Moving from Kuwait to France (2026): Relocation Guide
Key takeaways
- Start with your pet. Kuwait is not on the EU’s list of authorised third countries, so a dog or cat needs a rabies antibody titration test (blood taken at least 30 days after vaccination at an EU-approved laboratory, result 0.5 IU/ml or higher), then a mandatory three-month wait before EU entry. Plan around four to five months.
- Claim the franchise de déménagement. France waives customs duty and import VAT on your used personal effects if you lived outside the EU for at least 12 months and owned the goods for at least 6 months; you declare on CERFA form 10070 with a signed inventory.
- Close Kuwait cleanly. Your employer cancels your Article 17/18 residency (iqama) at the Ministry of Interior; your Civil ID becomes invalid the moment the residency is cancelled.
- Validate your visa online within 3 months. A long-stay visa (VLS-TS) must be validated on the ANEF portal within three months of arrival, or it loses its residence-permit status.
- Sea freight from Shuwaikh or Shuaiba to Le Havre or Marseille takes several weeks door-to-door; air freight is the fast option for a small consignment.
1. Leaving Kuwait: what to close out
Your departure from Kuwait turns on your residency. Most expatriates hold Article 18 (private-sector) or Article 17 (government-sector) residency tied to a sponsor, and when you leave your employer — not you — must cancel the iqama in the Ministry of Interior (MOI) system. Get written confirmation that this has been done, because a residency left open can leave you recorded as still resident in Kuwait and create difficulties later. Note also that once the residency is cancelled your Civil ID is immediately invalid, even if the date on the card is still in the future.
Before you fly, complete:
- End-of-service indemnity: Kuwait’s Labour Law gives you an end-of-service gratuity based on length of service and final pay. The rule that tied the payout to your physical departure has been removed, so confirm the amount and settlement date with your employer in writing.
- Residency and Civil ID: Verify the iqama cancellation through MOI/PACI, keep copies of everything, and note any short grace period granted to finish formalities.
- Utilities: Settle and disconnect your Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) account and cancel telecom and other subscriptions; unpaid balances can block clearances.
- Banking: Clear loans and cards, obtain a no-liability/clearance letter, and keep the account open until your final salary and indemnity are received.
- Household export: Personal effects leave via the Kuwait General Administration of Customs; your mover files the export declaration and a valued inventory.
- Pets: A PAAAFR (Public Authority for Agriculture Affairs and Fish Resources) export health certificate is needed to take a dog or cat out of Kuwait — but the EU entry paperwork (section 5) sets the real timeline, so begin there.
2. How your household goods ship to France
Almost all Kuwait-to-France household moves travel by sea. Your container is packed and sealed at home and exported through Shuwaikh Port near Kuwait City or Shuaiba Port to the south. The main French gateways are the Port of Le Havre on the Atlantic (best for Paris and northern France) and the Port of Marseille-Fos on the Mediterranean (best for the south); some services route via a northern European hub with an onward road leg.
You will choose between a full-container load (FCL) — a dedicated 20ft or 40ft container, the best value for a whole home — and a shared/groupage (LCL) service, where you pay for the volume you use but accept extra consolidation time at both ends. As a qualitative guide, allow several weeks door-to-door once you add packing, Kuwait export clearance, sailing schedules, French customs release and inland delivery to the ocean transit.
Air freight is the fast alternative — days rather than weeks — but is priced by weight and volume, so it suits a limited number of boxes and essentials rather than furniture. Many people send a small air consignment of immediate necessities and follow with the bulk by sea.
3. France customs & transfer-of-residence relief
Coming from Kuwait your goods are a third-country import, but France grants a transfer-of-residence exemption — the franchise de déménagement — that waives customs duty and import VAT on your used personal belongings. You declare using CERFA form 10070 (Déclaration d’entrée en franchise de biens personnels en provenance de pays tiers à l’UE), completed and signed, with a detailed valued inventory.
The conditions are cumulative — all must be met:
- You must have had your residence outside the EU for more than 12 months;
- You must have owned and used the goods for more than 6 months before the move;
- You must import the goods within 12 months of transferring your residence to France; and
- You must not sell, lend or hire out the goods for 12 months after import.
Customs will expect the completed CERFA 10070, a dated and signed inventory (usually in two copies), proof that you held a residence outside the EU, and proof that you are settling in France. New goods and items for resale do not qualify. Your mover or a customs broker normally prepares and lodges the declaration, but the responsibility for accuracy rests with you — get the inventory and dates right to avoid the shipment being reassessed as a taxable import.
4. Arriving: registration, residence, driving, healthcare
Visa and residence. As a third-country national you need a long-stay visa (visa de long séjour) matched to your purpose — work, family, “passeport talent”, visitor or student — applied for at the French consulate responsible for Kuwait before you travel. Many long-stay visas take the form of a VLS-TS, a visa that doubles as a residence permit once validated.
Validate the VLS-TS. You must validate your VLS-TS within three months of arriving, entirely online, on the ANEF portal (administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr). You pay the residence tax and provide your arrival date and French address. Miss the deadline and the visa loses its residence-permit status, so treat this as an early-week priority. For other permit types you apply or renew through the same ANEF portal or your local prefecture.
