vincent1984

I have visited France 3 times and in love with the country so finally, since I am getting retired, I have decided to move there. I am from the UK but live in the US and I am planning to relocate to France a city called Brive La Gaillard within the next 2 months.
The difference is this time, I am planning on bringing all my personal goods which is as much a full ocean container. I have read some of the regulation here: usgshipping.com/shipping-to-europe-from-usa/shipping-to-western-europe/shipping-to-france-from-usa

But I am still not clear on what I am not allowed to bring? I am not sure if anyone here with a similar experience can refer me to a good customs broker in France who can help with clearing my items when the container arrives and arrange the delivery to my home. I don’t like to deal with hassle and headaches of getting my goods there and don’t mind to pay a little bit higher price for the service.
Any help will be greatly appreciated!

Tweedpipe

Welcome to the forum!
I have shipped personal and house contents from within Europe to France several times, but in particularly twice in the past overseas; once from the Middle East, and lastly from Asia to France.
On both occasions I contacted 3 seperate international shipping companies for an estimate. All 3 came to survey the amount we had and provided a very detailed estimation. During their visits I discussed packing responsibilities, shipping dates, possible issues with customs etc, which they all said they take care of with no action on my part (with the exception of providing a complete inventory of items).
Bottom line being, go with a reputable company and leave everything to them.
I have a work colleague who fairly recently moved back from East Hartford, USA to the UK. He too would have asked for 3 shipping estimates as we were always advised to do. I'll ask which shipping company they used and report back.

cyrian

Hi
You can bring your personal possessions with you without problem unless they are prohibited items like weapons or pepper spray etc.
These would need specific permission (pepper spray is a total no-go).
Your shipping company will need an inventory of your items for customs clearance.
Be careful with electrical items as the power supply in Europe is different from the USA.
If you are not already a US citizen then it may be worthwhile getting this before you leave just in case you decide to return someday.
If you have a current UK passport then you do not need a visa - Brexit dependent
Good luck

Listen Very Carefully

Do not bring your car nor any electrical goods frankly

petitefrancaise

electrical goods - mostly correct not to bring but I think tvs and computers are fine.

Why not bring a car? I know quite a few people who did this.

tooboocoo

TVs will NOT be fine - they run on either 110v (N America) or 220v (or 230, same thing, in Europe). Laptops will be OK since the external power supply/charger is made for the entire range from 110 to 230v.

A car should be fine - it's a move from LHD to LHD, so no problem. But probably only worth it if your car is special or rare.

mikelincs

Not completely true, Many of newest TVs etc are dual voltage, so checking the label at the back should tell you, it it says 110 - 240 volts then your TV will work, whether you will get a picture is another thing, again many of them will show show both formats, it really depends on how old the TV is, same goes for DVD players

petitefrancaise

considering the price differences between USA and France, I'd probably buy a new tv that I knew would work before I left the USA.
OP - sales tax of 20% in France!

petitefrancaise

This is a very good point if you have children/grandchildren living in the USA.
Otherwise - and I'm sure you've looked into this - if you do get US citizenship you're going to have to do your US tax return every year. If you are LPR then I'd look into getting a travel permit - uscis.gov/green-card/after-green-card-granted/international-travel-a-permanent-resident .
I've written about retiring in france before and so have others. My aunt and uncle semi-retired not a million miles from Brive and lasted 12 years before selling up. I'd have a plan in place for when you are old enough to start needing help.
Growing old in France