie fee, and the arrondissement signs need posting on the street the day before. We tell you at survey stage whether your address needs one. Booking it, the fee and the street signage are yours to arrange, though we can take care of it in advance for a small extra fee if you ask.
The earlier we have your address, the easier this is. Permit slots for popular arrondissements (1st, 7th) can fill up.
Many Paris flats sit in pre-Haussmann or Haussmann buildings where the original passenger lift is too small for furniture, or where there's no lift at all above the fifth floor. The standard solution is a monte-meubles, a portable external lift hoisted up the facade to the relevant window or balcony.
We book the monte-meubles and its operator, and tell you what kerb space the hoist itself needs to stand on. For an upper-floor delivery this is usually faster, safer for your furniture and cheaper than a stair carry.
Send us a photo of the building facade and the target window when you book, we can tell you within a day whether a monte-meubles is needed.
Central Paris is a Zone à Faibles Émissions (ZFE). Vehicles entering during weekday hours need a Crit'Air sticker, and certain older diesel vehicles are restricted from the inner zone. The rules tighten gradually each year.
Our European-route vehicles carry the appropriate Crit'Air classification, and we plan the entry timing around the ZFE rules. This is rarely something the customer needs to think about, but it's the kind of detail that catches out movers who don't run France regularly.
For deliveries to the very strict inner zone, we sometimes use a smaller compliant vehicle for the final approach.
Many central Paris buildings have a porte cochère, a large carriage entrance leading into a private courtyard behind. Some are wide enough for a van; many are not. The cobblestone surface is often original and unsuited to heavy vehicles.
If your building has one, send us a photo of the gate at booking with a tape measure if possible. We'll know within a day whether to plan for kerbside delivery or courtyard access.
Six steps, refined over a decade-and-a-half of European runs:
Optional extras include piano transport, professional dismantling and reassembly of beds and wardrobes, art and antique crating, and short-term UK storage if your dates slip. Whatever you need, just ask.
Family-run since 2011, which means one point of contact from quote to delivery. We answer the phone and the email ourselves; no call centres, no handoffs.
2 months FREE storage in our containerised Oxfordshire facility is included on every Paris move, for when the chain doesn't quite line up.
We're not the cheapest mover on the UK-Paris corridor, and we don't pretend to be. What we offer is a known quantity: one point of contact from quote to delivery, our own crews rather than subcontractors, our own vehicles, and a feel for what actually goes wrong on a Paris move day. Here's what tends to matter to clients:
The France consolidation advantage. Paris is one of our most-frequently-served European destinations. We run France-bound vehicles regularly, often combining Paris deliveries with stops in Lille, Reims, the Loire Valley and onwards south. That's why shared-load pricing on this corridor is competitive, and why a Paris part-load slot is rarely more than two or three weeks away.
Picking your arrondissement is one of the most consequential decisions you'll make before the move itself, it shapes your daily commute, your kids' schools, your weekend life, and the kind of flat your budget will stretch to. Paris's character changes block by block, so the right area depends on what you're after.
Broadly: Le Marais (3rd/4th), Saint-Germain-des-Prés (6th) and Canal Saint-Martin (10th) attract singles, couples and creatives wanting walkable nightlife and a strong neighbourhood feel. The 8th, 16th and 17th draw executives, embassy staff and international families, larger flats, often in elegant Haussmann blocks, with proximity to international schools. Neuilly and Boulogne-Billancourt, just outside the Périphérique, are heavily expat and family-oriented, offering more space at comparable prices. Montmartre (18th) and the Latin Quarter (5th) remain genuine if you want character over convenience. For a wider regional view across France, see our blog on the best places to live in France for English speakers.
Cost-of-living-wise, Paris is one of the more expensive European capitals, but how much it costs depends hugely on the arrondissement and your housing setup. Rent in the central arrondissements is significantly higher than in the outer ones or the inner suburbs, the same one-bedroom flat in Saint-Germain and in Belleville can differ in rent by a factor of two. Groceries from local marchés tend to be cheaper than UK supermarkets; restaurant prices climb fast in tourist areas; and the Navigo monthly transport pass is good value for a city of this size, removing the need for a car for most central residents. Sites like Numbeo are useful for ballpark monthly cost comparisons before you commit to an arrondissement.
