Moving from the United States to France is a two-country customs event, not one shipment. On the American side you are exporting household goods through U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the export-reporting system that sits behind it, while your worldwide tax obligations to the IRS follow your U.S. passport across the Atlantic. On the French side you are importing personal property under EU transfer-of-residence relief, which only works if your immigration status is right first. This guide covers both halves of the corridor plus a short note on the reverse move, and it is written for a U.S. resident relocating to France with a household of furniture, a pet, and possibly a car.

Key takeaways

• Your French visa or residence status is what unlocks duty-free import of your belongings; the customs relief exists only for people genuinely transferring their main residence to France (douane.gouv.fr).
• Used personal effects leaving the U.S. are generally exempt from Electronic Export Information (EEI) filing, but a household shipment valued over $2,500 to a destination other than Canada must be filed in the Automated Export System (15 CFR §30.37; CBP).
• France grants duty and VAT relief on used personal property if you lived outside the EU for at least 12 months and owned the goods at least 6 months before the move, declared on Cerfa n°10070 (douane.gouv.fr).
• The U.S. taxes citizens on worldwide income no matter where they live; moving to France does not end your IRS filing duty (IRS).
• Dogs and cats need an ISO microchip, a valid rabies vaccination given after the chip, and a USDA-endorsed EU health certificate to enter France (APHIS; European Commission).
• Carrying €10,000 or more into France must be declared to French customs, mirroring the $10,000 CBP/FinCEN rule when leaving the U.S. (douane.gouv.fr; CBP).
• A vehicle imported from the U.S. clears French customs against a 846A certificate before it can be registered (douane.gouv.fr).

1. Your French immigration status decides everything

Before customs comes the visa. U.S. citizens can visit the Schengen area for 90 days visa-free, but relocating requires a long-stay visa (visa de long séjour) obtained before departure through the official France-Visas portal. Most relocating Americans hold a VLS-TS — a long-stay visa that doubles as a residence permit — which must be validated online within three months of arrival on the government’s ANEF platform (service-public.gouv.fr).

This status is not just about the right to live in France. French customs relief for your household goods is reserved for people who are transferring their main residence to France after at least twelve months abroad (douane.gouv.fr). Your visa, residence card, or employer transfer order is the proof of settlement French customs asks for. Without that proof, your furniture is treated as an ordinary commercial import and taxed accordingly. Sort the immigration paperwork first; the shipping economics depend on it.

2. The U.S. export side: CBP, the AES, and the IRS

The customs authority you leave through is U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and export shipments are reported through the Automated Export System (AES) in CBP’s ACE platform, governed by the Census Bureau’s Foreign Trade Regulations.

Good news for movers: used household goods and personal effects are generally exempt from filing Electronic Export Information (EEI) when they are the belongings of a person leaving the country and are not shipped as commercial cargo requiring a license (15 CFR Part 30 Subpart D). The catch is value: if your baggage or containerized household goods bound for a destination other than Canada are valued over $2,500, EEI must be filed in the AES and the resulting Internal Transaction Number (ITN) provided to the carrier (CBP). A full-container international move almost always crosses that line, so your freight forwarder will typically file the EEI on your behalf. The $2,500 threshold in the Foreign Trade Regulations applies per Schedule B commodity classification (Census Bureau).

There is no "deregistration" step in the United States. Unlike many European countries, the U.S. keeps no population register you sign out of. What follows you instead is tax. The U.S. is one of the only countries that taxes its citizens on worldwide income regardless of residence, so you keep filing a federal return from France (IRS). Relief exists — the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (Form 2555) lets qualifying expats exclude a large, annually indexed amount of foreign wages, and foreign tax credits offset French tax paid (IRS). You must also file an annual FBAR with FinCEN if your foreign accounts exceed $10,000 in aggregate (IRS). A true tax "exit" only happens if you renounce citizenship, which can trigger the expatriation exit tax on Form 8854 for covered expatriates (IRS) — relevant to very few movers, but worth knowing it exists.

3. Ports and transit times

Most household goods to France leave from a major U.S. container gateway. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the busiest U.S. container ports include the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach on the West Coast and the Port of New York and New Jersey, Savannah, Norfolk, and Charleston on the East Coast (BTS). For a France-bound shipment, East Coast ports are the natural fit, with Houston serving Gulf-region movers.

On arrival, France’s leading gateway for international trade is HAROPA PORT (Le Havre–Rouen–Paris), which handled more than 3.1 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent container units) in 2024, while Marseille-Fos is the main Mediterranean entry point (HAROPA PORT).

Transit times below are freight-industry estimates, not official government figures, and vary with routing, transhipment, and season:

• Sea freight, East Coast U.S. → Le Havre: roughly 2–4 weeks port-to-port, plus packing, consolidation, and customs clearance on each end.
• Sea freight, West Coast U.S. → France: typically longer, often 5–7 weeks, as containers route via the Panama Canal or transhipment hubs.
• Air freight: a few days in transit, but multiples of the cost — used for urgent or high-value items, not a full household.

Plan on 6–12 weeks door-to-door for a full sea shipment once packing, ocean transit, and French clearance are added together.

4. The French import side: transfer-of-residence relief

France, as an EU member, lets you bring in used personal property free of customs duty and VAT under transfer-of-residence relief — but only under specific conditions (douane.gouv.fr):

• You must have lived in a non-EU country (the U.S.) for at least 12 continuous months.
• The goods must have been owned and used for at least 6 months before the move.
• They must be imported within 12 months of your residence transfer, and generally cannot be sold or lent for 12 months after entry.

