Moving from the foreigner to settle in France: what customs duties?

Verified 29 June 2022 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Your situation

  • You transfer your principal residence to France
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These are the physical assets, personal effects, objects and furniture that make up your principal place of residence.

This is also your personal vehicle.

The quantities of these goods must be for personal use and not for commercial (professional) use.

Warning  

You can't bring everything back, some goods require prior authorizations. This is the case for works of art and cultural goods, arms and ammunition, animals, plants and medicines

To benefit from the exemption of customs duties for goods entering France, you must complete the following conditions :

  • You reside in a non-EU country since 1 year minimum
  • You transfer your principal residence (called "normal" by customs) in France. Your property must not enter France to furnish a second home.
  • You've owned these assets since 6 months minimum
  • You import your goods into 12 months that follow your installation in France
  • You commit to do not sell or rent your property for 1 year after entering France

For any information you can contact the French Embassy of the country from which you are moving:

You can also contact the Customs Personal Information Service by telephone:

Who shall I contact

  • Customs Service Info

    To obtain customs information concerning export, import, customs forms, transport and border crossing, exemptions...

    By telephone

     0 800 94 40 40

    Open from Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 6pm

    Toll-free number, local call price

    Outside metropolis or from the foreigner, dial +33 1 72 40 78 50

    By E-mail

    Access to contact form

Documents to be provided to customs

When entering France, you must present the following documents :

  • Detailed Inventory, estimated, dated and signed (in 2 copies) of the goods and movable objects that you intend to transfer to France
  • If you are importing your personal vehicle, certificate of registration or any other equivalent document
  • Any document proving that you have your principal residence in a country outside the EU and you settle in France (invoices, property tax returns or notices, etc.). Before leaving the foreigner, you can request a certificate of change of residence from the French consulate on which you depend.

FYI  

Importing your goods can be done in 1 or more times. If you transfer your goods in several installments, you must show all of them on the inventory handed over to customs on 1er transfer.

Form to fill out

You must present to customs the following form (cerfa n°10070) completed and signed.

Declaration of duty-free entry into France of personal property from third countries to the European Union

The customs services give you in return :

  • 1 certified copy of the inventory of your assets
  • Clearance certificate n°846 A for the registration of your vehicle in a normal series in France
  • On your request, a free movement card

You must pay customs duties on the following products:

  • Alcohol
  • Tobacco
  • Furnishing a second home in France
  • Commercial vehicles, mixed-use vehicles (personal and professional)
  • Portable housing (mobile home, caravan, tiny-house)
  • Equipment for professional use (except small professional equipment such as stethoscopes or musical instruments)
  • Stocks of raw materials and manufactured products
How to declare your property?

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Transfer by car or plane

You declare your goods in customs

If you transfer the goods with you (by car or plane), you must present to the customs office.

Customs officers guide you to to make the declaration.

They tell you the amount of duty to be paid.

You can pay by check, credit card or cash.

Who can help you?

The Customs Individual Telephone Intelligence Service answers all your questions:

Who shall I contact

  • Customs Service Info

    To obtain customs information concerning export, import, customs forms, transport and border crossing, exemptions...

    By telephone

     0 800 94 40 40

    Open from Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 6pm

    Toll-free number, local call price

    Outside metropolis or from the foreigner, dial +33 1 72 40 78 50

    By E-mail

    Access to contact form

The Economic Action Hub Advisory Cells can also provide information on:

Who shall I contact

Transfer by container

It's the customs officials making the declaration.

It's an electronic declaration.

Who can help you?

The Economic Action Pole (EAP) advisory cells can provide information on:

Who shall I contact

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