Private health cover is mandatory for residents and is part of your residency requirements, most arrivals enrol in the public Sécurité Sociale system and add a top-up mutuelle.
Post-Brexit, every UK to Paris removal goes through a French customs declaration. The good news: it's well-trodden ground for us, and household goods clear duty-free under Transfer of Residence relief if your paperwork is right. The not-so-good news: getting the paperwork right takes a few weeks of lead time, especially the residence side. Start early.
These are the documents French customs will look at on entry. We prepare or guide you through every one:
Restricted and prohibited items follow standard EU rules, alcohol and tobacco are limited, fresh food and most plants are out, and prescription medicines need to come with the prescription.
ToR relief is what keeps your household goods clear of French import duty and TVA. The qualifying conditions are straightforward but specific:
The relief is requested at the customs declaration alongside your inventory. For vehicles the rules are stricter (the car typically must be in your name for 6+ months, and there are separate French registration requirements). One thing to be clear about: we do not move cars or other motor vehicles, which need a specialist shipper.
Coming back to the UK? The reverse relief is called ToR1, applied for through HMRC before goods land in the UK. We handle that for return moves as standard.
Paris is the closest European capital to London, geographically and culturally, and the Eurostar makes it a genuine commuter option. The people we move tend to be choosing it for one of three reasons.
Paris is a major hub for finance, fashion, luxury goods, advertising, tech (Station F is the largest startup campus in Europe), and the international institutions (OECD, UNESCO, ICC). Many UK professionals relocate for promotions or start-up roles.
The Eurostar from St Pancras to Gare du Nord runs in 2h 16m, close enough for genuine weekly commuting, which a notable share of our Paris customers actually do.
Paris has one of the largest English-speaking expat school networks in Europe, the British School of Paris, the International School of Paris, the American School, the École Jeannine Manuel. Public lycées (Louis-le-Grand, Henri-IV) are world-class for fluent French speakers.
Family relocations often happen in the summer to align with the school year.
Some clients are buying a Paris pied-à-terre to combine with a UK base. Others are retirees or independent professionals choosing Paris for the cultural offer, the museums, the cafés, the genuine walkability.
For dual-living, the part-load service is often the right fit: a smaller volume shipped to furnish a one-bedroom flat alongside the main UK home.
Useful resources:
Most shared loads to Paris fall between £1,200 and £6,000 door to door. £1,200 is the lowest price we quote for a move to France, on a shared load for a studio or one-bed flat with flexible dates, and a shared load is typically 40 to 50 per cent less than a dedicated vehicle for the same volume. Paris is a relatively short run from Oxfordshire, around 500 miles via Dover to Calais, so the haul itself is not the cost driver. What changes the price is access at the Paris end: the arrondissement, whether the building has a lift large enough for furniture, whether you need a parking suspension permit from the Mairie, and whether a monte-meubles (furniture hoist) is needed for an upper-floor flat. We survey before quoting, so the number you get is the number you pay.
A dedicated van runs door-to-door in 2 to 4 working days via Dover-Calais or Eurotunnel and the A1 / A26 autoroute corridor. Shared-load adds a few days while we consolidate other France-bound shipments, Paris moves often share the run with deliveries to Lille, Reims and onwards through the country. We give you a firm collection window at booking and an updated delivery window once the customs file is cleared.
In most central Paris addresses, yes. The autorisation de stationnement (parking suspension permit) is issued by the local Mairie d'arrondissement and reserves a section of the kerb for the removal vehicle, usually for half a day or a full day. Applications typically need 7 to 15 working days' notice depending on the arrondissement, and there's a small fee. At survey stage we check the items and the access and advise whether the street needs one. Booking the bay is your responsibility, though we can arrange it in advance for a small extra fee if you ask. Without one, the only option is to double-park, which Paris traffic enforcement does not tolerate.
A large share of central Paris flats sit in Haussmann buildings where the original passenger lift is small or absent above the fifth floor (or there's no lift at all). For these we use a monte-meubles, a portable external furniture lift hoisted up the facade to the relevant window or balcony. It's the standard Paris solution and we coordinate the booking, the operator and the parking suspension as a package. Stair carries are possible for smaller items but become impractical (and expensive) above the third or fourth floor.