The declaration is made on Cerfa n°10070 ("déclaration d’entrée en France en franchise de biens personnels"), supported by a detailed, dated, signed inventory in two copies, proof you lived in the U.S. (utility bills, lease, tax records), and proof you are settling in France (your visa, residence card, or transfer order). Alcohol, tobacco, and commercial or professional equipment are excluded from the relief. On approval, customs returns a certified inventory and, where relevant, the vehicle 846A certificate. Your relocation agent normally lodges this at the port of entry, but the documents — especially the inventory and residence proof — are yours to prepare well in advance.

5. Pets: dogs and cats, both directions

USA → France. France applies the EU’s non-commercial pet rules. Your dog, cat, or ferret needs, in this order: an ISO 11784/11785-compliant microchip (15-digit), then a rabies vaccination administered after the chip and still within its validity on the travel date, and an EU animal health certificate issued by a USDA-accredited veterinarian and endorsed by USDA APHIS (APHIS; European Commission). The sequence is unforgiving: a rabies shot given before the microchip does not count and must be repeated, and there is a mandatory waiting period of at least 21 days after the primary vaccination before entry. The endorsed certificate has a tight validity window — the pet must reach the EU within 10 days of USDA endorsement — so time the endorsement close to departure. There is no quarantine for compliant pets, and no more than five animals may travel under the non-commercial rules.

France → USA (reverse). As of the CDC’s 2024 rules, every dog entering the U.S. must be at least 6 months old, microchipped with an ISO-compatible chip, appear healthy, and be accompanied by a receipt from the online CDC Dog Import Form submitted before arrival (CDC). For dogs that have only been in rabies-free or low-risk countries (France qualifies) in the previous six months, the CDC Dog Import Form receipt is the only required document (CDC). Cats face lighter federal requirements but should still travel with proof of rabies vaccination.

6. Vehicles, money, and things people forget

Vehicles. Importing a U.S. car from outside the EU means clearing French customs, which issues the 846A certificate proving duties and VAT are settled — the document you cannot register the car without (douane.gouv.fr). Under transfer-of-residence relief a personally owned vehicle can sometimes come in duty-free alongside the household. Registration (the carte grise) is then handled online through the French ANTS system, and older vehicles need a French contrôle technique roadworthiness test. Left-hand-drive is fine, but U.S. lighting and emissions conformity can require modification.

Money. Leaving the U.S. with $10,000 or more in cash or monetary instruments must be reported to CBP on FinCEN Form 105 (CBP). Entering the EU with €10,000 or more must be declared to French customs under EU Regulation 2018/1672 (douane.gouv.fr; EUR-Lex). These are declaration rules, not limits — failure to declare, not the cash itself, is the offense.

Things people forget: book movers months ahead for the summer peak; keep prescription medicines and documents in hand luggage; U.S. 120V appliances need transformers, not just plug adapters, for France’s 230V; and open a French bank account early, since your VLS-TS validation and utilities depend on it.

How Flyto handles your USA to France move

Flyto runs strong in-house European operations — our own offices, warehouses, teams, and vehicles across Northern, Central, and Southern Europe — combined with a carefully chosen partner and subcontractor network for the long ocean leg from the United States. In France we work with trusted local partners for delivery, customs lodgement, and setup, so your Cerfa 10070 relief and door-to-door handover are managed by people who run this corridor regularly. We coordinate both customs ends rather than leaving you to bridge two systems yourself.

Frequently asked questions

Do I pay customs duty on my furniture entering France?
Not if you qualify for transfer-of-residence relief: 12 months living in the U.S., goods owned and used 6+ months, declared on Cerfa 10070 with an inventory and proof of settlement (douane.gouv.fr).

Do I still file U.S. taxes after moving to France?
Yes. The U.S. taxes citizens on worldwide income wherever they live, though the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion and foreign tax credits usually prevent double taxation (IRS).

How long does shipping take?
Freight-industry estimates put East Coast-to-Le Havre sea transit at roughly 2–4 weeks port-to-port, and 6–12 weeks door-to-door once packing and clearance are included. These are estimates, not official figures.

What does my pet need?
An ISO microchip, a rabies vaccination given after the chip, and a USDA-endorsed EU health certificate; no quarantine for compliant dogs and cats (APHIS).

Can I bring my car?
Yes, but it must clear French customs (846A certificate) and be registered on the ANTS system; conformity and a roadworthiness test may apply (douane.gouv.fr).

Do I need to declare cash?
Yes, over the thresholds — $10,000 leaving the U.S. and €10,000 entering the EU (CBP; douane.gouv.fr).

Sources

• CBP – Electronic Export Information (EEI) filing
• eCFR – 15 CFR Part 30 Subpart D, EEI exemptions
• U.S. Census Bureau – Foreign Trade Regulations FAQ
• CBP – Money and monetary instruments
• IRS – U.S. citizens and resident aliens abroad
• IRS – Foreign Earned Income Exclusion
• IRS – Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR)
• IRS – Expatriation tax
• Bureau of Transportation Statistics – freight and port indicators
• HAROPA PORT – containers
• French Customs – transfer of main residence to France relief
• French Customs – cash reporting obligation
• EUR-Lex – Regulation (EU) 2018/1672 on cash controls
• France-Visas – long-stay visa
• Service-Public – validate a long-stay visa as a residence permit (VLS-TS)
• USDA APHIS – pet travel from the U.S. to France
• European Commission – bringing a pet into the EU from a non-EU country
• CDC – Dog Import Form instructions
• CDC – Entry requirements for dogs from rabies-free or low-risk countries