Moving from Kenya to France (2026): Relocation Guide
Key takeaways
- Deal with your pet first. Kenya is not on the EU’s list of approved third countries, so a dog or cat must pass a rabies antibody titration test (blood taken at least 30 days after vaccination, result of 0.5 IU/ml or more) and then wait three months before entering the EU. Budget four to five months for the animal.
- Used household goods can enter France free of duty and VAT under the transfer-of-residence exemption (franchise de déménagement), if you lived outside the EU for more than 12 months and owned and used the goods for more than six months.
- You declare the goods on form Cerfa 10070 with a detailed, dated and signed inventory in two copies, and you must import within 12 months of transferring your residence.
- As a Kenyan (third-country) national you need a French long-stay visa; the VLS-TS type must be validated online (with OFII) within three months of arrival.
- Sea freight from Mombasa to Le Havre runs roughly six to eight weeks port to port; door to door is commonly two to three months.
- A Kenyan driving licence may be usable for up to a year with a translation, but exchange rules for non-EU licences are strict and depend on reciprocity; check early.
1. Leaving Kenya: what to close out
Kenya does not require its own citizens to obtain an exit permit, but confirm your passport meets the validity your French visa needs, and close any Kenyan work or alien-registration status (if you are a foreign national leaving Kenya) through the eCitizen platform and the Directorate of Immigration Services. Non-Kenyans should formally cancel their Kenyan permit rather than let it lapse.
On the revenue side, tell the Kenya Revenue Authority if your Kenyan employment is ending, file any final returns, and keep your KRA PIN active only for income that remains taxable in Kenya, such as rental property. Notify your bank, SHA/NHIF, NSSF, employer, landlord and schools in writing, and collect reference letters, medical and vaccination records and academic transcripts before you leave, since retrieving them from France later is slow.
For your belongings, the Kenya Revenue Authority clears exports at Mombasa under the East African Community Customs Management Act. Used personal effects are generally free of Kenyan export duty, but you will need a valued inventory, your passport and the shipping documents prepared by your freight agent. Photograph valuables and keep receipts, both for the Kenyan export declaration and for the French exemption claim that follows.
2. How your household goods ship to France
Household moves from Kenya to France usually travel by sea container from the Port of Mombasa to the Port of Le Havre, France’s main deep-sea gateway (Marseille-Fos is the common choice for the south). You can book a full-container load (FCL, a 20ft or 40ft container) for a whole household, or a shared groupage/less-than-container load (LCL) for a flat or a few rooms. FCL clears faster and is more secure; LCL is cheaper but slower because it waits for consolidation and deconsolidation at each end.
Plan around six to eight weeks port to port for Mombasa to Le Havre, plus one to three weeks each side for collection, packing, export clearance in Mombasa and French import clearance and delivery, giving a realistic door-to-door window of two to three months. If you need essentials sooner, air freight from Nairobi (JKIA) to Paris arrives in days rather than weeks, at several times the cost per kilo, which only makes sense for high-value, low-weight items.
Pack for equatorial humidity, a long voyage and European handling: strong double-wall cartons, professional furniture wrapping and a detailed, valued inventory. In France that inventory is not optional paperwork; it is a legal part of your customs exemption, and it must be dated and signed.
3. France customs and transfer-of-residence relief
When you transfer your main residence from a non-EU country such as Kenya to France, your used personal property can be imported free of customs duty and VAT under the transfer-of-residence exemption (franchise de déménagement). Without it, the goods are treated as a normal import and taxed, so meeting the conditions is worth the effort.
French customs (la douane) apply the exemption where two conditions are met together: you resided outside the EU for more than 12 months, and the goods were owned and used privately for more than six months before the move. You must import the goods within 12 months of transferring your residence to France, and you may not sell, lend or otherwise dispose of the exempted goods for 12 months after they enter France. Importation can happen in several shipments, but the inventory handed to customs at the first import must list everything for which you claim the exemption.
To claim, you present the Cerfa 10070 declaration (declaration for duty-free entry of personal property from third countries) together with a detailed, estimated, dated and signed inventory in two copies, plus proof that you are transferring your residence (visa, proof of leaving Kenya, and a French address such as a lease). Alcohol, tobacco and commercial goods are excluded. Because the rules are applied precisely, have your mover or a customs agent prepare the file.
4. Arriving: registration, residence, driving, healthcare
As a Kenyan national you are a third-country national and need a French long-stay visa (visa de long séjour, type D) obtained before you travel, for work, study, family or as a visitor. Many long-stay visas are issued as a VLS-TS (visa de long séjour valant titre de séjour), which acts as your residence permit for the first year. Crucially, you must validate the VLS-TS online within three months of your first entry into France, through the government’s foreigners’ portal, paying the associated tax; if you do not validate it in time you lose your legal status and cannot re-enter the Schengen Area. After validation, OFII may schedule a medical check and integration steps.
France has no single town-hall registration like Germany’s Anmeldung, but you will quickly need several things: a French address and proof of it, a French bank account, and enrolment in the health system. Health cover in France is provided through the social-security system; once you are settled and eligible you register for Assurance Maladie (and typically add a complementary mutuelle), and in the meantime your visa will usually have required proof of private health insurance. Keep copies of everything, as French administration runs on documents.
