Moving from France to Vietnam (2026): Complete Guide

Moving from France to Vietnam means clearing two very different customs systems: France’s export side, run by the Direction Générale des Douanes et Droits Indirects (DGDDI), and Vietnam’s import side, run by the General Department of Vietnam Customs together with the immigration and animal-quarantine authorities under the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment. This guide is for a French resident — French national or long-term resident of France — relocating to Vietnam for work, marriage, or retirement, and covers household goods, pets, vehicles, money, and the paperwork on both ends, plus a short note on moving back the other way.

Key takeaways

• Your Vietnamese immigration status (work-permit visa, investor visa, or temporary residence card/TRC) determines whether your goods qualify for Vietnam’s duty-free "transfer of residence" treatment — check eligibility with the Vietnam Immigration Department before shipping.
• France does not require a customs declaration for personal effects moved to a non-EU country, but you must present an inventory and proof of residence change to French customs.
• Deregister from your French commune, and from the Registre des Français établis hors de France if you keep French nationality abroad — both affect voting rights and consular services.
• Leaving France can trigger the "Exit Tax" on unrealised capital gains for significant shareholders — check your exposure via impots.gouv.fr.
• Sea freight from Le Havre or Marseille to Ho Chi Minh City (Cat Lai) or Hai Phong typically runs 5–6 weeks port-to-port — this is a freight-industry estimate, not an official figure, and depends on carrier and transhipment.
• Personal-effects duty exemptions in Vietnam require an accurate detailed inventory processed through the customs declaration system and are capped by value/quantity rules under Vietnamese import regulation (Government Office / Văn phòng Chính phủ).
• Pets need an EU health certificate and rabies titre test to leave France (service-public.fr) and a quarantine-registration dossier filed with Vietnam’s Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health (Cục Chăn nuôi và Thú y) before arrival.
• Carrying cash: declare amounts of €10,000 or more leaving the EU via DALIA, and declare USD 5,000+ (or VND 15,000,000+) entering Vietnam under Circular 15/2011/TT-NHNN.

1. How your Vietnamese immigration status determines your customs treatment

Vietnam does not grant customs benefits based on nationality alone — it is tied to your legal basis for residing there. A foreigner moving to work needs a work permit plus a visa or a Temporary Residence Card (TRC), issued by the Immigration Department of the Ministry of Public Security, typically within 5 working days once the dossier (including form NA8) is complete. The TRC — valid from 2 to 10 years depending on category — is what customs authorities look for as evidence you are genuinely relocating your residence, not just visiting, which matters when you claim duty exemptions on household goods. Investors, spouses/family members of Vietnamese citizens or TRC holders, and returning overseas Vietnamese (Việt kiều) have separate eligibility routes with more generous duty-free vehicle and goods allowances than an ordinary work-permit holder — confirm your category with the Immigration Department before your shipment departs France, since the allowance regime differs materially.

2. The France export side

Authority. All export/departure customs matters run through the Direction Générale des Douanes et Droits Indirects (DGDDI), France’s customs administration under the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

What’s required. For a move outside the EU, DGDDI does not require you to file a formal export customs declaration for ordinary personal effects, furniture, or a private (non-commercial) vehicle. Instead, at the point of export you must be able to present: a document proving your change of residence (passport, property deed, or lease); an attestation from your landlord or town hall (or a sworn statement failing that); and a detailed, dated, signed inventory of the goods being moved, in duplicate. Restricted goods — firearms and ammunition, gold, dual-use/strategic goods, wine/alcohol reserves above normal quantities, protected flora/fauna, and cultural goods — do require a specific export declaration and can carry a tax. Full detail: douane.gouv.fr — transfert de résidence hors UE.

Deregistration. Before leaving, notify your mairie so your address is updated, and use the "Je déménage" service on service-public.fr, which cascades the change to CAF, France Travail, and your tax centre. French nationals settling abroad should register with — or, if already registered and truly leaving the consular district, update — the Registre des Français établis hors de France at your future French consulate in Vietnam; this affects voting rights and consular protection.

Tax residency exit. Notify your local tax centre (centre des finances publiques) of your change of domicile via your impots.gouv.fr account or in person; see impots.gouv.fr — je pars vivre à l’étranger. You will file a partial-year return (income up to your departure date taxed under French rules, non-French-source income afterward generally out of scope). If you hold substantial company shareholdings, check the "Exit Tax" regime on unrealised gains under CGI articles 167/167 bis — deferral is available via form 2074-ETD in qualifying cases: impots.gouv.fr — Exit Tax.

