Route · Slough to France
Removals from Slough to France
France is the shortest European route we run and the one that suits Slough best, because the load is on the M4 within minutes of leaving the house and at Folkestone in a single uninterrupted run. What varies is not the start; it is whether you are going to Calvados or to the far side of the Pyrenees.
Most of our France work is two kinds: a posting ending and a household going home, or a second home in the west being emptied or filled.
Who moves this route from Slough
- Employees and families relocating to Paris and the Île-de-France, usually on a fixed start date and into a flat smaller than the Slough house.
- Second-home owners in Normandy, Brittany and the Charente shipping part-loads rather than whole households.
- Retirements south to the Dordogne and Occitanie, with a whole house and a garage that has never been counted.
The route out of Berkshire
East on the M4 to junction 15 or straight round to the M25, then anticlockwise to the M20 and the Eurotunnel shuttle at Folkestone. For a loaded removals vehicle the shuttle is normally the right call: the crossing is short, the vehicle stays sealed and the driver stays with it.
From Calais the A16 runs west along the coast and the A26 drops south-east towards Reims. For the south-west it is the A16 then the A28 through Rouen and Le Mans; for the Mediterranean, the A26 to the A6 and the long run down the Rhône on the A7.
Where we deliver
Customs and paperwork
France sits outside the UK customs union, so a household move is an export from Britain and an import into France even though nothing in the load is new. What keeps it duty-free for somebody genuinely moving is transfer of residence relief, and that turns on the inventory matching the contents.
The file, and who builds it
| Document | Obtained by | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Detailed inventory (valued) | Us | Written at the survey and checked at loading. Customs reads this document, so it names contents rather than counting boxes. |
| Proof the UK address has ended | You | Closing council tax bill, an ending tenancy, or completion paperwork on the Slough property. |
| Proof of the French address | You | Deeds, a lease, or an attestation from the mairie once you are registered. |
| Passport and residence status | You | Copies for the file. Post-Brexit, your status decides whether the relief applies at all. |
| Export declaration | Us | Raised on the UK side against the inventory before the vehicle reaches the terminal. |
| Import entry and relief claim | Us | Lodged with French customs through our agent, against the same inventory. |
Everything marked You is yours to obtain, and those are the items that hold loads up — start them early. Everything marked Us we prepare and lodge against the inventory written at your property.
What comes up after the move
The recurring practical problem is that French rural addresses often cannot take a full-size removals vehicle. That is entirely solvable — a shuttle with something smaller — but only if it is identified before the load leaves Berkshire rather than discovered at the end of a lane in the Dordogne.
The second is that French flats are frequently let or sold without fitted kitchens, wardrobes or even light fittings. People leave a Slough house where all of that was built in and arrive to bare walls. If your inventory looks light on furniture because you assumed it would be there, say so at survey so the volume is planned properly.
Third: the paperwork is much easier if you can already evidence a French address. Where you cannot yet, there are ways to sequence it — but they are decided before loading, not afterwards.
Slough to France
Questions on this route
- 01
Can you take a part-load from Slough to France?
Yes, and for a second home it is usually the sensible choice. A part-load shares a vehicle with other consignments on the same route: it costs less and it departs when the route fills rather than on a date you pick. Both trade-offs are set out in your quote.
- 02
Will our furniture fit a Paris apartment?
The doorway is often fine and the staircase is not. Paris buildings frequently need an exterior lift on the street, which means a permit and a vehicle standing in a controlled space. We establish that before quoting, because it changes the job substantially.
- 03
Do we pay duty on our own furniture?
Not where you qualify for transfer of residence relief and the file is right. The relief exists so that people moving home are not taxed on their own belongings. It is conditional on your status and on an accurate inventory, which is why we are strict about the inventory.
- 04
Can you collect from Heathrow-area addresses on the way?
Yes — a France run out of Slough regularly picks up a second address around the airport, along the M4 or on the M25. It has to be on the route, and it has to be known when we plan the load.
- 05
What about a car?
A vehicle is a separate customs matter from household goods and has its own French registration process. We will tell you honestly whether we can carry it; often the better answer is that you drive it and we take the house.
- 06
Can you hold our things in the UK first?
Frequently how it goes, particularly on relocations. Goods are collected, listed and held, and the export file is built against that same inventory once your French date is real.
Moving from Slough to France?
Tell us the two addresses, what is going, and whether the far end has a date yet. We will come back with the route, the documents to start, and a written quote.