Send Luggage From the USA to France
Introduction: Shipping Luggage and Personal Effects from the USA to France
Shipping Luggage and Personal Effects from the USA to France
France is one of the most popular international destinations for American expatriates, and that has been true for a long time. Paris has hosted a significant American community since at least the 1920s. Today, Americans relocate to France for work across aerospace, luxury, food, and technology sectors, for academic and artistic positions, for retirement in Provence or the Dordogne, and for love — France-based marriages to French nationals remain one of the most common reasons for transatlantic relocation.
French customs allows used personal effects to be imported duty-free and TVA-free when you are genuinely relocating from the USA. The official term in French customs law is transfert de domicile (transfer of domicile), and the process is administered by the DGDDI under EU Regulation 1186/2009. The official DGDDI guidance is at douane.gouv.fr/en/demarche/you-want-know-applicable-deductibles-when-transferring-your-main-residence-france (https://www.douane.gouv.fr/en/demarche/you-want-know-applicable-deductibles-when-transferring-your-main-residence-france).
France has a specific official form for this process — the Cerfa 10070 — which must be submitted to French customs. Beyond the standard transfert de domicile process, France also offers specific duty-free concessions for two additional life events: marriage to a French resident, and moving to France for university studies. Both are covered below.
ExpediShip handles pickup from your US address, all export documentation, air freight, and delivery to any French address. Our French clearance partners manage the DGDDI transfert de domicile process on your behalf.
Not shipping personal belongings? See our box shipping page for gift boxes and samples. For donation pallets or tradeshow freight, see our pallet page. For crate shipments, see our crate page.
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Who Ships Luggage and Personal Effects from the USA to France?
Who Ships Luggage and Personal Effects from the USA to France?
Aerospace and Defence Industry Professionals
France is home to Airbus (headquartered in Toulouse), Thales, Safran, Dassault Aviation, and dozens of major aerospace and defence contractors. The Paris Air Show at Le Bourget is the world’s largest aerospace trade fair. Many American professionals join these companies or their US-French partnerships and relocate to France — often to Toulouse, Paris, or Bordeaux — for engineering, management, or research roles. Personal effects shipping is a routine part of these relocations.
Luxury, Fashion, and Creative Industry Professionals
Paris remains the global capital of luxury and fashion, attracting creative professionals, designers, brand managers, and fashion editors from the USA to positions at LVMH, Kering, L’Oréal, and hundreds of smaller fashion houses and ateliers. Many ship personal effects — including clothing, studio equipment, personal electronics, and professional tools — from the USA as part of their relocation.
Academic Researchers and Artists
France’s universities — the Sorbonne (founded in the 13th century), Sciences Po, École Polytechnique, and dozens of grandes écoles — attract American researchers and academics. The American presence in French arts is well established. Shipping personal effects for a multi-year position in Paris, Lyon, or elsewhere is practical and common.
Americans Retiring to France
France — Provence, the Dordogne, Brittany, Normandy — has been attracting American retirees for decades. Many ship personal belongings when establishing a retirement home in France. Personal vehicles can also be imported duty-free under the transfert de domicile concession, provided the car has been owned and used for at least 12 months before importation.
French-Americans and Binational Couples
Americans married to or partnering with French nationals, and people of French descent returning to France, make up a steady stream of personal effects shipments. France has a specific marriage-related customs concession, covered below.
Shipping Cost & Transit Time for Shipping Luggage from the USA to France
Our prices are highly competitive — that’s why so many customers choose Expediship for shipping from the USA to France. We offer affordable rates with reliable, professional service, guiding you step by step through the entire shipping process for boxes, luggage, and parcels.
Delivery to France typically takes around 5 business days, not including customs clearance time, which may vary depending on France government processing.
Below are estimated starting prices for shipping Luggage from the USA to France. Final cost depends on box size, pickup address, and delivery city.
| Weight Range | Starting Price (USD) |
|---|---|
| 1–10 lbs | From $35 |
| 11–20 lbs | From $75 |
| 21–30 lbs | From $105 |
| 31–40 lbs | From $135 |
| 41–50 lbs | From $155 |
| 51–60 lbs | From $185 |
| 61–80 lbs | From $205 |
| 81+ lbs | From $225 — for larger shipments, please contact customer service for an exact quote. |
Note: Prices are estimated starting rates for air freight shipments. Expediship offers door-to-door service with full tracking and customs guidance.
French Customs Rules for Personal Effects: The Transfert de Domicile
French Customs Rules for Personal Effects: The Transfert de Domicile
The transfert de domicile (transfer of domicile) concession allows you to import used personal belongings duty-free and TVA-free when genuinely relocating from the USA to France. The DGDDI’s official guidance is at douane.gouv.fr.
The conditions for duty-free and TVA-free import
First: you are transferring your principal residence (résidence principale) from the USA to France. This must be genuine — a holiday home, a second residence, or a temporary work assignment does not qualify. France must become your primary place of residence.
Second: you have been resident outside the EU for a continuous period of at least 12 months immediately before your move to France. French customs requires documentation proving this prior US residence.
Third: the goods have been in your personal possession and use for at least 6 months before the move. Items purchased within the last 6 months — even if they are personal items — are subject to TVA and potentially customs duty. Provide purchase receipts for recent items where possible.
Fourth: the goods must be imported into France within 12 months of your date of transfer of residence. Multiple consignments are permitted, but the full inventory of all goods claimed for duty-free entry must be declared at the time of the first importation.
Fifth: you may not sell, lend, rent, pledge, or otherwise transfer any goods admitted duty-free before 12 months have elapsed from their date of entry into France. If you do so, you must inform French customs immediately and pay the applicable duties and TVA.