Driving licence. A Kuwaiti driving licence can generally be used in France for up to one year from the date you validate your visa/residence, provided it is accompanied by an official French translation (or is in French). Exchanging a foreign licence for a French one is only possible where a reciprocity agreement exists; if none applies to Kuwait, you will need to pass the French driving test to continue after the first year. Check your position on the Service-Public portal and act early.
Healthcare. Once you are legally resident you can apply to join the French health system (assurance maladie) under the residence-based scheme, which reimburses much of the cost of care; you register with the CPAM to obtain a social security number and later a carte Vitale. Many residents also take out complementary insurance (mutuelle). Arrange interim private cover for the gap before your affiliation is active.
5. Pets
Organise your pet before anything else, because it is by far the longest lead item. Kuwait is not on the EU’s list of authorised (listed) third countries, so bringing a dog or cat into France means following the full non-listed-country procedure:
- Microchip: an ISO-standard microchip, implanted before (or with) vaccination.
- Rabies vaccination: a valid rabies vaccination given after the microchip.
- Rabies antibody titration (blood) test: a blood sample taken at least 30 days after vaccination, tested at an EU-approved laboratory, with a result of 0.5 IU/ml or higher.
- Three-month wait: your pet cannot enter the EU until three months have passed from the date the successful blood sample was taken (this wait does not apply only if the test was carried out before the animal ever left the EU — which will not be your situation from Kuwait).
- EU animal health certificate: issued by an official vet shortly before travel, alongside the PAAAFR export certificate required to leave Kuwait.
Once you add the vaccination, the 30-day minimum before sampling, laboratory turnaround and the three-month wait, plan for roughly four to five months. You must also enter through a designated Travellers’ Point of Entry. A single incorrect date on the certificate can trigger refusal or quarantine, so make booking the titre test your very first action and work backwards from your intended arrival date.
6. Money, banking & tax basics
Plan your finances around the residency cancellation. Repatriate your end-of-service indemnity and savings while your Kuwaiti account and online banking are still active, and keep records of every transfer so a French bank can see the source of funds if asked. Compare the Kuwaiti dinar to euro rate and your bank’s fees against a specialist transfer service, since the difference on a large sum can be substantial.
In France you will need a local bank account (compte bancaire) for salary, rent and bills; banks typically ask for your passport, your validated visa/residence proof, and a proof of address (justificatif de domicile). On tax, France taxes residents on worldwide income, and you generally become tax-resident when your main home or centre of economic interests is in France — so understand the line between your Kuwait (tax-free salary) period and your French residency, and take advice if you have investment income, property or a pension. Keep your CERFA 10070 approval and shipping inventory filed with your immigration and tax records.
How Flyto handles your Kuwait to France move
Flyto Relocation manages the whole corridor as one job: export packing and customs clearance in Kuwait through Shuwaikh or Shuaiba, sea or air freight to Le Havre or Marseille, French customs and your CERFA 10070 franchise de déménagement claim, and delivery and unpacking at your new address. Because we run our own hubs across Northern, Central and Southern Europe, your shipment stays inside one accountable network rather than being handed between disconnected agents — and we align the long pet timeline so the titre test and three-month wait fit your arrival rather than delaying it. Give us your dates and inventory and we will build a single plan and price. Get a quote and we will map your timeline, starting with the items that take longest.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a rabies blood test to bring my dog or cat from Kuwait to France?
Yes. Kuwait is not a listed third country, so a rabies antibody titration test is mandatory: blood taken at least 30 days after vaccination, tested at an EU-approved lab at 0.5 IU/ml or higher, then a three-month wait before EU entry. See European Commission — bringing a pet into the EU.
How long before my move should I start the pet process?
Roughly four to five months. The compulsory three-month wait after the successful blood test, plus vaccination and laboratory time, sets the schedule. See European Commission — pet travel.
Will I pay French import VAT on my household goods?
Not if you qualify for the franchise de déménagement (12 months’ residence outside the EU and 6 months’ ownership), declared on CERFA form 10070. See Service-Public — customs on moving to France from outside the EU.
What is the deadline to validate my visa in France?
Within three months of arriving you must validate your VLS-TS online on the ANEF portal, or it loses its residence-permit status. See Service-Public — long-stay visa.
Who cancels my Kuwait residency?
Your sponsoring employer cancels the iqama in the Ministry of Interior system; once cancelled, your Civil ID is invalid regardless of the printed date. See Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI).
Can I drive on my Kuwaiti licence in France?
Generally for up to one year after validating your residence, with a French translation; exchanging for a French licence needs a reciprocity agreement, otherwise you must take the French test. See Service-Public — driving in France on a foreign licence.
Sources
- European Commission (Food Safety) — Bringing a pet into the EU from a non-EU country
- European Commission — Designated laboratories for rabies antibody titration tests
- Service-Public — Settling in France after living outside the EU: customs
- French Customs (Direction générale des douanes) — franchise de déménagement / CERFA 10070
- Service-Public — Long-stay visa (VLS-TS) and validation
- ANEF — Digital Administration for Foreign Nationals in France
- Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI), Kuwait — Civil ID
- Kuwait General Administration of Customs — export of personal effects
- Public Authority for Agriculture Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAAFR) — pet export certificate