Route · Kent to France
Removals from Kent to France
This is the route Kent knows better than any other county, for the simple reason that the crossings are here. A load from Maidstone or Canterbury is at Folkestone or Dover in well under an hour without going near the M25, which removes the least predictable part of any European move from the south-east.
A large share of our France work is second homes in the west and north — part-loads rather than whole households.
Who moves this route from Kent
- Second-home owners in Normandy, Brittany and the Charente, shipping part-loads in both directions.
- Families relocating to Paris and the Île-de-France on a fixed start date, usually into less space than they left.
- Retirements south to the Dordogne and Occitanie, with a whole house and a set of outbuildings behind it.
The route out of the county
Straight down the M20 to junction 11a for the Eurotunnel shuttle at Folkestone, or the A20 to the Eastern Docks at Dover. For a loaded removals vehicle the shuttle is usually the choice — short crossing, vehicle sealed, driver stays with it — but Dover is genuinely competitive on this route and sometimes the better call.
From Calais the A16 runs west along the coast and the A26 drops south-east towards Reims. For the south-west it is the A16 then the A28 through Rouen and Le Mans; for the Mediterranean, the A26 to the A6 and the long run down the Rhône on the A7.
Where we deliver
Customs and paperwork
France is outside the UK customs union, so a household move is an export and an import even though nothing in the load is new. Transfer of residence relief is what keeps it duty-free for somebody genuinely moving, and it turns entirely on the inventory matching what is in the vehicle.
The file, and who builds it
| Document | Obtained by | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Detailed inventory (valued) | Us | Written at the survey and checked at loading. Customs reads this, so it names contents rather than counting boxes. |
| Proof the Kent address has ended | You | Closing council tax bill, an ending tenancy, or completion paperwork. |
| Proof of the French address | You | Deeds, a lease, or an attestation from the mairie once registered. |
| Passport and residence status | You | Copies for the file. Your status decides whether the relief applies at all. |
| Export declaration | Us | Raised before the vehicle reaches the terminal — which, from Kent, is not long after loading. |
| Import entry and relief claim | Us | Lodged with French customs through our agent against the same inventory. |
Everything marked You is yours to obtain, and those are the items that hold loads up — start them early. Everything marked Us we prepare and lodge against the inventory written at your property.
What comes up after the move
French rural addresses frequently cannot take a full-size removals vehicle, exactly as Weald and marsh addresses cannot. It is the same problem with the same answer — shuttle with something smaller — and the same condition: it has to be identified before the load leaves Kent rather than at the end of a lane.
French flats are often let or sold without fitted kitchens, wardrobes or light fittings. If your inventory looks light because you assumed those would be there, say so at survey so the volume is planned properly.
And the paperwork is far easier if you can already evidence a French address. Where you cannot yet, there are ways to sequence it, but they get decided before loading.
Kent to France
Questions on this route
- Is a Kent firm genuinely better for a France move?
- For a load starting in Kent, yes, and for a practical reason rather than a sentimental one: no M25. The hour between the M25 and the coast is the most variable part of a European move from the south-east, and a Kent load never spends it.
- Tunnel or ferry?
- Usually the tunnel for a loaded vehicle — short, sealed, driver stays with it. Dover is genuinely competitive on this route and is sometimes the better call depending on sailings. It is our decision and it does not change your price.
- Can you do a part-load?
- Yes, and for a second home it is normally right. A part-load shares a vehicle with other consignments on the route: lower cost, and departure when the route fills rather than on a date you pick.
- Do we pay duty on our own furniture?
- Not where you qualify for transfer of residence relief and the file is correct. It is conditional on your status and on an accurate inventory, which is why the inventory is written at the property.
- Will our furniture fit a Paris flat?
- The doorway is often fine and the staircase is not. Paris buildings frequently need an exterior lift and a permit, which we establish before quoting because it changes the job.
- Can you collect elsewhere on the way to the crossing?
- Yes — everything in Kent and much of south-east London is on the way to Folkestone or Dover, so a second pickup is usually straightforward.
Moving from Kent to France?
Tell us the two addresses, what is going, and whether the far end has a date. We will come back with the route, the documents to start, and a written quote.