Yes, central Paris is a Zone à Faibles Émissions (ZFE) requiring a Crit'Air sticker for vehicles entering during weekday hours, and certain older diesel vehicles are restricted from the inner zone. Our European-route vehicles carry the appropriate Crit'Air classification and we plan the entry timing around the ZFE rules. This is rarely something the customer needs to think about, but it's the kind of detail that catches out movers who don't run France regularly.
August is the traditional French holiday month and a lot of Paris empties out, including some Mairies which cut back hours and slow down the parking permit process. Removals still happen, many Brits actively choose August because the city is quieter and parking is easier on residential streets, but if your move involves obtaining a permit, working with a building syndic, or coordinating with a Notaire for completion, expect timelines to stretch. We work all of August; we just plan around the slower administrative side.
The core file is a valued inventory in French (we prepare and translate this), a passport copy, your French residence proof (titre de séjour, long-stay visa or property/tenancy document), and proof of UK departure (HMRC P85 helps). For Transfer of Residence relief, which clears household goods of import duty and TVA, you need to be establishing genuine residence, have owned the goods for 6+ months, and import them within 12 months of moving. We bundle the paperwork as part of every UK to Paris move.
A dedicated vehicle goes from your UK door straight to your Paris door, your dates, your van, no detours. Shared-load consolidates several customers heading to France on the same scheduled run, splitting the haul cost (typically 40 to 50 per cent less than dedicated). Part-load is for smaller shipments that don't fill a household, a one-bedroom flat, a studio, a holiday-home top-up, billed by cubic feet from £1,200. Paris is one of our most-frequently-served destinations, so shared-load timings are usually tight.
Yes. The Île-de-France region includes Hauts-de-Seine (Neuilly, Boulogne-Billancourt, Levallois), Seine-Saint-Denis, Val-de-Marne, Yvelines (Versailles, Saint-Germain-en-Laye), Essonne, Val-d'Oise, and Seine-et-Marne. Suburb deliveries are usually easier than central Paris because parking and access are more straightforward, but we still plan around any private-estate gate codes, building syndic notice requirements, or RER station-area restrictions.
Yes, 2 months of UK storage is included on every UK-Paris and Paris-UK move. It's useful when timings don't align: completion delays in the UK, lease handovers in Paris, parking permit slots not lining up with collection dates, or building syndic notice periods. Storage is at our containerised facility in Oxfordshire, in sealed and numbered containers, with no contract penalty if you need an extra week or two.
Yes. Returners coming back to the UK use the same corridor in reverse, collection in Paris, customs export through France, ferry or tunnel crossing, delivery in the UK. The UK side uses ToR1 (HMRC's Transfer of Residence relief), which we apply for on your behalf before the goods arrive. Quote requests with collection in Paris and delivery in the UK go through the same online form.
Heading to Paris, or coming back to the UK, we run both directions, weekly.
Call us on +44 7861 930529
Most quotes come back the same working day. No call centres, no pressure, no fine print.
We deliver across all 20 Paris arrondissements and the surrounding Île-de-France départements. The most-requested neighbourhoods on our route sheet:
Don't see your destination? We quote for anywhere in Paris and Île-de-France, just ask. We also serve the wider France network, including Nice, Toulouse, Lyon, Marseille, and the Dordogne.
Wherever you're heading, it is our own crews and our own vehicles running the job rather than a partner firm picking it up at the port. Belongings get export wrapping where that is taken, GPS-tracked transport, and door-to-door handling, same as we'd want for our own family.
France is one of our two most-travelled European corridors (alongside Spain). We've been running it since 2011, which means we've seen most of what Paris can throw at a removal day, the locked porte cochère, the lift that turns out to be 5cm too narrow, the Notaire who hasn't released the keys yet.
Experience doesn't make those things stop happening. It does mean we have a Plan B ready when they do.
A shared-load Paris run typically carries 4 to 6 customers' belongings in a single vehicle bound for France. That's 4 to 6 separate dedicated journeys avoided, meaningful diesel saved on a 1,000-mile round trip. We use reusable blankets and recyclable boxes wherever the move format allows.
Shared-loads are usually the cheapest option and the lowest-carbon option for Paris. Win-win, when the dates allow.
Recurring themes from Paris-route reviews: how cleanly the customs paperwork was handled, the parking permit being in place when the lorry arrived, the monte-meubles going up the facade smoothly, the crew respecting both the new flat and the building's other residents. We're proud of those, and of the quiet ones where the move just worked and there was nothing dramatic to write about.
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