Sixth: if you are relocating for professional reasons at the instruction of your employer, you must provide a short letter from your employer in French (or with a French translation) confirming the relocation, your new French address, and that you have been living outside France for at least 12 months. French customs accepts this as supplementary proof of transfert de domicile.
What qualifies as personal property for the transfert de domicile?
Used clothing, shoes, and personal accessories. Used household electronics — laptops, cameras, phones, small appliances. Used furniture, bedding, kitchenware, and household goods. Personal library and books. Personal sports and hobby equipment. Musical instruments. Your personal vehicle (owned and used for at least 12 months — note the vehicle has additional French registration requirements once in France). Alcohol must be inventoried separately with brand name, type, quantity, and value; it is still subject to French excise duties (accises) regardless of the transfert de domicile concession.
Cerfa 10070: France's Official Form for Importing Personal Property
Cerfa 10070: France’s Official Form for Importing Personal Property
The Cerfa 10070 (officially the “Declaration of duty-free entry into France of personal property from third countries to the European Union”) is the mandatory DGDDI form used to declare personal property imported from outside the EU as part of a transfert de domicile, inheritance, marriage, or study-based relocation to France.
The Cerfa 10070 is available on the French government’s forms portal at service-public.gouv.fr. It is a two-page form that collects your personal details, the reason for the move, the type and value of goods being imported, and a declaration that the goods meet the conditions for duty-free entry.
What you must submit with the Cerfa 10070
The Cerfa 10070 must be accompanied by:
A detailed, estimated, dated, and signed inventory (état détaillé et estimatif) of all personal property being imported — in two copies. The inventory must describe every significant item, its approximate value, and (for the transfert de domicile concession) whether each item has been owned and used for at least 6 months. French customs guidance recommends that this inventory be written in French, though English is generally accepted in practice.
Documentation proving your French address: an electricity bill, gas bill, lease agreement, rent receipt, property tax notice, or housing tax notice in your name at a French address.
Documentation proving your US residence for at least 12 consecutive months: lease agreements, utility bills, employment records, or bank statements showing a US address.
For employer-required relocations: a letter in French from your employer confirming the relocation.
You submit the Cerfa 10070 and all accompanying documents to the French customs officer at the point of entry — typically Roissy Charles de Gaulle (CDG) Airport or the customs office at your destination city in France. As part of French customs’ 2025 digitisation push, the DELTA system now cross-references the immigration and residence permit status of non-EU relocators via ANEF (the French digital immigration portal), so having your visa documentation aligned with your Cerfa 10070 submission avoids complications.
France's Special Duty-Free Concessions: Marriage and University Studies
France’s Special Duty-Free Concessions: Marriage and University Studies
France’s customs system provides duty-free and TVA-free import concessions beyond the standard transfert de domicile, covering two additional life circumstances specific to France. These are referenced in France’s official customs portal at service-public.gouv.fr and in the Cerfa 10070 form itself.
Marriage concession (mariage)
If you are relocating to France specifically on the occasion of marriage to a French resident or a person legally residing in France, you may import your personal effects and certain household goods duty-free and TVA-free, even if you have not resided outside the EU for 12 consecutive months (which is the standard condition). The marriage concession also extends to wedding gifts received from outside France: gifts with an individual value of €1,000 or less per item can be imported duty-free and TVA-free in connection with the marriage. Gifts above €1,000 are subject to standard customs duty and TVA on the amount exceeding €1,000.
Note: if you do not pay import duties and TVA on wedding gifts under this concession, a 12-month transfer restriction applies. You cannot sell, lend, pledge, or give away items imported duty-free as wedding gifts for 12 months after their entry into France. This restriction applies even to gifts received from third parties, not just your own personal effects.
University study concession (études)
Students relocating to France for university studies can also import personal effects duty-free, with a Cerfa 10070 completed with the reason for entry as “Études.” The goods must genuinely be for personal use during the period of study. This concession is useful for American students on multi-year degree programs at French universities who ship personal belongings from the USA.
Insurance Options for Shipping Boxes, Pallets, Crates, or Luggage from the USA to France
Every shipment automatically includes $100 of cargo insurance free of charge — if anything is lost or damaged, you are covered up to $100 at no extra cost. Need more protection? Add full coverage for just 3% of the declared value when requesting your quote. For eligibility rules, non-insurable items, and how claims work, see our Shipping Insurance Guide.
International Shipping Prohibitions and Restrictions
Ship from USA to France — Know What You Cannot Ship
Certain items cannot be received, stored, shipped, imported, or exported due to government regulations, safety concerns, or international trade laws. Transactions involving these commodities are strictly prohibited, regardless of the shipment’s origin or destination.
Note: These items are completely forbidden to be exported or imported between countries.
Shipping Process
Ship Box or luggage from USA to France
Frequently Asked Questions When Shipping Luggage from USA to France
No, if you qualify for the transfert de domicile concession. Used personal belongings imported as part of a genuine permanent relocation are exempt from customs duty and French TVA (20%), provided you have lived outside the EU for at least 12 consecutive months, the goods have been owned and used for at least 6 months, and you import them within 12 months of your date of transfer of residence. You must submit the Cerfa 10070 form to French customs. Official DGDDI guidance is at douane.gouv.fr.
Via air freight through Roissy CDG, personal effects shipments typically arrive in approximately 4 to 5 business days. DGDDI clearance for well-documented transfert de domicile shipments with a correctly prepared Cerfa 10070 and inventory is generally efficient.