Moving from Georgia to France (2026): Relocation Guide
Key takeaways
- Start with your pet. Georgia is not on the EU’s list of approved third countries, so a dog or cat needs a rabies antibody (titration) blood test — blood drawn at least 30 days after vaccination, a result of at least 0.5 IU/ml, and then a compulsory three-month wait before EU entry. That is a four-to-five month lead time.
- France grants a customs “franchise de déménagement” (duty and VAT free import of used personal effects) if you lived outside the EU for at least 12 months, owned and used the goods for at least 6 months, and import them within 12 months of settling — declared on CERFA form 10070 with a detailed valued inventory.
- Georgian passport holders travel visa-free to Schengen for 90 days in 180, but living in France needs a long-stay visa (VLS-TS), which you must validate within three months of arrival.
- Goods usually ship from Poti or Batumi by sea to a Mediterranean port such as Marseille, or move overland by road via Turkey and the Balkans.
1. Leaving Georgia: what to close out
Close down the Georgian side cleanly before you go. If you held a Georgian residence card or ID from the Public Service Development Agency (PSDA / sda.gov.ge), there is no formal exit permit, but settle everything tied to your status — tax registration, tenancy notice, property, utilities and mobile contracts. Georgia charges no export duty on personal goods (export, transit and re-export are exempt under Georgia Revenue Service rules), so the Georgian export is administratively simple; your energy should go into the French import file.
Sort documents while you are still in Georgia: birth and marriage certificates, diplomas and professional qualifications, employment references. French administration is paperwork-heavy, so get certified French translations and, where needed, an apostille from the PSDA before you leave — far easier in Georgia than from France. Keep originals with you, not in the container.
Prepare a detailed, dated and valued inventory in two copies. French customs specifically require an inventaire détaillé, daté, signé et valorisé, so build it carefully — it is central to your duty-free claim.
2. How your household goods ship to France
There is no direct short-sea line from Georgia to France, so two routes are practical.
Sea from Poti or Batumi. Georgia’s Black Sea ports handle containers and roll-on/roll-off cargo. A move to a French Mediterranean port such as Marseille-Fos sails west across the Black Sea, through the Bosphorus at Istanbul and into the Mediterranean — a relatively direct maritime path to southern France, though it may still involve a transhipment. For northern France, cargo typically routes to a North European hub and feeders on, which adds time. Plan on several weeks door to door and treat any single quoted transit as indicative. A full container suits a whole household; smaller loads travel as shared (groupage) space.
Road / overland via Turkey and the Balkans. For smaller consignments, an overland road move — Georgia into Turkey, across the Balkans and Central Europe to France — can be competitive and avoids sea transhipment. It crosses the EU external border, so transit and customs documents must be in order.
Air freight is fastest but expensive, best kept for a small box of essentials. Insure any shipment on a replacement-value basis and keep your signed inventory with you.
3. France customs & transfer-of-residence relief
Because you are moving your main residence from outside the EU, your used personal effects can enter France free of customs duty and VAT under the franchise de déménagement (transfer-of-residence relief). The conditions are clear:
- You resided outside the EU for at least 12 months.
- You are transferring your principal residence to France.
- The goods were owned and used privately for at least 6 months before the move.
- You import them within 12 months of settling in France.
To claim it you submit CERFA form 10070 (déclaration d’entrée en franchise de biens personnels) with a detailed, dated, signed and valued inventory in two copies, proof of at least 12 months’ residence abroad, proof of your new French address, and photo ID. Two further points matter: vehicles qualify only if their taxes were paid in the country of origin, and goods admitted duty-free cannot be sold, lent or hired out for 12 months after import — otherwise the taxes fall due. Follow the official French Customs (Douane) and Service-Public.fr guidance.
4. Arriving: registration, residence, driving, healthcare
Residence status. As a Georgian national you can enter Schengen visa-free for 90 days in any 180, but that does not permit living or working in France. To settle you need a long-stay visa (visa de long séjour), typically a VLS-TS (visa long séjour valant titre de séjour), which doubles as a residence permit — applied for at the French consulate before you travel (work, visitor, student, family, etc.).
Validating the VLS-TS. After arriving you must validate the visa online within three months of entry via the government portal (administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr) and pay the applicable tax. Until you validate it, the VLS-TS is only an entry document and does not give you resident rights, health cover or a straightforward path to renewal — so do this promptly.
Healthcare. Once legally resident and validated, you can register for French health insurance (assurance maladie / PUMa). Expect the affiliation process to take time; keep private cover in place until you are enrolled.
