Moving from France to Canada means clearing customs on both ends of a transatlantic move: an export out of the European Union under French customs supervision, and an import into Canada under the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). The two halves run on different rules, different forms and different authorities, and a mistake on the departure side often only surfaces weeks later, when your container reaches Montreal or Vancouver. This guide covers the France export side, the Canada import side, pets, vehicles and money, plus a short note on the reverse Canada to France direction. It is written for a resident of France relocating to Canada as a new permanent resident, a worker or a student.

Key takeaways

• Whether your household goods enter Canada duty- and tax-free depends on your immigration intent: only a "settler" arriving to live for 12+ months qualifies under tariff item 9807.00.00 (CBSA Memorandum D2-2-1).
• On the French side, transferring your main residence outside the EU generally needs no customs declaration for ordinary personal effects, but you must hold a dated, signed inventory in duplicate (DGDDI).
• France’s customs authority is the Direction Générale des Douanes et Droits Indirects (DGDDI) (douane.gouv.fr).
• Certain goods still need an export declaration and can carry export taxes — precious metals at 10% and art/jewellery/collectibles over €5,000 at a 6% forfait (DGDDI).
• You must notify the French tax authorities of your departure and are then managed by the non-residents’ tax service; an exit tax on latent capital gains can apply (impots.gouv.fr).
• In Canada you list everything — arriving now and "goods to follow" — on Form BSF186 at your first point of entry; nothing can be added later (CBSA).
• Dogs and cats need a microchip and a valid rabies vaccination on both ends (service-public.gouv.fr; CFIA).
• Currency or monetary instruments of CAD $10,000 or more must be declared to CBSA on entry (CBSA).

1. Your Canadian immigration status sets the customs rules

Canada does not treat all arrivals the same. Under CBSA Memorandum D2-2-1, a settler is a person entering Canada "with the intention of establishing, for the first time, a residence for a period of not less than 12 months." Settlers import their personal and household effects free of duty and tax under tariff item 9807.00.00, provided the goods were owned, possessed and used abroad before arrival (CBSA D2-2-1).

The trap is that immigration status and customs status are not identical. Someone coming for employment of 36 months or less, or for studies, does not qualify as a settler and cannot claim these settler benefits; a person employed for more than 36 months becomes a settler on arrival (CBSA D2-2-1). So a French family landing on a Permanent Resident visa should plan around 9807.00.00, while a French professional on a two-year work permit, or a student, is importing goods on a temporary basis instead. Confirm your category before you ship — it changes both the paperwork and the tax exposure. One more rule to respect: settler’s goods sold or given away within 12 months of import can be re-assessed for duty on their value at the date of sale (CBSA D2-2-1).

2. The France export side

France’s customs authority is the Direction Générale des Douanes et Droits Indirects (DGDDI). When you transfer your main residence to a country outside the EU, ordinary personal effects, household goods and private-use vehicles generally require no export customs declaration (DGDDI). What DGDDI does expect you to hold and present on request is:

• proof of the change of residence (passport, property deed or rental contract);
• an attestation from your landlord or the local authority; and
• a detailed, estimated inventory in duplicate (triplicate if you export through an interior customs office), dated, paginated and signed (DGDDI).

The export may be carried out in one or several shipments over a one-year period (DGDDI). Some categories are exceptions and do need an export declaration: arms and ammunition, precious metals, dual-use goods and technology, protected wild fauna and flora, and cultural goods (DGDDI). Watch the export taxes too: a 10% tax on gold, silver and platinum, and a 6% forfait on jewellery, art objects, antiques and collectibles above €5,000 (DGDDI). France Diplomatie summarises the same departure formalities for expatriating French residents (diplomatie.gouv.fr).

Tax exit. Leaving France is also a tax event. You must inform your tax office of your new address abroad through your personal space on impots.gouv.fr; from your departure, your French-source income is handled by the Service des impôts des particuliers non-résidents (impots.gouv.fr). If you hold significant securities, an exit tax can apply immediately to latent and deferred capital gains at departure, though payment can be deferred in some cases (impots.gouv.fr). Run through the practical checklist of formalities before you go (impots.gouv.fr). France has no single "de-registration" office like some countries — your notification to the tax authority, plus registration with your French consulate in Canada, is the practical equivalent.

3. Ports and transit times

Sea freight from France usually leaves through one of the country’s two principal maritime gateways: Le Havre, run by the HAROPA PORT authority and France’s largest container port (HAROPA PORT), or Marseille-Fos on the Mediterranean, operated by the Grand Port Maritime de Marseille (GPMM). For a move to Canada, Le Havre is the natural North Atlantic departure point.

The transit times below are freight-industry estimates, not official figures, and they vary with carrier, season and routing:

• Le Havre to Montreal (East Coast), sea: roughly 2–4 weeks in transit, plus consolidation, sailing schedules and Canadian customs clearance.
• Le Havre to Vancouver (West Coast), sea: materially longer, commonly around 5–7 weeks via the Panama Canal.
• Air freight, France to Canada: typically a handful of days in the air, but far more expensive per cubic metre — best for a small urgent shipment, not a full household.

Always plan door-to-door in months, not weeks: packing, port cut-offs, the ocean leg and destination clearance all stack up.