On driving, the rules for non-EU licences are strict and depend on reciprocity agreements between France and the issuing country. In general you may drive on your Kenyan licence for a limited initial period after you become resident, usually with an official French translation, but exchanging it for a French licence is only possible where a reciprocity arrangement exists; otherwise you must pass the French tests. Check your situation with the prefecture (or the ANTS platform) early, because the initial driving window is short.
5. Pets
Bringing a pet from Kenya is the longest-lead task in the whole move, so start it before anything else. Kenya is not on the EU’s list of approved third countries. That means a dog, cat or ferret coming into France must, in order: (1) be microchipped to ISO standard; (2) be vaccinated against rabies after the microchip is fitted; (3) at least 30 days after that vaccination, have a blood sample taken by an authorised vet and tested at an EU-approved laboratory for a rabies antibody level of at least 0.5 IU/ml; and (4) then wait three full months from the date of the successful blood sample before entering the EU.
The animal also needs an EU animal health certificate issued shortly before travel by an official vet, and entry must be through a designated EU traveller point of entry. To leave Kenya you must obtain an export health certificate from the Kenyan Directorate of Veterinary Services (DVS), which verifies your documents and issues the release. Because the titration test and its mandatory three-month wait sit on the critical path, and you must also allow for the vaccination-to-blood-draw gap, laboratory turnaround and certificate issuance, plan four to five months for the pet, and confirm current details with your vet and the European Commission before booking flights.
6. Money, banking and tax basics
Opening a French bank account usually requires proof of a French address, your passport and your visa/residence documentation, so the account tends to follow your arrival and validation. Until then, keep your Kenyan account and use an international transfer service (Wise and similar) to move funds, comparing KES-to-EUR conversion margins carefully because they add up across a full relocation. Keep some euro cash for the first days, and note that many French services still ask for a RIB (bank details) and sometimes proof of address (justificatif de domicile).
On tax, France taxes residents on their worldwide income, and you generally become tax resident once your main home or principal activity is in France. If you keep Kenyan-source income such as rent, get advice on how France treats it and on avoiding double taxation. Retain clear evidence of the dates you left Kenya and arrived in France, as these anchor both your customs exemption and your tax residence. If your affairs go beyond simple employment income, a short consultation with a French tax adviser in your first year is usually worthwhile.
How Flyto handles your Kenya to France move
Flyto Relocation manages the Kenya-to-France corridor as a single project rather than a set of disconnected bookings. We coordinate export packing and clearance at Mombasa, the sea (or air) leg to Le Havre or Marseille, French import clearance with your Cerfa 10070 transfer-of-residence exemption and signed inventory, and final delivery to your door, while keeping your pet’s rabies-titre and three-month-wait timeline on track from day one so the animal is not what holds up your family. Because we run our own hubs across Northern, Central and Southern Europe, your French arrival is handled by people on the ground rather than a distant desk. Send us your dates, your volume and whether pets are travelling, and we will build the plan around them. Get a quote and we will map your full timeline, pet critical path included, before you commit.
Frequently asked questions
Does my dog or cat from Kenya need a rabies blood test to enter France?
Yes. Kenya is not a listed third country, so the EU requires a rabies antibody titration test taken at least 30 days after vaccination with a result of at least 0.5 IU/ml, then a three-month wait before entry. See European Commission — Bringing a pet into the EU.
How long does the pet process take?
Plan four to five months: microchip, then rabies vaccination, a 30-day gap before the blood draw, laboratory turnaround, a mandatory three-month wait after a successful sample, and finally the animal health certificate near travel. See European Commission — Bringing a pet into the EU.
How do I avoid duty and VAT on my furniture?
Claim the transfer-of-residence exemption using Cerfa 10070 with a dated, signed inventory; you must have lived outside the EU for more than 12 months and owned and used the goods for more than six months. See French Customs — Deductibles when transferring your main residence to France.
When must I validate my long-stay visa?
Within three months of your first entry into France, online through the government’s foreigners’ portal (OFII), or you lose your legal status. See France-Visas — Arrival in France.
Can I drive in France on my Kenyan licence?
For a limited initial period after becoming resident, usually with an official translation; exchanging it depends on reciprocity between France and Kenya, otherwise you must pass the French tests. Check with the prefecture or ANTS early. See Service-Public — Driving in France with a foreign licence.
How long does shipping from Mombasa to France take?
Roughly six to eight weeks port to port to Le Havre by sea, and about two to three months door to door once packing, clearance and delivery are included; air freight is days but much dearer.
Sources
- European Commission — Bringing a pet into the EU from a non-EU country
- European Commission — Designated laboratories for rabies antibody titration tests
- French Customs (Douane) — Transferring your main residence to France
- France-Visas — Arrival in France and VLS-TS validation
- Service-Public — Driving in France with a foreign licence
- Kenya Revenue Authority — Importing goods / personal effects
- Kenya Revenue Authority — Clearance at passenger terminals
- Kenya Directorate of Veterinary Services requirements (dog/cat, via APHIS)