Northamptonshire → France
Removals from Northamptonshire to France
The closest of the four routes and the one this county sends most people on. Everything after the crossing depends on one question: how far past Calais are you going?
There are two Frances as far as a removal vehicle is concerned. Anything in Hauts-de-France, Picardy or upper Normandy is genuinely close — load, cross, deliver, and the driving is the short part of the day. Anything past the Loire becomes a different job: driver hours respected, an overnight in the plan, and a delivery slot that has to be realistic rather than optimistic.
We do both, as full loads and as part loads sharing the route with other France-bound moves. Which suits you comes down to volume and how fixed your dates are.
The paperwork, honestly
Moving to France is an import now, and French customs want to see that you are transferring your residence rather than shipping goods in to sell. The certificate of change of residence is the piece that takes longest to obtain, so start it when the move is decided rather than the month before.
The inventory is the piece that most often causes trouble. It has to describe contents rather than count cartons, and it has to match what is actually in the vehicle. We do not quote clearance times — that is not our decision to make.
Where we deliver most
- Hauts-de-France and Normandy
- Close enough to deliver and be back without an overnight. Second homes and holiday properties, often part-furnished rather than emptied.
- Brittany and the Pays de la Loire
- Long-established British communities around Dinan and the Morbihan. Granite houses, hedged lanes and courtyards built for a cart.
- Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- The Dordogne, the Charente and down towards the Landes. The largest average load size of any French region we serve.
- Occitanie and Provence
- Toulouse, Montpellier, the Hérault villages and the Var. A long drive, and hot in summer when you are unloading.
- Paris and the cities
- Work relocations into apartments. Courtyard entrances, small lifts and a delivery window agreed with the building.
If France is the whole move
The network has a dedicated France corridor site at france-removals.co.uk, which goes deeper into French destinations than a county page sensibly can. If your move is squarely a UK-to-France one rather than a Northamptonshire move that happens to end in France, that is worth a look.
Moving to France — your questions
How does a removal from Northamptonshire to France work?
We survey and inventory at your county address, prepare the customs documentation, load, and run down the M1 to the M25 and the M20. From Calais it is autoroute to your region, and we deliver into the property, position the furniture and clear the packaging.
What does French customs want to see?
A detailed inventory with values, a certificate of change of residence — usually from the mairie of your new commune or the French consulate — proof of your French address, and identification. We compile and lodge the declaration; you supply the personal documents.
Will I pay duty on my furniture?
Normally not, because a genuine transfer of residence qualifies for relief on household goods you have owned and used. The relief rests on the paperwork matching the load, which is why the inventory is written at survey.
We are furnishing a second home. Is that different?
Yes, and it is worth saying up front. A second home is not a transfer of residence, so the customs position differs. Practically it is usually a part load, which is the cheaper option anyway.
Can you deliver into a narrow village street?
Often not with a long vehicle, and rural France is full of them. We check the address on satellite beforehand and plan a shuttle where one is needed — much the same problem as an Oundle lane, at greater distance.
Can you collect from more than one address?
Yes — a house and a storage unit, or a relative holding furniture. Tell us at survey so both pickups are built into the route.
Getting a quote for France
Send the Northamptonshire address, the French one and a rough room list. The survey and the paperwork start from there.