4. The Canada import side

At your first point of entry into Canada you declare your goods to CBSA and complete Form BSF186, the Personal Effects Accounting Document (which replaced the former B4) (CBSA). List each item with a description, serial numbers where they exist, and values in Canadian dollars. Crucially, you list both the goods with you and the "goods to follow" — the sea shipment that arrives later — on this same form at arrival (CBSA D2-2-1).

Two hard rules follow. First, you cannot add items to the "goods to follow" list after your first entry — anything not declared then loses its duty-free settler treatment (CBSA D2-2-1). Second, keep the CBSA-stamped copy: your shipping agent needs it to clear your container, and there is no time limit on importing the listed goods once it is stamped (CBSA D2-2-1). Settlers also receive the standard personal exemptions for alcohol and tobacco within set limits (CBSA D2-2-1).

5. Pets

Leaving France. Your dog or cat must be identified by microchip, hold a European pet passport issued by a veterinarian, and carry a valid rabies vaccination (effective at least 21 days after injection, given after microchipping) (service-public.gouv.fr). The competent authority is the Direction départementale de la protection des populations (DDPP).

Entering Canada. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) requires dogs and cats to hold a valid rabies vaccination certificate, written in English or French, signed by a licensed veterinarian and identifying the animal (CFIA). France is not on the CFIA’s short list of rabies-free countries (Australia, Fiji, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Sweden and the United Kingdom), so the vaccination route applies. Note a separate rule that does not affect ordinary family pets: since 28 September 2022, CFIA prohibits commercial dog imports from countries it lists as high-risk for dog rabies — this targets dogs for resale, adoption, breeding or fostering, not your own pet. Check your dog’s country of origin against CFIA’s current high-risk list before you travel (CFIA). Declare your pet to the CBSA officer on arrival; inspection fees apply.

6. Vehicles, money and things people forget

Vehicles. France lets you export a private-use car without a customs declaration but asks for a photocopy of the carte grise (DGDDI). Canada is the harder side: vehicle imports must satisfy Transport Canada and the Registrar of Imported Vehicles, and many European models are not admissible — verify eligibility before you ship a car, because a non-compliant vehicle can be refused.

Money. You must declare to CBSA any currency or monetary instruments of CAD $10,000 or more (or the foreign-currency equivalent) when entering Canada; undeclared amounts can be seized (CBSA).

Easy to forget: dated valuations for high-value items so they match your BSF186; wine and spirits, which fall outside settler relief and attract duty; wooden furniture and plant material, which face CFIA controls; and keeping your French consular registration and tax notification in order so your exit is clean.

How Flyto handles your France to Canada move

Flyto runs strong in-house European operations — our own offices, warehouses, teams and vehicles across Northern, Central and Southern Europe — so the French collection, packing and export leg is handled directly by people we manage. For the ocean freight and the Canadian side, we combine a carefully chosen partner and subcontractor network with trusted local partners in Canada, so your BSF186 clearance and final delivery are run by specialists on the ground. We do not claim to do everything ourselves: we own the parts we do best and partner where local expertise wins.

Frequently asked questions

Do I pay duty on my used furniture entering Canada?
If you arrive as a settler intending to live in Canada for 12+ months, personal and household effects owned, possessed and used before arrival are generally duty- and tax-free under tariff item 9807.00.00 (CBSA D2-2-1).

Can my container arrive before I do?
Plan to arrive first. You must declare and list your "goods to follow" on Form BSF186 at your own first point of entry, so the settler treatment attaches at your arrival, not the container’s (CBSA).

I’m on a two-year work permit — same rules?
No. Employment of 36 months or less, or study, does not make you a settler, so you import on a temporary basis rather than duty-free under 9807.00.00 (CBSA D2-2-1).

What do I need on the French side for my belongings?
Usually no export declaration for ordinary effects, but keep a dated, signed inventory in duplicate plus proof of your residence change for the DGDDI (DGDDI).

Will I still owe French tax after I leave?
You notify the tax office and move to the non-residents’ service; French-source income stays taxable in France, and an exit tax on securities gains may apply at departure (impots.gouv.fr).

What about moving back — Canada to France?
The reverse is a change-of-residence import into France. DGDDI grants relief on personal effects owned and used abroad, declared on the personal-effects franchise form CERFA 10070 ("Déclaration d’entrée en France en franchise de biens personnels en provenance de pays tiers à l’UE") with a detailed, estimated inventory; any imported vehicle carries an undertaking not to resell it for 12 months. Confirm the current shipment deadline and exact conditions with DGDDI before you move (DGDDI).

Sources

• DGDDI — Transfert de résidence hors UE (expatriés)
• DGDDI — Déménagement hors de l’Union européenne
• DGDDI — Franchise à l’entrée en France de biens personnels (CERFA 10070)
• France Diplomatie — Déménagement (douanes, avant le départ)
• impots.gouv.fr — Je pars à l’étranger ou j’arrive en France
• impots.gouv.fr — Je pars vivre à l’étranger, quelles démarches ?
• service-public.gouv.fr — Voyager à l’étranger avec son animal de compagnie
• HAROPA PORT — Le Havre
• Grand Port Maritime de Marseille — Marseille-Fos
• CBSA — Form BSF186 (Personal Effects Accounting Document)
• CBSA — Memorandum D2-2-1 (Settlers’ effects)
• CBSA — Travelling with CAN$10,000 or more
• CFIA — Bringing animals to Canada / pets
• CFIA — Importing dogs