Driving. You may generally drive in France on your Georgian licence for up to one year after establishing residence, carrying an official French translation. Whether you can then exchange it for a French licence depends on a reciprocity agreement between France and Georgia; where none applies, you must pass the French driving tests. Check the current reciprocity position early, because the one-year window is firm.
5. Pets
Your pet is the longest-lead item, so plan it first. Georgia is not an EU-listed third country, so the strict EU entry route applies to dogs and cats:
- Microchip (ISO standard) implanted first.
- Rabies vaccination after the microchip.
- Rabies antibody titration test — blood taken at least 30 days after vaccination, sent to an EU-approved laboratory, result at least 0.5 IU/ml.
- Three-month wait — you must wait three months from the date the blood sample was taken before the animal enters the EU.
- EU animal health certificate issued shortly before travel.
On the Georgian side you also need a National Food Agency (NFA) export/veterinary certificate endorsed by a government veterinarian to take the animal out of the country. Because of the 30-day-plus-3-month chain, a compliant EU entry realistically takes four to five months from the vaccination date — begin before you book flights or shipping. Confirm details with the European Commission’s pet-import guidance and the French veterinary authorities.
6. Money, banking & tax basics
Opening a French bank account normally requires proof of address (justificatif de domicile), your passport and your validated visa/residence document. A validated VLS-TS makes this far smoother; before validation, some banks are reluctant, so timing your OFII/portal validation early helps. A French account (with an IBAN and RIB) is needed for rent, salary, utilities and social contributions.
On tax, once your household and centre of interests are in France you are generally a French tax resident and taxable on worldwide income, subject to the France–Georgia tax treaty and any reliefs. A mid-year move complicates the departure and arrival years, and French wealth/property rules can apply if you own French real estate. If you keep Georgian income, take advice on both sides to avoid double taxation and reporting mistakes. Keep dated proof of when you left Georgia and settled in France — it supports both your tax position and your customs franchise claim.
How Flyto handles your Georgia to France move
Flyto runs the whole corridor as one project. We begin with the pet timeline — microchip, vaccination, titration test and the three-month wait — so it never becomes the bottleneck. We arrange the shipment out of Poti or Batumi by sea to Marseille or another French port, or overland by road via Turkey and the Balkans, matched to your volume and deadline, and we prepare the dated, valued inventory French customs demand. Through our own hubs across Northern, Central and Southern Europe we handle the export leg and your CERFA 10070 franchise-de-déménagement clearance, then delivery and unpacking, while briefing you on your VLS-TS validation, health cover and bank setup. Get a quote and we will plan the timeline back from your move date.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need the rabies blood test to bring my pet from Georgia to France?
Yes. Georgia is not EU-listed, so a rabies antibody titration test is mandatory — blood at least 30 days after vaccination, result at least 0.5 IU/ml, then a three-month wait before EU entry. See the European Commission pet-import guidance.
How long does the pet process take?
Plan four to five months: the 30-day minimum before the blood draw, lab turnaround, and the compulsory three-month wait from the sampling date. Start it first. Source.
Will I pay French duty and VAT on my belongings?
Not if you qualify for the franchise de déménagement — 12 months outside the EU, goods owned and used at least 6 months, imported within 12 months — declared on CERFA 10070. See Service-Public.fr — F492.
What visa do Georgian citizens need to live in France?
Visa-free travel covers only 90 days in 180. To settle you need a long-stay visa (usually a VLS-TS), obtained before travel and validated within three months of arrival. See France-Visas — arrival in France.
How and when do I validate my VLS-TS?
Online within three months of arrival via the interior ministry’s foreigners’ portal, paying the applicable tax; until then it is only an entry document. Source.
Can I keep driving on my Georgian licence?
Generally for up to one year after establishing residence, with an official translation; exchanging it for a French licence depends on France–Georgia reciprocity, otherwise you must take the French tests. Service-Public.fr — foreign licences.
Sources
- European Commission — Bringing a pet into the EU from a non-EU country
- European Commission — Designated rabies antibody titration laboratories
- Service-Public.fr — Déménagement en France depuis un pays hors UE (franchise / CERFA 10070)
- French Customs (Douane) — transfer of residence formalities
- France-Visas — Arrival in France and VLS-TS validation
- EU Delegation to Georgia — Travel & study (Schengen visa-free rules)
- Georgia Revenue Service — Customs (export of goods)
- National Food Agency of Georgia — Veterinary / animal export
- Batumi Seaport — port terminals and Ro-Ro/container capability