Cash. If you or your shipment carries €10,000 or more in cash, negotiable instruments, gold, or prepaid cards when leaving the EU, you must file an online DALIA declaration with French customs — it can be submitted as early as 30 days before your travel date and must be completed before you cross the border; amounts of €50,000+ additionally require documented proof of the money’s origin (bank statements, sale contracts, or similar). Details: douane.gouv.fr — voyager avec 10 000 euros ou plus.

3. Ports and transit — realistic routing

Real French export ports for a Vietnam-bound sea shipment are Le Havre (largest container port, Northern France, best schedule frequency to Asia) and Marseille-Fos (Mediterranean route, sometimes faster for southern France departures). On the Vietnam side, shipments land at Cat Lai / Ho Chi Minh City (dominant for southern/central Vietnam relocations) or Hai Phong (for Hanoi and the north).

Transit times are freight-industry estimates, not official government figures. Typical port-to-port sea transit on the Le Havre/Marseille–Ho Chi Minh City or Hai Phong lane runs roughly 5–6 weeks (about 35–42 days), with sailings departing every 1–2 weeks depending on carrier; add customs clearance and delivery time at both ends. Air freight for an unaccompanied baggage shipment typically takes days rather than weeks but costs substantially more per kilo. Always confirm current schedules and transit times directly with your carrier or freight forwarder — port congestion, transhipment routing, and seasonal demand (e.g. around Tết, Vietnam’s Lunar New Year) can add days or weeks.

4. The Vietnam import side

Authority and process. Imports clear through the General Department of Vietnam Customs using the national electronic customs system (VNACCS/VCIS). For an unaccompanied household-goods shipment, on arrival you must proactively request an "Arrival Declaration Form" from customs stating you have an unaccompanied shipment arriving by sea or air, and have it stamped before you leave the port/airport of entry — it is not issued automatically. You will need the bill of lading or air waybill, a detailed itemised inventory, and your passport/TRC.

Duty treatment. Vietnamese regulation exempts genuine "moved personal property" (household goods and personal effects belonging to an individual/organisation relocating, excluding cars and motorcycles) from import duty, special consumption tax, and VAT, subject to reasonable quantities per item type. For a foreign national (as opposed to a returning Vietnamese citizen), this treatment is generally tied to relocating on a work assignment or residence of 12 months or more — match your paperwork to the TRC category from Section 1. A general non-exempt personal-baggage allowance is separately capped in value terms. See the Government Office (Văn phòng Chính phủ) summary of the baggage/personal-property duty-exemption norms under Decree 08/2015/NĐ-CP: vpcp.chinhphu.vn. New electrical appliances, alcohol, and antiques attract the highest scrutiny and duty exposure, so declare these accurately rather than folding them into a generic "household goods" line.

Inspection. Vietnam Customs cross-checks your inventory against the shipment; mismatches or vague descriptions are the leading cause of physical inspection delays. Goods containing plant, wood, soil, or animal material can trigger a quarantine referral to agencies under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.

5. Pets

Leaving France. Dogs, cats, and ferrets need ISO microchip identification, a valid rabies vaccination, and — because Vietnam is a non-EU-listed "third country" for these purposes — a rabies antibody titre (serology) blood test done at least 30 days after vaccination, plus an official EU health certificate. Requirements and the certificate template are set out at service-public.fr — voyager à l’étranger avec son animal de compagnie; check with your Direction Départementale de Protection des Populations for the current certificate model before departure.

Entering Vietnam. Vietnam’s Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health (Cục Chăn nuôi và Thú y, formerly Cục Thú y), under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, requires an import-quarantine registration dossier — a written request, an animal quarantine declaration, and copies of vaccination/health certificates — submitted before arrival, generally through Vietnam’s National Single Window portal (vnsw.gov.vn) or by post to the department’s Hanoi office, with routing to the relevant regional animal health office for your entry airport (e.g. the region covering Ho Chi Minh City for Tan Son Nhat arrivals). Puppies/kittens must generally be at least 3 months old and at least 30 days past rabies vaccination. Two or fewer pets travelling with their owner as accompanied baggage do not typically require a separate import permit, but incomplete paperwork or signs of illness can trigger quarantine or refusal at the border — start the quarantine registration well ahead of your flight, and check current requirements directly with the department, since Vietnam’s animal-quarantine rules were updated at the start of 2026.

Coming back to France. The reverse move needs the equivalent EU-format certificate for entry into France from a non-EU country (microchip, valid rabies vaccination, titre test where applicable) — see France Diplomatie — animaux domestiques, retour en France.

