Initial Documentation

Although EU regulations have reduced the amount of documentation required for long stay visitors to member countries there are still a number of requirements in force.

Managing The Removal

Import Regulations

Household goods and personal effects can normally be imported into France duty free. Nevertheless there are a number of regulations, the breach of any of which can create considerable delay.

• Firearms may not be imported unless a special application has been processed. Details are available from consulates.
• A full inventory of goods (three copies) should be presented to officers when the first goods are taken to France. Property can then be imported in ‘lots’ but there is a time limitation (before import tax is imposed) of 12 months.
• Goods should correspond to the financial status of the owner. Customs will be suspicious of someone with a modest declared income importing a valuable collection of antiques. It is prudent to provide some form of proof of purchase for items of exceptional value.
• You will require a change of residence certificate from the mairie of the district you are moving to.
• A declaration of non-cession (non-transfer) is required. This is a statement that your household goods come within the duty free regulations.
• If your French property is to be used essentially as a holiday home or secondary residence additional rules apply.

It is these last rules that most frequently cause difficulty. Basically they state that all goods must have been owned and used by the importer for three months before the removal date and that they should be appropriate for usage in a secondary residence. The French would naturally prefer you to buy your goods in their country and they have been known to discourage imports. As most furniture and electrical goods are cheaper in the UK there is a natural temptation to take in as much as you can.

The best way to avoid problems is make purchases four to six months before export and keep their receipts. Electrical goods, especially if presented to customes in original packing, are most likely to provoke comment.

Pets

Since the pilot scheme was introduced in 2000, it has been possible to transport pets within the EU (and more recently the US and Canada) providing they fulfil the regulations. Briefly these are:

• Each animal must be micro chipped to meet agreed EU standards.
• The animal must have had an anti-rabies injection and blood tests must show the antibodies in the animal’s blood.
• Six months must have elapsed from the successful blood test to the date of departure.

Initial costs will be about €350 per animal and then a further anti-rabies injection must be given bi-annually.

Animals that have successfully fulfilled the above obligations can then be taken to France through approved ports of embarkation and disembarkation. At the time of writing these were not all the Channel ports, but this is expected to change as usage of the scheme grows.

Those wishing to return to the UK with their pets must visit a French vet between 24 and 48 hours before departure to have the animal treated for ticks and fleas, and the relevant documents completed. This typically costs around €30.

Rules on animal imports are likely to change at short notice. DEFRA has a special PETS help line (? 0870 241 1710), or visit the website at www.defra.gov.uk .

Presently you are allowed to import up to three domestic animals into France, but only one of them may be a puppy or an animal under six months old. The date at which a French vaccination certificate is required is 12 months from the issue of the UK equivalent, and not, as is popularly thought, 12 months after the animal is imported to France.

French law requires dogs to have annual anti-rabies vaccinations. The number of the certificate must be tattooed into the dog’s ear. British regulations have been amended to cover dogs that have been tattooed, then micro chipped and have the relevant vaccine certificates. These animals can then be re-imported to Britain.