Considering a Move to France?

Moving to France from the UK

Whether you’re moving to France for business, starting a new life, or retiring, let Abels Moving Services help. We provide a removal quotation tailored to your move. We’ve helped countless individuals and families move from the UK to Paris, Nice, Bordeaux, Marseille, and beyond.

Abels Moving Services has provided professional, discreet packing and European road removal services for over 50 years. We work with discerning families and professionals moving to France.

Living in France

France has the largest land area of any European country, covering around 210,026 square miles. It sits in Western Europe. Spain borders it to the south, Italy to the south-east, Switzerland, Germany and Luxembourg to the east, and Belgium to the north. Moving to France gives you a wide range of property options to rent or buy.

Around 68.5 million people live in France, giving the country an average population density around half that of the UK.

Paris is the capital, with a multinational community. Around 2.1 million people live in the city itself. The wider Île-de-France region, often called Greater Paris, is home to around 12.5 million. Other large cities include Lyon, Marseille, Lille, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Nice, Nantes, and Strasbourg, all popular relocation spots. The country divides into 21 administrative regions, five of which are overseas.

France’s main exports include machinery and transport equipment, along with agricultural products such as wine. Related industries support these sectors and create job opportunities for people moving here.

Tourism plays a major role in the French economy. France remains the world’s most visited country, welcoming over 100 million international tourists a year. It’s also home to 53 UNESCO World Heritage sites. Cities of particular cultural interest include Paris, Toulouse, Strasbourg, Bordeaux, and Lyon.

Can UK Citizens Move to France After Brexit?

Moving to France from the UK now requires a visa, regardless of your reason for moving. This applies whether you’re relocating for work, to live with family, or to retire.

Several visa types exist depending on your circumstances, so it’s worth checking you’re applying for the right one. Requirements can change. Confirm the current position with official gov.uk guidance or the French consulate before you commit to a moving date.

Planning Your Move

Talk to a specialist international removal company before you move to France. At Abels, we want you to feel confident about your move abroad. We give you a range of reputable resources to help with your decision.

Think about how long you’ll spend overseas. This affects your visa options and how many possessions you bring with you.

To speak with an advisor, call or email our head office. We’ll be in touch shortly to discuss your move to France.

For full house moves or large volumes, we recommend a home survey. One of our International Customer Service Managers will visit your home to discuss your requirements in person. We have a long-standing history in international moves. We’re happy to talk you through our process for reassurance along the way.

For smaller volumes, you can discuss your move over the phone, by email, or through our online service. We’ll assess your volume, access, packing requirements and shipping method from the information you give us. We’ll then send a detailed door-to-door proposal for you to consider.

Once you book with Abels, you’ll meet your Customer Liaison Move Coordinator. They work alongside your Customer Service Manager to manage the booking, organisation and day-to-day details of your move to France.

Packing Your Possessions

We recommend professional packing for all your items during your move to France. We wrap and protect your furniture in woollen blankets before it travels with you.

We move your items from the UK in a large removal vehicle. Where access doesn’t suit a large vehicle in some areas, we shuttle your possessions onto a smaller local delivery vehicle instead.

Some items need more extensive packing, particularly valuable or delicate pieces. Your Customer Service Manager will identify these during your consultation. Depending on the item, we offer robust 8-ply paper blankets, foam edging, card covering, or crating. This gives the best possible protection.

We use the highest quality packing materials throughout. If you’re packing items yourself, avoid cheap materials. Cartons in a removal vehicle can stack up to two metres high. The ones at the bottom need to hold their shape and keep their contents protected for the whole journey.

We’re happy for you to pack some items yourself, so long as everything is properly wrapped. Our removal teams are always happy to leave cartons for personal clothing or papers on the day of your move. Our packing teams train specifically for this work too.

Fine Art & Specialist Packing Services

Fine art needs particular care. This includes paintings, grandfather clocks, barometers, chandeliers, and grand pianos. All of these call for enhanced packing and careful handling throughout. We regularly use made-to-measure wooden cases to give delicate and valuable items the highest level of protection.

How we dismantle these items before shipping matters as much as how we pack them. Grandfather clocks need their main components taken apart and weights removed before casing. Barometers need specialist handling too, since we bung the tube to prevent the mercury inside from spilling.

Thorough training is what keeps our packing teams versed in the right handling and packing techniques. Every team member returns to our training school each year. There, they practise on our own specialist furniture, not on customers’ belongings.

Road Removal Services

Abels runs a modern fleet of removal vehicles. Each one safely transports furniture, personal possessions and motor vehicles. Every vehicle carries a full alarm system and flat cleanable internal sides. Double-skinned walls protect furniture and limit temperature changes. Air-ride suspension keeps items steady in transit, and each vehicle carries mobile communications and driver and porter facilities.

We maintain a range of vehicle sizes to suit each move, depending on access, volume and distance. Our fleet includes road trains: a rigid truck pulling a similar-sized trailer, carrying up to 103 cubic metres (3,600 cubic feet). It also includes articulated trucks and trailers, plus pantechnicons and small packing vehicles for our removal teams and materials.

This range means Abels can provide efficient moving services across Europe, including your move to France.

Customs Information

Since the UK left the EU, free movement of goods between the UK and France no longer applies. Import and export rules now govern your household goods, including furniture and personal effects.

Your Abels Move Manager will give you tailored guidance through this part of the process.

You’ll need specific documentation for customs clearance. The exact requirements depend on your personal circumstances, and our team will talk you through these ahead of your move. Explore the FIDI Customs Guide for France for further background before your move consultation with the Abels team.

Destination Services

Abels handles every aspect of destination services in France with our own removal teams and vehicles.

For most deliveries, we use one of our large removal vehicles. Where access calls for a smaller vehicle, we transport your items by road in a standard removal vehicle. We then transfer them to a smaller vehicle locally.

Properties on higher floors need careful planning. We often work with the building’s concierge to confirm lift access and approved delivery times. Some properties only permit delivery using an external lift.

Abels holds FIDI-FAIM accreditation, reflecting the standard we maintain for every customer. Our destination services in France include arranging customs clearance, where applicable, and a full delivery service.

The British Association of Removers runs the Advance Payment Guarantee Scheme. It protects prepayments from private customers if Abels were ever unable to fulfil a paid contract. This scheme was previously provided by IMMI.

Our standard delivery service in France includes delivery into the rooms of your choice. It also includes unpacking cartons onto a flat surface. We also set up and position your furniture as instructed, and remove waste packaging. If you’d like a put-away service, cleaning, or settling-in support, talk to your Abels Customer Service Manager or Customer Liaison.

Our professional experience and local knowledge cover every aspect of delivering your possessions in France. This keeps your arrival at your new home as smooth as possible.

Wherever your move takes you, we’d like to be the removal company you think of. That means this move, and the next one. If you’re moving to France, or anywhere else in the world, get in touch for a removal quotation.