Moving from Vietnam to France (2026): Relocation Guide
Key takeaways
- Plan your pets first. Vietnam is not an EU-listed country, so a dog or cat entering France needs a microchip, rabies vaccination, and a rabies antibody titration test (blood taken at least 30 days after vaccination, result at or above 0.5 IU/ml at an EU-approved laboratory), followed by a three-month wait before EU entry. Allow roughly four to five months.
- Household goods can enter duty- and VAT-free under France’s moving relief (franchise de déménagement) if you lived outside the EU for at least 12 months, owned and used the goods for at least six months, and import within 12 months of settling in France.
- Close out Vietnam: settle your temporary residence card or visa with the Immigration Department, clear used effects through Vietnam Customs, and get a Department of Animal Health export certificate for any pet.
- Sea freight from Cat Lai (Ho Chi Minh City) or Hai Phong to Le Havre takes several weeks; air freight suits a small, urgent shipment.
- After arrival: validate your long-stay visa (VLS-TS) online within 3 months, and exchange your driving licence within the first year.
1. Leaving Vietnam: what to close out
Settle your Vietnamese position before the container sails. If you hold a temporary residence card (TRC) or a long-term visa from the Immigration Department (Cục Quản lý Xuất nhập cảnh) under the Ministry of Public Security, you exit on that document; a valid TRC lets you leave and re-enter without a separate visa while it remains live. If your stay was tied to a work permit, coordinate its cancellation and the closing of your tax file with your employer, and settle outstanding personal income tax before departure. Keep copies of your passport pages, entry stamps, TRC and work permit — French customs (for the moving relief) and future landlords or employers may ask you to evidence how long you lived outside the EU.
For your belongings, an international removal is handled as a standard export. Your mover lodges an export declaration through Vietnam’s VNACCS/VCIS electronic system with a detailed packing list, transport document and your passport identification pages. Used personal and household effects are the normal content of such a shipment; keep the inventory realistic and avoid new, boxed goods that resemble commercial cargo. Physical inspection at the port is common, so pack transparently and label every box.
If you are bringing a pet, Vietnam’s Department of Animal Health (Cục Thú y, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) must issue or endorse the export veterinary health certificate that lets the animal leave. That sits on top of — and after — the EU-facing preparations in section 5. Because the EU rabies titre test and its three-month wait are the single longest-lead item in the whole move, begin the pet process before you book anything else.
2. How your household goods ship to France
Most Vietnam-to-France household moves travel by sea in a 20ft or 40ft container, or as a shared (groupage) consignment for smaller loads. Containers load at Cat Lai in Ho Chi Minh City or at Hai Phong and sail to a French gateway — most commonly Le Havre, sometimes via a Northern European hub such as Rotterdam or Antwerp. Both direct and transhipped services run; transhipment through Singapore adds days. As a planning figure, expect several weeks port to port, plus packing and export clearance in Vietnam and import clearance and delivery in France. Any quoted transit is indicative — weather, port congestion and customs can shift the date.
Air freight is the alternative when you need a small volume quickly — a few boxes of essentials or work equipment — at a higher cost per kilo. Many people combine both: air for the first weeks, sea for the bulk. Whichever mode you use, the relief in section 3 depends on a clean, itemised inventory, so agree the packing-list format with your mover up front and keep a signed copy.
3. France customs & transfer-of-residence relief
France lets you import your used household goods free of customs duty and import VAT when you transfer your main residence from outside the EU, under the moving relief (franchise de déménagement). The conditions set by French Customs (Douane) are clear: you must have been resident outside the EU for at least 12 months, the goods must have been owned and used for at least six months before the move, you must be transferring your main residence to France, and you must import the goods within 12 months of settling. Goods admitted under the relief must not be sold, rented or lent for 12 months after import.
You support the claim with a detailed, valued, dated and signed inventory of everything (including any vehicle), typically in two copies, plus documents proving you were resident in a third country and that you are now establishing your home in France (such as your visa, a tenancy or an employment contract). The customs declaration for entry of personal belongings in franchise from a non-EU country is a specific French form; your mover or customs agent will normally prepare and lodge it. Importing a car can be included, but a private vehicle has separate French registration (carte grise) and technical (contrôle technique) steps once it lands. Anything for resale, and restricted or prohibited goods, falls outside the relief.
4. Arriving: registration, residence, driving, healthcare
Validate your long-stay visa (VLS-TS). As Vietnamese nationals you are third-country nationals, so you will usually enter on a long-stay visa (visa de long séjour) obtained from the French mission in Vietnam. If it is a VLS-TS (long-stay visa serving as a residence permit), you must validate it online within three months of arrival through the government’s ANEF portal, pay the associated tax (around EUR 200 depending on category), and complete any integration steps via OFII. Miss the three-month window and you may need a new visa to return. For other permit categories you apply to the local préfecture; keep your visa, proof of accommodation and civil-status documents to hand.
Healthcare. Once settled and working (or after a qualifying period of stable residence), you can join France’s health system (Assurance Maladie / PUMa) and obtain a social security number and a carte Vitale. In the interim, keep private or travel health cover so you are not exposed to costs before your affiliation is active.
Local set-up. France has no single “town hall registration” like Germany’s Anmeldung, but you will register with utilities, set up a French bank account and, if you have children, enrol them at the local mairie for school. Keep proof of address (justificatif de domicile), which almost every administration will ask for.
