Moving from the UK to France (2026): Complete Guide

The UK–France corridor is one of the busiest relocation routes in Europe, but it is important to be clear about what it actually is: since Brexit, the UK is a "third country" outside the EU customs union and outside EU free movement, not an EU member moving within the bloc. That means this move sits legally between an old-style "EU-to-EU" relocation and a true overseas move — there genuinely is a customs procedure and a visa requirement, but France (like most EU states) grants generous relief for people transferring their home, so the process is manageable once you know the right forms. This guide is for UK residents relocating permanently to France and covers immigration, customs, healthcare, driving, vehicles, pets and money.

Key takeaways

• The UK left the EU in 2020, so it is now a "pays tiers" (third country) for French customs purposes. UK household goods do face a customs procedure on entry to France — but a full duty and VAT exemption ("franchise douanière") is available if you have lived outside the EU for at least 12 months and are transferring your main home to France (douane.gouv.fr, service-public.gouv.fr F492).
• UK nationals are no longer EU citizens and need a long-stay visa to move to France (a "visa de long séjour valant titre de séjour", VLS-TS) applied for before departure via TLScontact in London, Manchester or Edinburgh — there is no automatic right of residence (France-Visas — British citizens).
• After arrival, the visa must be validated online via the ANEF portal within 3 months, or you lose lawful residence status (service-public.gouv.fr R52684).
• HMRC must be told you are leaving the UK (form P85 if you don’t file Self Assessment) to settle your UK tax position and end PAYE tax residency (gov.uk P85).
• Your household goods declaration (Cerfa n°10070) must be lodged with French customs within 12 months of settling, listing everything you owned and used privately for at least 6 months before the move (douane.gouv.fr).
• UK driving licences issued before 1 January 2021 remain valid to drive in France without exchange, unless they are expired or due to expire within 12 months of your arrival — in which case, and for any licence issued from 1 January 2021 onward, you must exchange it for a French one within 12 months of taking up residence, via ANTS (gov.uk — Living in France, ANTS).
• Pet passports issued in Great Britain are no longer valid for EU travel — you need an Animal Health Certificate (AHC) from an official vet, issued no more than 10 days before travel (gov.uk, Your Europe).
• Healthcare is not automatic: working-age movers can join PUMA on residency grounds after 3 months of stable, regular residence in France; UK State Pensioners instead use the S1 form so the UK continues to fund their French healthcare (ameli.fr, NHSBSA).

1. What actually applies: immigration and customs, post-Brexit

Because the UK is outside both the EU and the EEA, this move does not enjoy free movement of people or goods. Two separate official procedures apply:

People. UK nationals moving to France for more than 90 days need a long-stay visa (VLS-TS) issued by the French consular network before travel — unless they hold dual EU/EEA nationality or fall under the Withdrawal Agreement as an existing French resident. Applications for UK-based applicants go through TLScontact centres in London, Manchester or Edinburgh (France-Visas). Once in France, the visa must be validated online via the ANEF portal (administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr) within three months of arrival, which converts it into your first residence permit (service-public.gouv.fr R52684).

Goods. Household goods shipped from the UK do cross a customs border. French customs grant full relief from duty and VAT under "transfert de résidence" rules provided you: have lived outside the EU for at least 12 months, have owned and privately used the goods for at least 6 months, import them within 12 months of establishing your French home, and do not sell or lend them out for 12 months after import. You must lodge a signed, dated inventory (in duplicate) plus the Cerfa n°10070 declaration with customs (douane.gouv.fr; service-public.gouv.fr F492). New items, alcohol, tobacco and professional equipment are excluded from the relief and remain dutiable. A licensed mover will normally prepare this paperwork and the corresponding UK export declaration on your behalf.

For the practical side of the move – crews, customs paperwork and a fixed price – start here: international movers in the UK.

