Man+Van
Man and van · London → France

Man and van from London to France. Paris flats to farmhouses.

Paris, Provence, the Dordogne, Brittany and the Riviera from any London postcode. One van and one crew from your door to the new one, with the export declaration and the French customs inventory done by us.

Get a France quote Call 0800 652 7561
M+V
Looking out through the open rear doors of a loaded van onto a street at dusk, boxes stacked inside
Loaded in London, unloaded in France by the same crew

How a London to France man and van move runs

France is the run we do most, and nearly every one starts the same way: a London flat or house, a van loaded by two of us, and a crossing from Dover or the tunnel at Folkestone. Our yard is at Purfleet, just off the M25 by the Dartford Crossing, so the van is pointed at the Channel ports the moment its doors shut.

If you only have part of a van’s worth, it can share space on a run already heading south. A full house gets a van of its own that drives direct. Either way, the crew that loads is the crew that unloads, and the customs paperwork is ours to do, not yours.

Not sure whether you need a man and van or a bigger removal firm? Our services page sets out the difference, and the removals from London page covers every route we drive. Moving across town before you go abroad? That is man and van London.

Paris and the cities

Getting the van to the door.

French city deliveries rarely go wrong on the road. They go wrong at the kerb, when the van cannot park, the lift is too small or the building will not let you in. This is what we check for each kind of address before your van leaves London.

Access in French cities: the common problems and how we plan for them
WhereWhat slows the van downWhat we sort before the day
ParisA gardien or syndic controls the courtyard, the lift and the hours you can move. Street parking for a removal needs a permit, and many lifts are too small for furniture.We book access with the building in French, apply to the arrondissement’s mairie for the parking permit, and bring an external furniture lift when the stairs or lift will not do.
LyonVieux Lyon is narrow and largely pedestrian, and the Croix-Rousse slopes are steep with tight turns.We check the approach and the permitted delivery hours with the town hall, then plan the unload around them.
BordeauxMuch of the centre is pedestrian or bollard-controlled, so a van cannot simply pull up outside.We request vehicle access for your street in advance, or stage from the nearest legal loading spot with trolleys.
NiceThe old town is mostly pedestrian, and seafront residences often have a concierge and set moving hours.We book the slot with the concierge and use a smaller van where the full one cannot reach.
Old village centresWeight limits on the approach road, lanes narrower than the van and stone staircases.We transfer to a smaller vehicle at the edge of the village and carry the rest by hand.
What we lift

What does the France price cover?

  • Collection from any London postcode

    A mansion-block flat in Marylebone or a semi in Bexley, it makes no difference. We load inside the M25 and further out in Essex and Kent when the route suits.

  • The same crew at both ends

    The two people who load your van in London drive it to France and unload it. Nobody else handles your boxes in between.

  • The UK export declaration

    We lodge it with HMRC as your remover, built from the inventory we take at survey.

  • The French customs inventory

    An itemised list in English and French that goes with your Cerfa 10070. We write it, and you check and sign it.

  • Goods-in-transit cover

    Goods-in-transit cover comes on every move. All-risks cover is available if you want it, and it is quoted as its own line.

  • Wrapping and dismantling

    Furniture is blanket-wrapped and strapped. Beds and wardrobes come apart in London and go back together in France.

The paperwork

What paperwork does a move to France need?

A move to France needs two sets of paperwork: customs forms for your goods, which are ours to do, and your visa and residency, which are yours. On the customs side we lodge the UK export declaration and prepare the inventory that goes with your Cerfa 10070. Your goods are cleared once, where they enter the EU on the French side of the Channel, and there are no customs stops after that.

Paperwork for a household move from London to France
Document What it is Who sorts it
UK export declaration The customs declaration that records your belongings leaving the UK. Us. We lodge it with HMRC as your remover.
Inventory (inventaire détaillé) An itemised, valued list of everything in the van, in English and French. Us, from the survey. You check it and sign it.
Cerfa 10070 The déclaration de transfert de résidence, which claims relief from French duty and VAT on your household goods under Council Regulation (EC) No 1186/2009. You sign it. We prepare it with the inventory and present it with the load.
Proof of your move Evidence that you are moving your normal residence to France, such as a lease, purchase deed or utility contract in your name, plus your passport. You supply it. We tell you which copies the customs office will want.
Long-stay visa (VLS-TS), then titre de séjour The visa most UK nationals need before moving, applied for from the UK and validated online after arrival. The titre de séjour is the residence permit that follows it. You, through France-Visas and the French authorities. We plan the move date around it.
Beyond the cities

Which parts of France do you cover?

All of mainland France. These are the regions we drive to most, and what each one tends to throw at a van.

  • Provence and the Luberon

    Aix, Avignon and the hill villages. Stone steps and lanes the full van cannot get down are normal here, so we plan a smaller vehicle or a hand-carry for the last stretch at survey.

  • Dordogne and the south-west

    Périgord farmhouses, Bordeaux townhouses and Toulouse flats. We check rural tracks at survey, or from photos you send, before we commit the van to them.

  • Brittany and Normandy

    The shortest run once you are across the Channel: Saint-Malo, Rennes, Caen and the coast. For western Brittany we sometimes take the ferry from Portsmouth or Plymouth instead of crossing at Calais.

  • Côte d’Azur

    Nice, Cannes, Antibes and the hills behind them. Gated residences want names and vehicle details in advance, and we send them.

LONDON FRANCE

How the France price is worked out

You get one fixed price, worked out from your inventory, the route and the access at both ends. A full van that runs direct costs more than a part load sharing space on a run already heading south. The quote covers the crew, the van, the crossing, the paperwork and goods-in-transit cover, and nothing is added on the day.

Sending one sofa or a wardrobe rather than a household? Single-item delivery rides on a van already going, and the quote form takes a minute to fill in.

One van’s worth of stuff and a new job waiting. Everyone else wanted me to wait for a slot on a shared lorry. These lads gave me a fixed price, loaded the Camden flat first thing and drove it down themselves. At the door in Toulouse they handed me the signed inventory and the customs papers, and everything came off in the order it went on.

Marcus Bell Camden (NW1) → Toulouse Illustrative customer profile
Common questions

Moving to France: your questions answered.

  • Moving your household from London to France needs three things: a UK export declaration, an itemised inventory and France’s Cerfa 10070 transfer-of-residence declaration. We lodge the export declaration with HMRC as your remover, and we write the inventory in English and French from the survey. The Cerfa 10070 claims relief from French duty and VAT under Council Regulation (EC) No 1186/2009, which covers personal belongings you have owned and used before the move when you are moving your normal residence to France. The rules set a minimum ownership period, and we check it at survey, so anything bought recently is flagged before it is packed. The goods are cleared where they enter the EU, normally at Calais or Coquelles on the far side of the Channel. You sign the forms and supply proof of your new address, and we handle the rest.

More general questions about how we work are on the FAQ page.

London to France · one crew, fixed price

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