Customs Clearance for a UK to France Move
Since Brexit, every UK household moving to France crosses a customs border, and your belongings need a declaration on each side of the Channel. If you qualify for transfer of residence relief you normally pay no duty or TVA on them, and the French clearance itself costs from around €60. The paperwork still has to be right: a missing document can leave a removals lorry waiting at Calais or Dunkirk.
This guide covers which declarations are needed, who files them, what to prepare and what clearance costs. For removal prices and transit times, see Moving from the UK to France.
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Transfer of Residence Relief: Do You Qualify?
Transfer of residence relief (franchise pour transfert de résidence) lets you bring personal property into France free of import duty and TVA when you move your main home there. The conditions are:
- You lived outside the EU for at least 12 consecutive months before the move.
- You owned and used the goods for at least 6 months before moving them.
- The goods are for personal use at your new French home, not for resale or business.
- They are declared within 12 months of you taking up residence in France.
- You keep them for 12 months after import: no selling, lending or hiring them out in that time without paying the duty.
Some items never qualify: alcohol, tobacco, commercial and mixed-use vehicles, mobile homes and equipment used for a trade. Cars and motorbikes can qualify but are handled separately, so tell your remover early if a vehicle is part of the move.
Relief does not apply if you are furnishing a second home while remaining UK-resident. Check your own case with your remover's customs representative or Infos Douane before booking.
The Declarations Your Move Needs
A UK to France move involves a declaration on each side of the border. Your removals company usually arranges the UK side, and a French customs representative handles the French side.
- UK export declaration, lodged with HMRC before your goods leave the UK.
- ELO (Electronic Logistics Envelope), which links the lorry to its customs declarations at France's "smart border" ports such as Calais and Dunkirk, so it can drive straight off the ferry or train.
- French import declaration (IMA), which claims transfer of residence relief and releases your goods into France.
Moving the other way, the order reverses: a French export declaration (EXA) first, then a UK import declaration under HMRC's ToR1 relief.
| Declaration | When it is needed | Who usually handles it |
|---|---|---|
| UK export | Goods leaving the UK | UK remover or its broker |
| ELO | Lorry arriving at a French smart-border port | French customs representative |
| French import (IMA) | Goods entering France | French customs representative |
| French export (EXA) | Goods leaving France for the UK | French customs representative |
Documents to Prepare
Most delays come from missing or inconsistent paperwork. Have these ready as scans at least two weeks before collection day:
- Passport (and visa where applicable) for everyone moving
- Proof you lived in the UK for the past 12 months: council tax bills, a tenancy agreement or utility bills
- Proof of your new French address: purchase deed, rental contract or employer letter
- A detailed, numbered inventory with estimated values, ideally in French
- The signed cerfa 10070 declaration, the French form for importing personal property duty-free, which includes the undertaking not to sell the goods for 12 months
- Registration documents and purchase invoices for any vehicle
Ask your remover to check the inventory against what is actually loaded. Customs can inspect a lorry, and a mismatch can trigger a hold.
What French Customs Clearance Costs
With transfer of residence relief there is no duty or TVA on qualifying belongings; what you pay is the service fee for preparing the declarations. Removers usually build this into their quote, so ask for it as a separate line.
As an example, Marseille-based customs representative Lagom Customs charges removals companies these flat rates:
| Service | Flat rate |
|---|---|
| French import declaration (IMA), up to 3 HS codes | €50 |
| French export declaration (EXA), up to 3 HS codes | €50 |
| ELO, where required | €10 per vehicle |
For a typical UK to France household move that is about €60 for the French side: one import declaration plus one ELO. The UK export declaration and the remover's own handling are charged on top. These are trade rates quoted in October 2026 and may change.
How Remote Clearance Works
A Registered Customs Representative (représentant en douane enregistré, RDE) acts on your behalf before French customs, so nobody has to visit a customs office or collect paperwork in person. A typical process runs:
- Your remover emails the move's documents to the representative.
- The representative checks them for compliance.
- The declarations are submitted electronically through the French customs systems.
- The shipment is followed through to the release of the goods.
Representatives such as Lagom Customs clear transfers of residence at Calais, Dunkirk, Cherbourg, Caen, Paris CDG and France's other main ports. They work with removals companies rather than with households directly, so ask your remover who handles their French clearance.
Tips to Avoid Customs Delays
- Start early. Gather your documents 3–4 weeks before collection day.
- Be specific on the inventory. "Kitchen box 12: plates, pans, cutlery" is better than "misc".
- Don't pack excluded goods. Alcohol, tobacco and goods for resale do not belong among your household items.
- Ask who clears the French side. A remover with an established French customs partner is less likely to see a lorry held at port.
- Get customs fees itemised in your quote so you can compare like with like.
Next Steps
Get a figure for the whole move with the European moving cost calculator, then read Moving from the UK to France for transit times, visas and a moving timeline.