6. Vehicles, money, and things people forget

Vehicles. Vietnam does not generally allow foreign residents on an ordinary work-permit visa to import a personal car duty-free; the main duty-free personal-vehicle allowance (one used car per person) is reserved for overseas Vietnamese (Việt kiều) who have settled their household registration (hộ khẩu) in Vietnam, under Decree 08/2015/NĐ-CP. Commercial car-import licensing is restricted to companies, not individuals. In practice, most relocating foreigners sell their French car before departure and buy locally in Vietnam rather than attempt import — verify your specific eligibility with Vietnam Customs and the Immigration Department before assuming otherwise.

Money. Declare €10,000+ leaving the EU (DALIA, see Section 2). Entering Vietnam, declare foreign-currency cash of USD 5,000 or more (or VND 15,000,000+) at the border under Circular 15/2011/TT-NHNN — keep the stamped entry declaration if you plan to bank the funds or re-export cash later.

Easy to forget. French driving licence exchange/international permit requirements for Vietnam differ from EU practice — check locally rather than assuming reciprocity. Utility and rental deregistration in France (EDF, internet, bail) needs written notice with move-out dates. Health cover: French state healthcare (Assurance Maladie) generally stops on deregistration from France, so arrange private/local Vietnamese health insurance before you land. Wine, spirits, and cultural/antique items each carry separate export or import restrictions on both ends — don’t assume "personal effects" covers everything.

How Flyto handles your France to Vietnam move

Flyto runs its own offices, warehouses, crews, and vehicle fleets across Northern, Central, and Southern Europe, so the France collection, packing, and export-documentation side of your move is handled in-house wherever our own operations reach. For the ocean leg and the Vietnam side, we work through a carefully vetted network of subcontracted carriers and trusted local partners on the ground in Vietnam, who manage customs clearance, quarantine coordination for pets, and final delivery. This combination gives you a single point of contact from Le Havre or Marseille through to your new home in Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a customs broker in Vietnam? It isn’t legally mandatory, but given the mandatory "Arrival Declaration Form" request and the inventory-matching scrutiny described in Section 4, most relocating households use a licensed local agent or their moving company’s Vietnamese partner to avoid delays.

Can I bring my car from France to Vietnam? Generally no, unless you qualify under the returning-overseas-Vietnamese (Việt kiều) duty-free vehicle allowance — see Section 6. Most foreign residents sell in France and buy locally.

How long does the sea shipment actually take? Budget roughly 5–6 weeks port-to-port from Le Havre/Marseille to Ho Chi Minh City or Hai Phong, per current freight-industry schedules — this is an estimate, not a guarantee, and excludes customs clearance time on arrival (Section 3).

Do I have to deregister from France if I’m only going for a fixed-term work assignment? You still notify your mairie and your tax centre of the address change (Section 2); whether you register with the Registre des Français établis hors de France or keep your registered address in France depends on your personal situation and length of stay — check with your consulate.

What about my pet’s rabies titre test — can I do it after I arrive? No — for departure from France it must be done before you leave, at least 30 days after vaccination, as part of the EU-format health certificate (Section 5).

Is there a duty-free allowance for household goods entering Vietnam? Yes, for genuine transferred personal property under the Decree 08/2015/NĐ-CP framework, generally tied to a work assignment or residence of 12 months or more for foreign nationals, and subject to reasonable per-item quantities — see Section 4. Vehicles and motorcycles are excluded from this particular exemption.

Sources

• DGDDI — Transfert de résidence hors UE (Expatriés)
• DGDDI — Déménagement hors de l’Union européenne
• DGDDI — Voyager avec 10 000 euros ou plus (DALIA)
• Service-Public.fr — Registre des Français établis hors de France
• Service-Public.fr — Voyager à l’étranger avec son animal de compagnie
• impots.gouv.fr — Je pars vivre à l’étranger, quelles démarches ?
• impots.gouv.fr — Exit Tax
• France Diplomatie — Animaux domestiques, retour en France
• Vietnam Immigration Department (Ministry of Public Security) — Temporary Residence Card procedures
• General Department of Vietnam Customs
• Government Office of Vietnam (Văn phòng Chính phủ) — Duty-free baggage/personal-property norms
• Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health / Cục Chăn nuôi và Thú y (Vietnam)
• Vietnam National Single Window Portal
• Government Portal (vanban.chinhphu.vn) — Circular 15/2011/TT-NHNN on carrying cash across the border