2. Leaving the UK: what to close out

• Tax residency. Tell HMRC you are leaving via form P85 (if not filing Self Assessment) so your PAYE position is settled and any refund is issued; your UK tax residency for the year is assessed under the Statutory Residence Test (gov.uk P85).
• Healthcare. There is no formal NHS "de-registration" step, but once resident in France you should join the French system rather than rely on NHS care; if you hold a UK EHIC/GHIC and are issued an S1, the NHS Overseas Healthcare Team can advise on replacing it with the S1-linked version (gov.uk — Living in France; NHSBSA).
• State Pension / benefits. If you already draw a UK State Pension or certain exportable DWP benefits, you can apply for an S1 online, entitling you to French state healthcare funded by the UK (NHSBSA).
• Vehicle. Before shipping a car, detach and send the "permanent export" section of the V5C logbook to DVLA, Swansea; DVLA will deregister the vehicle and refund any remaining UK road tax (gov.uk).
• Banking and pensions. Notify your UK bank and pension provider of your move; UK accounts kept open must be declared on French tax form 3916 once you are French tax-resident (gov.uk — Living in France).

3. How your household goods actually move (freight-industry estimate)

Most UK–France removals travel by road, crossing via the Dover–Calais ferry or the Eurotunnel shuttle at Folkestone/Calais, then continuing by lorry to the delivery address. Typical door-to-door transit times, based on industry experience rather than any official schedule:

• London / South-East England to Paris or Northern France: 1–2 working days
• Midlands/North England to central or eastern France (Lyon, Strasbourg): 3–5 working days
• Anywhere in the UK to Southern France (Provence, the Riviera, Occitanie): 4–7 working days

Shared-load ("groupage") services are cheaper but can take 1–3 weeks depending on how quickly a full load is assembled for your region. A dedicated, sole-use vehicle costs more but gives a fixed delivery window. Because goods now cross a customs frontier, build in 1–3 extra days at the port/tunnel for the export/import paperwork check, especially at busy times (school-holiday changeovers, early January).

4. Arriving in France: registration, healthcare, tax, driving

• Residence permit. Validate your VLS-TS online via the ANEF portal within 3 months of arrival; this step (with an OFII medical/administrative check where required) converts your visa into your first titre de séjour (service-public.gouv.fr R52684).
• Healthcare (PUMA). Once you have lived in France on a "stable and regular" basis for 3+ months, apply to your local CPAM for affiliation under the Protection Universelle Maladie; employees and the self-employed are affiliated automatically through their activity. Registration is via ameli.fr or your local CPAM office (ameli.fr). Pensioners with an S1 register it with CPAM instead of applying for PUMA on residency grounds.
• Customs declaration. Submit the Cerfa n°10070 inventory to French customs, ideally timed with your shipment’s arrival, to secure duty/VAT relief (douane.gouv.fr).
• Tax registration. Once resident, you file your first French income tax return (déclaration de revenus) with the tax office (service des impôts des particuliers) covering your address; the UK/France double-taxation treaty governs which country taxes what.
• Driving licence. A UK licence issued before 1 January 2021 remains usable in France without exchange, as long as it is not already expired or due to expire within 12 months of your arrival. A UK licence issued from 1 January 2021 onward — or an older licence nearing expiry — must be exchanged for a French one within 12 months of taking up residence, via the ANTS online portal (gov.uk — Living in France, ANTS).
• Vehicle import. A UK-imported car needs a customs clearance certificate (846-A) before it can be registered, since the UK is a non-EU country for this purpose; registration itself is done online through the France Titres/ANTS platform once the 846-A, sale invoice and UK V5C are in hand (service-public.gouv.fr F34300).

5. Moving pets

Great Britain is a "Part 2 listed" third country for EU pet travel, so a GB-issued pet passport is not valid for entry to France. Instead you need an Animal Health Certificate (AHC), issued by an Official Veterinarian no more than 10 days before travel, confirming your pet is microchipped and has a valid rabies vaccination (given at least 21 full days before travel for a first-time vaccination) (gov.uk; Your Europe). Dogs travelling directly from the UK to France do not currently require tapeworm treatment, but check the current rules for your specific route and any transit country before you travel, as requirements can change and differ for onward travel to tapeworm-sensitive destinations.

