Moving from France to Germany is one of the most common corridors in Europe, and — because both countries are EU and euro-area members — it is fundamentally different from a move to a non-EU country. There is no customs border to clear, no import duty on your furniture, and no visa to apply for. This guide is written for a French resident (French national or any EU/EEA citizen legally resident in France) relocating to Germany, and it focuses on what actually still needs doing: closing out your French administrative life, registering correctly on arrival in Germany, and moving your belongings, car and pets across a border that — administratively — barely exists anymore for goods, but still requires real paperwork for people, vehicles and animals.

Key takeaways

• No customs duties, no import declaration on your household goods. France and Germany are both inside the EU customs union and single market, so goods already in free circulation move between them without customs formalities or duty — this is the core "free movement of goods" guarantee (European Parliament factsheet; Council of the EU, the EU customs union).
• No visa or work permit needed — as an EU/EEA citizen you have the right to live and work in Germany freely; the only real requirement is registering your presence once you settle (Your Europe: residence formalities in the EU).
• You must register your address in Germany within 2 weeks (Anmeldung) at the local Bürgeramt/Einwohnermeldeamt. Unlike some EU countries, Germany does not additionally require EU citizens to obtain a separate residence/registration certificate — Anmeldung itself is the formality that matters (Bundesportal: Wohnsitz anmelden; Your Europe: registering residence abroad).
• Notify France’s CPAM of your departure with form S1105 so your health cover in France is closed correctly and, if eligible, you get an S1 form or European Health Insurance Card for the transition (ameli.fr — S1105 déclaration de transfert de résidence).
• Health insurance is compulsory in Germany — you must join a statutory (gesetzliche) or private scheme shortly after arrival (gesund.bund.de: health insurance).
• You don’t need to apply for a German tax number — a Steuer-Identifikationsnummer is issued automatically by the Bundeszentralamt für Steuern once your Anmeldung is processed (BZSt: Identifikationsnummer).
• Your French driving licence stays valid in Germany until it expires — no immediate exchange is required for an EU-issued licence (Your Europe: driving licence exchange and recognition).
• A car you bring with you must be re-registered in Germany if you settle there long-term, with French papers (carte grise), a roadworthiness check, and — for near-new cars — a VAT declaration (Your Europe: car registration in another EU country; Your Europe: VAT when buying or selling a car).

1. Why this move has (almost) no customs paperwork

Because France and Germany are both fully inside the EU customs union, goods that are already in free circulation in one member state move to another without customs duties, import declarations, or "personal effects" relief schemes — those exist for goods entering the EU from outside, not for moves between two EU countries (EU customs union in action; European Parliament factsheet on free movement of goods). Your moving company does not file an import entry for your furniture, and you pay no VAT or duty on it. In practice, an inventory listing what’s in the shipment is still good practice for insurance and to distinguish a private house move from a commercial consignment, but it is not a customs formality.

The one area where genuine cross-border paperwork remains is vehicles and pets, because those are regulated separately from general "goods" — covered in sections 3 and 5 below. If your move ever routes through Switzerland (not in the EU/EEA customs union — a formal customs declaration and duty relief for removal goods applies) or Norway/Iceland (EEA but outside the EU customs union — customs formalities with removal-goods relief apply), those legs do require customs handling; a pure France–Germany move does not.

2. Closing things out in France

Tax residency. You end French tax residency by notifying the tax administration of your departure and your new address, either through your online space on impots.gouv.fr or your local tax office; for the year of departure, if you still received French-source income after leaving, you file a supplementary "departure abroad" declaration (form 2042-NR) covering that French-source income up to December 31 of the departure year (impots.gouv.fr: je pars à l’étranger; service-public.gouv.fr: impôt sur le revenu d’un Français qui part vivre à l’étranger).

Healthcare. Notify your CPAM (primary health insurance fund) of your departure using form S1105, "Déclaration de transfert de résidence hors de France," within one month of leaving, and return your Carte Vitale and any European Health Insurance Card (CEAM) as instructed (ameli.fr S1105 form; service-public.gouv.fr: déclaration de transfert de résidence hors de France). Depending on your situation (retiree, cross-border worker), your CPAM can also issue an S1 form entitling you to register for healthcare in Germany.

Vehicle. If you are permanently exporting a car you own, French registration (carte grise) formalities are handled online via ANTS (immatriculation.ants.gouv.fr): declare the transfer/export, and keep your Histovec vehicle history report and crossed-out registration certificate for German re-registration (service-public.gouv.fr: vendre ou donner son véhicule).

