Moving to France with household goods
How to bring your belongings into France without customs duty or VAT, what goes on the inventory and form 10070, and the rules for the first year.
The BoxTrack team · · 5 min read
The container was booked, the apartment in Lyon was signed for September, and the mover's French agent sent a list of what they'd need to clear customs. Two items stood out: "inventaire détaillé, estimatif, daté et signé, en deux exemplaires" and "cerfa 10070." Neither meant anything yet. Both decide whether a shipment of used furniture and kitchen boxes arrives tax-free.
If you're moving your main home to France from outside the European Union, your personal belongings can usually enter without customs duty or VAT. France applies the EU's rules for people transferring their residence, and French customs (the douane) sets out the paperwork. Here's what qualifies, what to prepare, and what to avoid in the first year.
Who qualifies
The relief comes from the EU regulation on reliefs from customs duty, and the French government's guide to settling in France from outside the EU spells out the conditions:
The numbers that decide it
- You've lived outside the EU for at least a year.
- You're moving your main residence. Goods to furnish a second home don't qualify.
- You've owned the things for at least six months.
- They arrive within 12 months of your change of residence. French customs says they can come in one or more shipments, but the inventory you hand in with the first one must list everything you're claiming relief for.
That last point catches people who send a few boxes by air and the rest by sea. The first inventory has to cover both.
| Usually qualifies | |
|---|---|
| Furniture, kitchenware, linens, books, clothes | ✓ |
| Used electronics and appliances | ✓ |
| A private car you've owned for six months | ✓ |
| Things bought new for the move and never used | ✗ |
| Alcoholic drinks and tobacco | ✗ |
| Goods for a business, or a commercial vehicle | ✗ |
The papers customs asks for
French customs' page on transferring your main residence lists what goes in the file:
- A detailed inventory of your belongings, with estimated values, dated and signed, in two copies
- Form cerfa 10070*03, the declaration of duty-free entry of personal property from outside the EU
- Proof that you lived outside the EU
- Proof that you now live in France, such as an electricity or gas bill, a lease, a rent receipt or a property tax notice
In return, customs gives back a stamped copy of the inventory. If you're bringing a car, they also issue a certificate 846 A, which you need to register it in France.
Most international movers have a French agent or customs broker who files this for you. They still need the inventory, and only you can write it.
Writing the inventory
"Détaillé" and "estimatif" are the two words that matter. A list that says "30 boxes, household goods" isn't detailed, and a list with no values isn't estimated. A few habits make it hold up:
- Number every box and list what's inside it, box by box. "Carton 12, cuisine: 8 assiettes, 6 bols, 1 cocotte" tells customs what they'd find if they opened it.
- Give each line a value. It's an estimate of what the used item is worth, not what it cost new. Round numbers are fine.
- Add brand, model and serial numbers for electronics and appliances. A serial number also shows the laptop in the box is the one on the list.
- Keep old receipts for anything valuable. They help show you've owned it for more than six months.
- Sign and date both copies. Customs keeps one and stamps the other for you.
Your mover may want the list in French. Ask their agent before you pack, so you write it once.
Bringing a car
A private car can come in under the same relief if you've owned and used it for at least six months outside the EU. It goes on the inventory and the form like everything else, and customs issues the certificate 846 A for registration. Registering it is a separate step once you're in France, so plan for it alongside the move.
The first 12 months
French customs says you can't sell, rent, lend or pledge anything admitted duty-free for 12 months after it enters France. If you do, the duty and VAT can become due.
That's worth deciding before you pack. If the sectional won't fit a Paris staircase, or the 120-volt kitchen appliances won't run on France's 230-volt power, selling them before you leave is usually simpler than shipping them and keeping them for a year.
A move to France, in order
- Before you bookCheck you meet the one-year, six-month and 12-month rules
- PackingNumber each box and list it as you pack, with values and serial numbers
- Before shippingSend the signed inventory and form 10070 to your mover's agent
- ArrivalCustoms clears the shipment and stamps your copy of the inventory
- The next 12 monthsDon't sell, rent out, lend or pledge what came in duty-free
One list, packed once
The inventory customs wants is also what your international mover needs for the packing list, and what an insurer asks for if a crate arrives damaged. Writing it as you pack, box by box, saves rebuilding it from memory at the end.
BoxTrack does that from your phone. Make a box in the app for each carton, snap a photo of what goes in, and AI lists the items with an estimated value for you to check. You can type item names in French and add serial numbers to the electronics. Print a QR label for every box, then export the whole list to Excel with box numbers, items, quantities and values for your mover's agent. See how BoxTrack handles customs lists. Your first box is free.
If you're still deciding how to ship, our guide to container vs air freight compares the two. The Portugal guide covers the same EU rules from the Portuguese side, and the free customs list template is a place to start the inventory.
Sources
- Service-Public.fr, Settling in France after living in a country outside the EU: what customs duties?
- Service-Public.fr, Declaration of duty-free entry of personal property from third countries (form 10070*03)
- French customs (douane.gouv.fr), Deductibles when transferring your main residence to France
- Council of the European Union, Regulation (EC) No 1186/2009 on reliefs from customs duty
This is general information, not legal or customs advice. French customs decides every case, and the rules and forms can change. Check the current douane.gouv.fr page, or ask your mover's customs agent, before you ship.
