Moving to France from the UK: The Order Everything Needs to Happen In
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. 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.
This guide sets out the order things actually need to happen in, based on the moves we run on the UK to France route every couple of weeks. If you already know you need a mover and want prices and transit times, those are on our removals to France page.
1. Six to nine months out: decide what kind of resident you are
Staying under 90 days in any 180 is visa free, and that is a second-home arrangement rather than 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. Allow six to nine months from first decision to arrival if you are moving permanently, because the visa is the long pole, not the removal.
2. Three months out: 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.
3. Six to eight weeks out: 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 the video on WhatsApp, and you get a written quotation back. Our video survey page shows you what to film.
4. Three to four weeks out: 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 the removal company loads. Packing and export wrapping are optional extras rather than part of every move.
5. Loading week: 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 customs file is prepared with you and lodged by a customs agent, and it is what transfer-of-residence relief is claimed against.
6. First three months in France: validate the visa
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 for a year and renewable, and the most common one on our France work. Our guide to retiring to France from the UK goes into more detail.
- Work: 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. It is worth working through before you move rather than after, because it can change which visa route makes sense. If you are not sure whether you need a visa at all, our guide on how long you can live in France without becoming a resident covers the 90-day rule.
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. 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, so it is worth knowing which one you are in before the vehicle is loaded. Cars and other motor vehicles are not part of a household removal and need a specialist shipper.
How Long the Removal Takes and What It Costs
Door to door on a dedicated vehicle is typically 3 to 7 working days depending on the region, and longer on a shared load, which travels on a scheduled run alongside other customers' belongings. Shared-load moves to France start from £1,200. The full price bands, and what moves the figure up or down, are on our removals to France page, and smaller moves are covered on part-load removals to France.
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. More on our storage page.
Where People Are Actually Moving To
Brittany and Normandy are the closest regions and the quickest to reach. The Dordogne and the Charente have long-established British communities, Provence and the Côte d'Azur draw people for the weather, and the big cities draw people for work. Our guide to the best places to live in France for English speakers compares the regions, and our best villages in the Dordogne guide goes deeper on the south-west. We also have pages for removals to the Dordogne, Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon, Nice and Toulouse.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I move to France after Brexit?
Apply for a long-stay visa from the French consulate in the 90 days before you travel, and validate it online within three months of arriving. Your belongings travel against a customs entry and a written inventory, and transfer-of-residence relief normally removes duty and VAT on used household goods if you are moving your main home.
How long does it take to move to France from the UK, start to finish?
Allow six to nine months from first decision to arrival if you are moving permanently. The visa window fixes the timing; the removal itself needs three to four weeks of notice and a few working days on the road.
Can I take my car to France in the removal lorry?
No. Cars and other motor vehicles are not moved as part of a household removal and need a specialist vehicle shipper.
Do I need a visa to keep a holiday home in France?
Not if you stay under 90 days in any 180. Beyond that you need a long-stay visa, and furnishing a holiday home does not qualify for the same customs relief as moving your main residence.
Ready to Plan Your Move?
See our removals to France service for prices and transit times, request a quote online, or book a free video survey. Moving the other way? See removals from France to the UK.