Address and mail. There is no general national "leaving France" deregistration equivalent to Anmeldung — French municipalities don’t hold a comparable population register requiring formal exit sign-off — but do close/redirect utilities, cancel local taxe d’habitation liability from your departure date, and set up mail redirection with La Poste.

3. How your household goods actually move

Because there’s no customs step, the France–Germany corridor is a straightforward European road-freight move. Realistic freight-industry estimates (not official figures — actual timing depends on your mover, load size and route):

• Paris/Île-de-France → Berlin (~1,050 km by road): typically 2–4 days transit for a dedicated or part-load road move.
• Paris → Frankfurt/Cologne/Western Germany (~450–550 km): often 1–2 days.
• Lyon/Strasbourg → Munich or Stuttgart (~500–700 km): typically 1–3 days.
• Southern France (Marseille, Toulouse) → Northern Germany (Hamburg): longer road legs, commonly 3–5 days for full-load moves, more for consolidated part-loads that pick up/drop off other shipments en route.

Groupage (shared-load) shipments generally take longer than dedicated trucks because of multiple stops. Rail-based options exist for very large volumes but are uncommon for household moves on this corridor given the strong road network between the two countries.

4. Registering and settling in Germany

Anmeldung (address registration). Within two weeks of moving into your new home, you must register in person at the local Bürgeramt/Einwohnermeldeamt (residents’ registration office), bringing your passport or ID card, the completed Anmeldung form, and a landlord confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung) — required by law since 2015 alongside the tenancy agreement, and registration is not possible without it (Bundesportal: Wohnsitz anmelden). Missing the deadline can carry a fine. You receive a Meldebescheinigung (registration certificate) confirming your address.

No separate EU residence certificate required. As an EU citizen you don’t need a residence permit (Aufenthaltstitel) to live in Germany — the old "Freizügigkeitsbescheinigung" was abolished in 2013, and there is no equivalent mandatory certificate you must apply for today. Your Anmeldung is normally treated by the authorities as sufficient evidence that the conditions for freedom of movement are met; only in specific cases might the foreigners authority (Ausländerbehörde) later ask you to substantiate your right of residence (e.g. proof of income or employment) (Your Europe: residence documents and formalities; Your Europe: registering residence abroad after the first 3 months).

Tax ID. You do not apply for a German tax number — once your Anmeldung is processed, the Bundeszentralamt für Steuern (BZSt) automatically issues and mails you a Steuer-Identifikationsnummer, typically within a few weeks (BZSt: Identifikationsnummer).

Health insurance. Statutory health insurance is compulsory for residents of Germany; if you’re employed, your employer typically handles enrolment with a Krankenkasse of your choice, and you’ll need your Meldebescheinigung and employment details to complete it (gesund.bund.de: health insurance). If you already hold French health cover via an S1 form, this can establish your route into the German statutory system without a gap.

Driving licence. An EU-issued driving licence (including French ones, valid 15 years from issue) remains valid to drive in Germany right up to its own expiry date — no immediate exchange is legally required. You would only be required to exchange it early in narrower cases, such as if it is lost, stolen or damaged, or after a traffic offence in Germany; once it eventually expires you exchange it for a German one at your local Führerscheinstelle (Your Europe: driving licence exchange and recognition).

Vehicle re-registration. If you’re settling in Germany, you register your car at the Kfz-Zulassungsstelle for your new address. For a used car from France you’ll need the French registration papers (carte grise) and plates, the EU certificate of conformity (CoC) if available, and proof of a valid roadworthiness inspection (TÜV/Hauptuntersuchung) once the vehicle reaches the relevant age; near-new vehicles (under 6 months old or under 6,000 km, per the EU’s VAT definition of a "new" car) require a VAT declaration at registration rather than being treated as a routine used-car import (Your Europe: car registration in another EU country; Your Europe: VAT when buying or selling a car).

5. Moving with pets

Dogs, cats and ferrets travelling between EU countries need an EU pet passport, issued by an authorised vet, showing a valid microchip (implanted before or at the time of rabies vaccination) and rabies vaccination completed at least 21 days before travel (Your Europe: EU rules on travelling with pets; European Commission: travelling with a pet within the EU). Germany is not one of the EU countries that requires the additional tapeworm (Echinococcus multilocularis) treatment for dogs — that only applies when entering Finland, Ireland, Malta or Norway (and Northern Ireland) — so for a straightforward France-to-Germany move, the passport plus up-to-date microchip and rabies vaccination is normally all that’s needed. There is no quarantine and no customs step for the pet itself on this route.

