Q & A

Subject: Shipping our stuff to France.

Question: My husband and I bought a place in St Jean Pied de Port, France. We are shipping our car and household in a 40' container out of New Orleans, where we currently reside. I am trying to find a company that will ship to Bayonne France. My real questions are about what happens on the French side, how can I find out what they will tax and at what rate. Should I get a "carte de sejour"? Will that exempt us from the VAT or Customs Duties? Do I need a French interpreter at the port when the shipment comes in? Please advise.

Answer: When we moved from the US last year, we paid no taxes or duties on our belongings. As I remember it everything six months old or older was except from any type of duty.
The person or persons that will be able to give you a definitive answer will be your shipping company. Another thing, our shipment did not go through French customs, it went through English customs and we were not there, there were no problems. Even if you go through French customs I don't think you need to be there, unless of course you want to. Our shipping company worked with an agent in England that then shipped our stuff from England to France. For a hundred cubic yards we paid $3,000, door to door. It was our shipping company that worked out all the details, they just came one day picked everything up, and then when we arrived in France I made contact with the English agent to arrange finale delivery.
My finale suggestion is to ship as mush as you can, as furniture in France is very expensive.

Related Article:
http://www.americansinfrance.net/MovingPlanner

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