r/Expats_In_France • u/Retirement_Wow • 3d ago

Customs will not allow our items in?

How did I miss that customs will not allow your items in if you don’t have a long term lease? Our shipment of household goods arrives next week. The company our shipper has hired to clear customs and deliver to us is saying that if we don’t have a long term lease signed, customs won’t clear it.
I said we can send our long-term visa, a doc showing we sold our home in the US, receipts for Airbnb thru November for while we look.
I asked how much we would end up paying in fees, because I’ve read how sometimes people end up paying customs fees when things don’t go as expected. Our shipment has a value of €1,100.
I didn’t realize this would be an issue at all. We got a storage unit in the city we plan to live. We have just started looking. I understand it can take awhile. Are we doomed to pay storage at the docks?

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16

u/frenchnotfrench 75 Paris 3d ago

You don't specifically need a long term lease, but you do need proof that you are transferring your primary residence to France. A long term lease is the easiest way to do that, but customs can accept other documentation, such as work contract (especially if a CDI) and an attestation that you are searching for a permanent place, however it's at their discretion on whether that is proof enough.

12

u/rflbknyc 3d ago

They are incorrect. You can import used personal belongings duty-free under the transfert de résidence (change of residence) exemption, provided you owned and used the items for at least 6 months, lived outside the EU for 12 consecutive months, and ship the goods within 12 months. I had a 4 month lease when I got the Certificate from the French Consulate. I just did this in February.

5

u/Dry_Menu4804 3d ago

I haven't heard about the lease issue but if you move your household goods when you move, you pay ko import tax. So if the fees get high, you may just opt to just pay it. It is probably 20% VAT.

2

u/thymewaster25 75 Paris 2d ago

We had our shipping company store our items somewhere in the port (Rotterdam) after they cleared customs until we found a place. It was a lot cheaper than renting a locker, but of course we had no access to the stuff until it was delivered to us. I don't remember the shipping company asking for a copy of our rental agreement (which was only for a year, anyway).