6. Money, banking and things people forget

Bank account. As a legal resident of an EU country you are entitled to open a "basic payment account" at a bank there, and banks cannot refuse solely because you don’t yet live in that country when you apply (Your Europe: opening a bank account in the EU). Your French IBAN keeps working for SEPA transfers, so you don’t need to rush to close it — many people run both accounts in parallel for a while.

Easy-to-forget items: cancelling/transferring French insurance policies (home, car — remember your car insurer needs to know about the export or re-registration); redirecting mail; informing your French pension/CAF/employer of your new address; checking whether your French mobile contract has an early-termination clause; and, if you have school-age children, starting German school enrolment early since it can take longer than the move itself.

How Flyto handles your France to Germany move

Flyto runs its own offices, warehouses, crews and vehicles across Northern, Central and Southern Europe, so a substantial share of France–Germany moves are handled directly with our own teams rather than handed off. Where a route, timing or specialist service (such as fine-art handling or a remote pickup/delivery address) calls for it, we route the job through a carefully vetted network of partner carriers we’ve worked with long-term, so you get one point of contact and one quote regardless of who’s driving which leg.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a visa to move from France to Germany?
No. As an EU/EEA citizen you have full freedom of movement; the practical requirement is registering your address (Anmeldung) after you arrive, not applying for a visa (Your Europe: residence formalities).

Will I pay customs duty or VAT on my furniture and belongings?
No. Because both countries are in the EU customs union, household goods already in free circulation move between them without customs duty, import VAT, or an import declaration (Council of the EU: the EU customs union).

How soon do I have to register my address in Germany?
Within two weeks of moving into your new home, at the local Bürgeramt/Einwohnermeldeamt; you’ll need your landlord’s Wohnungsgeberbestätigung to complete it (Bundesportal: Wohnsitz anmelden).

Do I need a separate document proving my right to live in Germany as an EU citizen?
No. Unlike in some EU countries, Germany does not require EU citizens to obtain a separate residence or registration certificate; your Anmeldung is normally sufficient, though the foreigners authority can, in specific cases, ask you to prove the conditions are met (Your Europe: residence documents and formalities).

Can I keep using my French driving licence in Germany?
Yes, an EU-issued licence remains valid until its own expiry date; you only need to exchange it for a German one once it expires, or earlier in specific cases such as loss, theft, damage, or a traffic offence in Germany (Your Europe: driving licence exchange).

Do I need to re-register my car in Germany?
Yes, if you’re settling there — cars must generally be registered in the country of normal residence, so a long-term move means re-registering with the local Zulassungsstelle using your French papers and a roadworthiness check (Your Europe: car registration in another EU country).

What happens to my health cover during the move?
Notify your CPAM with form S1105 before leaving France; depending on your status you may receive an S1 form to bridge into German statutory health insurance, which becomes compulsory once you’re resident there (ameli.fr S1105; gesund.bund.de).

Does my dog need tapeworm treatment to enter Germany?
No. Germany doesn’t require the Echinococcus multilocularis tapeworm treatment that some EU countries (Finland, Ireland, Malta, Norway) mandate — you just need the standard EU pet passport with a valid microchip and rabies vaccination (European Commission: travelling with a pet within the EU).

Sources

• European Parliament: Free movement of goods (factsheet)
• Council of the EU: The EU customs union
• European Union: EU customs union in action
• Your Europe: Residence documents and formalities when living in another EU country
• Your Europe: Registering residence abroad after the first 3 months
• Your Europe: Driving licence exchange and recognition
• Your Europe: Car registration in another EU country
• Your Europe: VAT when buying or selling a car
• Your Europe: EU rules on travelling with pets and other animals
• European Commission: Travelling with a pet within the EU
• Your Europe: Opening a basic bank account within the EU
• impots.gouv.fr: Je pars à l’étranger ou j’arrive en France
• service-public.gouv.fr: Impôt sur le revenu d’un Français qui part vivre à l’étranger
• service-public.gouv.fr: Déclaration de transfert de résidence hors de France
• ameli.fr: Formulaire S1105 — Déclaration de transfert de résidence hors de France
• service-public.gouv.fr: Vendre ou donner son véhicule
• Bundesportal (verwaltung.bund.de): Wohnsitz anmelden
• Bundeszentralamt für Steuern (BZSt): Steuerliche Identifikationsnummer
• gesund.bund.de: Health insurance in Germany