Moving back to the UK after living in France involves many of the same challenges as moving abroad in the first place. You'll need to organise your belongings, coordinate property dates, arrange transport and make sure everything is ready for the journey across the Channel.
However, removals from France to the UK also involve customs requirements that are different from those for moving in the opposite direction.
At Anglo French Removals, we specialise exclusively in moves between the UK and France, in both directions.
With teams and facilities on either side of the Channel, we help customers organise everything from packing and collection in France to customs preparation, storage and delivery at their new UK address.
Whether you're returning to the UK after retirement, relocating for work or moving closer to family, it's worth planning your removal as soon as you have an approximate moving date.
Before booking transport, consider:
At Anglo French, we discuss these details before planning your removal. They help us determine the most suitable transport arrangements, whether storage is necessary and what documentation you'll need to prepare.
Since Brexit, household belongings travelling from France to Great Britain must go through customs procedures.
If you're permanently returning to the UK, you may qualify for Transfer of Residence (ToR) relief, which allows eligible personal belongings to be imported without paying customs duty or import VAT.
To qualify, you must generally meet conditions including:
There are exceptions and additional conditions, so it's important to check your eligibility before arranging transport.
You can find the full requirements on the GOV.UK Transfer of Residence relief guidance.
For a permanent relocation from France to the UK, we typically ask customers to provide:
You'll also need to provide the information required for the customs declaration, including details of the belongings being transported.
The ToR reference is issued by HMRC following an application for relief. You should arrange this well before your removal date to allow time for the application to be processed.
Our team will work closely with you to check that the necessary paperwork is in place before scheduling your belongings for transport.
If you've lived in France for several years, you've probably accumulated more belongings than you originally arrived with.
Before moving, it's worth reviewing what you want to transport back to the UK.
Think about whether larger furniture will fit your new property, whether certain items are worth transporting and whether anything could be sold or donated before leaving France.
The volume of belongings affects the amount of vehicle space required and therefore the cost of your removal.
For smaller moves, a part removal service may be a cost-effective option. Your belongings travel alongside other consignments heading in the same direction, allowing you to share transport space rather than booking an entire vehicle.
For larger households or moves with specific timing requirements, a dedicated removal may be more appropriate.
We'll discuss the options with you based on your inventory, collection address and destination.
Once your moving arrangements are confirmed, the next stage is preparing your belongings for transport.
At Anglo French, we offer optional full packing and fragile-only packing services, depending on how much assistance you need.
We also assess access to your French property before collection.
This is particularly important if you're moving from a rural house with a narrow driveway, a historic village with restricted vehicle access or an apartment without a lift.
Understanding these details beforehand allows us to plan the right collection arrangements and identify any additional handling requirements.
On collection day, your belongings are carefully loaded and prepared for the journey back to the UK.
Once your belongings have been collected and the customs documentation is ready, we can arrange their transport to the UK.
Because we specialise in UK–France–UK removals, this is a route our teams manage regularly rather than an occasional international destination.
We use customs pre-clearance processes where possible, helping identify documentation issues before the vehicle travels. One of the most common causes of delays is incomplete or outstanding paperwork. We cannot schedule a customer's belongings onto a trip until the necessary documentation has been returned and checked.
Preparing everything early helps avoid preventable delays and makes the journey more straightforward.
Moving back to the UK doesn't always mean moving directly from one house into another.
You might be selling your French property before completing on a UK purchase, moving into temporary accommodation or returning ahead of your furniture to arrange somewhere to live.
In these situations, storage can make the relocation considerably easier.
We can collect your belongings from France, arrange secure storage and coordinate delivery once your UK property is ready.
Importantly, we'll help you plan how much storage you're likely to need rather than automatically recommending a longer storage period. Getting the timing right can help avoid unnecessary costs, particularly when you're already managing the expenses of an international move.
Before your belongings arrive, it's worth checking that your new UK property is ready for delivery.
We'll need to know about access restrictions, parking arrangements, stairs and any large furniture that may require additional handling.
If you're moving into a flat or a property with restricted access, providing these details early helps us plan the delivery properly.
We'll then coordinate the final delivery and unloading of your belongings at your new home.
While many international removals companies cover destinations across Europe and beyond, Anglo French specialises exclusively in moves between the UK and France.
We've been helping customers relocate in both directions for more than 30 years, with teams and facilities on either side of the Channel.
That specialist focus means we're familiar with the practical challenges involved in moving household belongings out of France and back into the UK, from rural property access and customs documentation to coordinating collection and delivery dates.
Our services include:
Planning a move back to the UK? Contact Anglo French Removals to discuss your collection address, destination, moving dates and belongings. We'll help you put together a practical removal plan that works around your circumstances.
Not necessarily. If you're permanently transferring your residence to Great Britain, you may qualify for Transfer of Residence relief, allowing eligible household belongings to be imported without customs duty or import VAT. You must meet HMRC's requirements and apply for the relief.
The timeframe depends on your collection and delivery locations, the volume of belongings, customs arrangements and whether you choose a dedicated or part-load removal. We'll discuss realistic timings when planning your move.
Yes. We offer optional professional packing services, including full packing and fragile-only packing, to help protect your belongings during their journey to the UK.
No. We specialise in removals in both directions, helping customers relocate from the UK to France and from France back to the UK. Our services cover packing, transport, customs preparation, storage and delivery.
Just a quick message to say thanks for the safe delivery of my furniture from Charente, France to London - the coordination was great as was the care, I really appreciated it, especially the safe delivery of the grandfather clock and rocking horse, which were my grandmother's, and I was worried about! So - a big thank you - I will happily recommend you.
Vicky Edwards, Charente
Dear Anglo French Team,
Many thanks to all of you form me and my family which thanks to Nuno and Co are nicely settling in France and despite the stress related to moving a household with young kids, an office and a mother of a lathe it was all made that little bit easier due to you. Many thanks again!
I wish you and the people around you a joyous and lovely Christmas break and all the best for the year ahead of us!
Nikolay, London
Dear Mark
I am writing to say thank you so much for the smooth moving process. From beginning to end you could not have done better. I'd like to put in a complimentary word for the three guys who you sent to load and unload. Service without servility is always the perfect combination. They were all extremely convivial whilst getting on at the same time, meticulously careful with the items being transported and cheery without being "goonish".
Your original quote was handled most efficiently by Jasmine from initlal enquiry through to date setting, payment etc and the quote itself was highly competitive. Your own communication skills were faultless and I felt like I knew exactly what was going on at any one time.
I, quite frankly, cannot fault the service provided, you could not have done better and I am very happy with the price too.
Well done to all the team!
Best wishes for all your future projects.
Di Miller, Kent
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