Driving licence. A non-EU/EEA licence such as a Vietnamese one must be exchanged within one year of acquiring your normal residence in France; after that it is no longer valid for driving. Exchange depends on France having a reciprocity arrangement with the issuing authority; where none applies, you may need to sit the French tests. Start the process early through the ANTS platform, and carry an official translation or International Driving Permit meanwhile.
5. Pets
This is the make-or-break part of a Vietnam-to-France move, because Vietnam is not on the EU’s list of approved countries. For a dog, cat or ferret entering France (an EU member state) from a non-listed country, the EU rules require, in order: (1) an ISO microchip; (2) a valid rabies vaccination, given after the microchip and when the animal is at least 12 weeks old, becoming valid 21 days after the primary course; (3) a rabies antibody titration test on a blood sample taken by an authorised vet at least 30 days after the vaccination, showing a neutralising antibody level of at least 0.5 IU/ml, analysed at an EU-approved laboratory; and (4) a mandatory three-month wait between the blood-draw date and the animal’s entry into the EU. Finally, the pet needs an EU animal health certificate issued by an official vet (valid 10 days to the EU point of entry) and must arrive via a designated travellers’ point of entry.
Stacking those steps puts the pet timeline at roughly four to five months: microchip and vaccinate, wait 30 days, draw blood, wait for the lab result, then wait three months. On top of the EU-facing steps, Vietnam’s Department of Animal Health must issue or endorse the export health certificate. Practical advice: confirm your vet uses an EU-approved lab, keep every dated document, and do not book the animal’s flight until the three-month clock has a firm end date. Start the pet process before the household goods, the visa or anything else.
6. Money, banking & tax basics
A French bank account normally needs proof of identity, your visa or residence document and a proof of address (justificatif de domicile), so it can be smoother once you have a tenancy; several digital banks accept newcomers earlier, which helps in the first weeks. You will need a French account for salary, rent and utilities, and for the direct debits French providers prefer. Move funds through your bank rather than cash — carrying EUR 10,000 or more across the EU border must be declared to customs.
On tax, France taxes residents on worldwide income, and you become tax-resident once your main home is there. Vietnam taxes on your period of residence too, so the year you move can involve part-year positions in both countries; the France–Vietnam double taxation treaty exists to prevent the same income being taxed twice. Because relocation tax depends on timing, employment and any continuing Vietnamese income, take individual advice for the transition year rather than relying on general guidance.
How Flyto handles your Vietnam to France move
Flyto Relocation runs the whole Vietnam-to-France corridor as one coordinated project. We arrange export packing and clearance in Ho Chi Minh City or Hai Phong, ocean or air freight to Le Havre, and French import clearance under the franchise de déménagement — including help preparing the valued inventory and the entry declaration. Just as importantly, we sequence the move around the longest-lead item: your pet’s rabies titre test and three-month wait, so the animal, your container and your visa arrive in the right order. With our own hubs across Northern, Central and Southern Europe, we manage the French delivery leg directly. Ready for a plan and a price? Get a quote and we will map your dates around the pet clock first.
Frequently asked questions
Do I really need a rabies blood test to bring my dog or cat from Vietnam to France?
Yes. Because Vietnam is not an EU-listed country, a titration test is mandatory: blood taken at least 30 days after vaccination, result at least 0.5 IU/ml at an EU-approved lab, then a three-month wait before EU entry. See European Commission — bringing a pet into the EU.
How long does the pet process take overall?
Plan for roughly four to five months once you add up microchipping and vaccination, the 30-day gap before the blood draw, the lab turnaround, and the compulsory three-month wait. Start it before anything else. See Your Europe — pets and other animals.
Can I bring my used furniture without paying French import duty and VAT?
Generally yes, under the franchise de déménagement, if you lived outside the EU for at least 12 months, owned and used the goods for at least six months, transfer your main residence, and import within 12 months of settling. See Service-Public.fr — moving to France from outside the EU: customs relief.
When must I validate my long-stay visa in France?
Within three months of arrival, online through the government’s ANEF portal, paying the associated tax; otherwise you may need a new visa. See Service-Public.fr — validating a VLS-TS long-stay visa.
Do Vietnamese citizens need a visa to live in France?
Yes. As third-country nationals you need the appropriate long-stay visa or residence permit for work, study or family, obtained from the French mission and validated or renewed in France. See France-Visas — long-stay visa.
Can I keep driving on my Vietnamese licence?
Only for up to one year after acquiring normal residence in France; after that you must exchange it (subject to reciprocity) or pass the French tests. See Service-Public.fr — exchanging a non-EU driving licence.
Related moves
Sources
- European Commission — Bringing a pet into the EU from a non-EU country
- Your Europe — EU rules on travelling with pets and other animals
- Service-Public.fr — Moving to France from outside the EU: customs relief (franchise)
- French Customs (Douane) — Moving to France from a non-EU country
- Service-Public.fr — Validating a VLS-TS long-stay visa
- France-Visas — Long-stay visa
- Service-Public.fr — Exchanging a non-EU driving licence
- Vietnam Immigration Department — Temporary residence cards for foreigners
- General Department of Vietnam Customs
Hiring an international mover? See our full International removals to Vietnam service — Flyto’s own European hubs, vetted local partners and one English-speaking coordinator, door to door.