If you are looking to relocate to France, Green4Logistics provides an experienced and professional service to all of its customers. Making your long-distance removal totally stress free. Our ‘removals to France from the UK guide’ will help you prepare for your life changing event.
We cater for all types of removals to France whether you are moving through work commitments, educational experiences, retirement or a life changing experience.
Please refer to our Home Removals Checklist which will help you get prepared for the all important da
Learn the French Language
Learning some of the basic language before you move to France will be extremely helpful in settling into your new home and community. The French will be more than willing to interact if you show signs of trying to learn their language.
Take some French lessons, this can be done online or see if there any courses at your local college or community center. Audiobooks is another way of learning the language, this allows you to listen in your spare time such as traveling in your car or on the bus or tube.
Visa Requirements to Live in France
If the UK leaves the EU with a deal due to Brexit then you will not need to apply for a Visa to live and work in France, up until the 31st December 2020.
If however the UK leaves the EU with a no deal then the Visa requirements will alter. The best thing to do if this happens is to see what the French Embassy has to say on this matter.
Your Pets
If you have a dog or cat then they will need to be microchipped before entering the country. Once they are microchipped you will then need to get a pet passport from your local vet. A rabies vaccination will also be required before you go. Dogs will also have to have proof that they have had tapeworm treatment.
Failure to follow these rules could leave your furry friend in quarantine for upto 4 months and they could be refused to travel across the channel with you.
Open a French Bank Account
Although this is not necessary it might make life a bit easier if you are going to be working in France or are initially renting a property in the country. Some French banks also allow you to open bank accounts before you arrive in the country so you could prepare this before you leave the UK. Some of the major national banks in the France include CIC, BNP Paribas, Societé Générale and La Banque Postale which is the French National Post Office.
You can also apply for online French banks which include LeoPay, N26 and bunq. These accounts can be set up in a matter of minutes and are an ideal way to have a bank account set up before your move to France.
Taking Your UK Car with You
A car for the majority of people living in France is essential due to the sheer size of the country and lots of rural areas. There are certain places in France that you cannot get to unless you have a motor vehicle.
In order to register your UK car in France you need a grey card (carte grise). This will then give you a new registration for your car allowing you to purchase French number plates. This can be a long process as the French government requires a lot of paperwork to get this organised.
It might be worth considering selling your car in the UK and buying a French one when you arrive in the country.
Settling into Your New French Home
Mobile and Internet
Like the UK France uses a GSM network. All the latest mobile phones work on the GSM network if you have an older mobile phone its worth checking that it will work before you get there.
Get yourself a French SIM card so that you will not be charged international calls whilst making mobile calls within France. The largest mobile companies in France are Orange, La Poste Mobile, Bouyges Telecom, Free Mobile and SFR.
In order to set up broadband you will need to have a telephone service in your home. Once the telephone service is set up you can then choose an ADSL merchant. Has you are now living in France this process can take at least a couple of months to get set up.
Please also be aware that you will need to check what zone you live in. If you are living in a non-dégroupées zone then you can still have an ADSL merchant but please be aware that you might not have high speed connectivity
Television
To watch TV in France every household must have a television licence (redevance audiovisuelle) which costs around 120 euros per year. If you buy a TV in France the place of purchase notifies the jurisdiction and they will then bill you yearly.
If you have a TV which you have brought with you from UK you will need to declare this. If the TV is not decalred then you will risk been fined.
Phil Hanson’s video from youtube offers great insight into living in France as he is actually living the dream. He also informed me he will be doing more videos about this in the near future. You can check out more of his videos on YouTube.
We hope our removals to France from the UK guide will help you gain important information that you can follow up on and get you prepared for that all important day. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with our team if you have any questions regarding this matter.
Alternatively if you have any experiences which you feel could be beneficial to our ‘Removals to France from the UK’ post please leave a comment below. Thanks