6. Money, banking and things people forget

• Open a French bank account early — proof of address (a French tenancy or utility bill) is usually required, which can create a chicken-and-egg problem before you’ve moved in; some UK/EU-wide banks let you start the process remotely.
• Notify HMRC and your UK bank of your move so you are not taxed as UK-resident after departure and so payments (pension, interest) are correctly reported.
• Declare any UK accounts you keep open on French tax form 3916 once you become French tax-resident (gov.uk — Living in France).
• Check your UK mobile contract for EU roaming charges, which were reintroduced by many operators after Brexit.
• Redirect Royal Mail post and cancel/transfer UK TV licence, council tax and utility direct debits for your old address.
• If you draw a UK State Pension, decide where it should be paid — into a UK account or a French one — as HMRC will only pay it into one country at a time (gov.uk — Living in France).

How Flyto handles your UK to France move

Flyto runs its own offices, warehouses and moving crews across Northern, Central and Southern Europe, so your shipment stays inside a network we operate and supervise for most of its journey. For the Channel crossing and last-mile delivery to less-common French addresses, we work with a carefully vetted network of ferry, Eurotunnel and local partner crews, coordinated by our own team so you have one point of contact throughout — and we help prepare the UK export and French Cerfa n°10070 customs paperwork with you rather than leaving it to chance.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a visa to move from the UK to France?
Yes. Since Brexit, UK nationals need a long-stay visa (VLS-TS) for any stay over 90 days, applied for before travel and validated via the ANEF portal within 3 months of arrival (France-Visas).

Will I pay customs duty on my furniture and belongings?
Not if you qualify for the French "transfert de résidence" relief — at least 12 months’ prior residence outside the EU, 6 months’ ownership and private use of the goods, import within 12 months of settling, and a completed Cerfa n°10070 declaration (douane.gouv.fr).

Can I keep using my NHS care after I move?
Generally no for day-to-day care once you’re a French resident. UK State Pensioners can get an S1 so the UK funds their French state healthcare; working-age movers instead join PUMA in France after 3 months’ stable residence (NHSBSA; ameli.fr).

Do I need to exchange my UK driving licence?
Yes, if it was issued on or after 1 January 2021, or if an older licence is already expired or due to expire within 12 months of your arrival — then you must exchange it within a year of French residency via ANTS. Otherwise, a pre-2021 UK licence remains valid to drive on in France (gov.uk — Living in France).

Can I still travel with my dog or cat using its pet passport?
No — GB-issued pet passports are not valid for EU entry. You need an Animal Health Certificate from an official vet, issued within 10 days of travel (gov.uk).

How long does the whole move take, door to door?
Removal transit is typically 1–7 working days depending on your UK origin and French destination (industry estimate — see Section 3), but total relocation timing also depends on your visa and ANEF validation steps, which can add several weeks before you’re able to travel with a long-stay visa in the first place.

Sources

• gov.uk — Living in France
• gov.uk — Get your Income Tax right if you’re leaving the UK (P85)
• gov.uk — Taking a vehicle out of the UK
• gov.uk — Taking your pet abroad
• NHSBSA — Applying for healthcare cover for living abroad
• France-Visas — British citizens / Brexit
• service-public.gouv.fr — Validating a VLS-TS visa (R52684)
• douane.gouv.fr — Transferring your main residence to France
• service-public.gouv.fr — Customs duty when settling in France from a non-EU country (F492)
• ameli.fr — La protection universelle maladie (PUMA)
• ANTS — Exchanging a foreign driving licence
• service-public.gouv.fr — Registering a vehicle bought abroad (F34300)
• Your Europe (europa.eu) — EU rules on travelling with pets