Removals to France

UK to France — how the route runs

Channel crossings: Eurotunnel and the Short Strait

France is the closest mainland European destination from the UK, which makes it the most operationally efficient country we cover. Most of our France routes go through one of two crossings — Eurotunnel from Folkestone to Coquelles for time-sensitive moves and through-the-night runs, and Dover-Calais ferry crossings for larger consolidated loads where the saving on the booking fee is worth the extra hour or two.

The crossing choice depends on the move shape: smaller residential moves out of London and the South-East tend to use Eurotunnel; full-property relocations from the Midlands and the North often consolidate into a Dover-Calais ferry slot. Either way, the same MTC crew that loaded the property in the UK drives the load through to delivery — no agent handover at the French side.

Where in France we deliver to

France is geographically large and the destination mix is broader than people sometimes expect. MTC delivers across the country — major cities, regional towns, coastal property, and rural inland destinations.

• Paris and Île-de-France — city-centre apartment moves with narrow-access and lift-permit logistics; suburban family moves to the western and southern arrondissements and out to Versailles, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, and Boulogne-Billancourt.
• Lyon, Marseille and the Rhône corridor — UK-French business relocations into Lyon’s Part-Dieu district and broader Rhône-Alpes; coastal Marseille and Aix-en-Provence destinations.
• Bordeaux and the South-West — Aquitaine property moves around Bordeaux, Saint-Émilion vineyards, and the Dordogne. Steady route into the South-West via the A10.
• Côte d’Azur — Nice, Cannes, Antibes, Saint-Tropez — property moves to the Mediterranean coast, including narrow-access old-town deliveries.
• Brittany and Normandy — short-Channel destinations to Caen, Rennes, Rouen and rural Brittany. Often the smallest crossings and the quickest French routes from the UK.
• Rural France — Dordogne, Lot, Tarn, Charente, Vendée — village addresses where the destination is a hamlet rather than a town. The team uses van-only delivery for the last leg where a full lorry can’t access.

UK pickups for France routes

UK collection origins for France routes regularly include London and Greater London, the M25 corridor, Brighton and the South Coast, Bristol and the South-West, Birmingham and the Midlands, and Manchester and Leeds for North-of-England pickups. Scottish collections (Edinburgh, Glasgow) run South-bound to consolidate before Channel crossing.

Customs paperwork for UK to France moves

Personal effects between the UK and France need a customs declaration, an itemised inventory, and the relevant transfer-of-residence documentation. MTC handles the declaration paperwork in-house as part of the international quote, including:

• The export declaration UK-side and the import declaration France-side.
• EORI number guidance — we’ll tell you when you need to apply for one (or confirm if you already have one from a previous move).
• Transfer-of-residence documentation (TOR1 equivalent on the French side) where you’re moving permanently.
• Itemised inventory with values for the import declaration.
• High-value item declarations (jewellery, art, instruments) where they’re part of the move.

What we don’t handle: French residency applications, French tax registration, French banking setup, or the legal side of a French property purchase. That’s for your own legal and financial adviser.

What tends to come up on UK to France moves

• Old-town narrow-access deliveries in Provence, the South-West and Brittany — vans often can’t get close, so the team plans van-to-van shuttle or trolley access at survey.
• Rural-French addresses with no formal postcode-mapped address — common in the Dordogne and inland villages. The survey captures GPS coordinates and access notes so the driver finds the property.
• Property completion timing slipping — French notary completions move dates. Storage on the UK side or the France side is part of the quote where the timing isn’t locked.
• Specialist items — pianos, antiques, art — declared at survey and handled by the same MTC crew, not a sub-contracted specialist.
• Wine cellars — household wine moves to and from France need to be declared properly on the customs paperwork; ask the surveyor for the value threshold.