Household & Personal Moves to France

A household move from India to France is a move of meaningful weight. Most families on this corridor have been planning it for a year or more — the visa process, the housing search, the school applications. By the time the packing begins, the stakes are high and the timeline is usually tight. The last thing that should add pressure is an uncertain or poorly managed move. Seemleius household and personal relocation from India to France is built to be the calm part of the process.

Starting at the India end

Every India-origin household move begins with the shipping bill filed on ICEGATE — the export declaration lodged with Indian Customs when personal effects leave the country, supported by the correct AD code linked to your authorised bank. We prepare this documentation as a standard part of the move, along with the full inventory and packing list that accompanies it. Where the household includes high-value items, FEMA disclosure considerations are addressed in advance so the shipment does not get held up at the port. The Indian export side is not an afterthought to be handled the week of departure; it is prepared properly, in advance, so the shipment leaves India with clean paperwork.

We work from all of India’s major residential cities. For Mumbai, Pune and western India origins, Nhava Sheva (JNPT) is the primary gateway — with some western India volumes also routing through Mundra for better vessel connections. For Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kochi and South India generally, Chennai Port and Cochin are the natural gateways, with good direct services to both Le Havre and Marseille.

What travels in a typical India-to-France household shipment

• Furniture — including the heavier, crafted pieces from Indian homes that families want to keep; dismantled for export and reassembled at the French address
• Kitchen equipment — pressure cookers, idli pans, Indian-spec mixer-grinders and the cookware that does not get replaced at the French end; we pack it correctly and note that 230V Indian appliances run fine on the French 230V supply
• Textiles and soft furnishings — sarees, bedspreads, cushions and curtains that won’t be replaced at the French end
• Books and academic materials — particularly relevant for the researchers and students heading to Paris or Lyon
• Religious items and personal artworks — handled with awareness of their significance
• Electronics and personal effects for all family members

Settling into French daily life

The neighbourhoods Indian families choose tend to repeat. In Paris, the 15e and 16e arrondissements draw families wanting space and good schools; Neuilly-sur-Seine and Boulogne-Billancourt are the established premium suburbs; La Chapelle in the 18e is the Indian commercial and community heart of the city for groceries, restaurants and temples. In Lyon, the 6e and the Écoully suburb suit families. In Nice, the Cimiez area; in Bordeaux, the Caudéran district. Schooling is the major early decision — the French public lycée system is excellent and free but operates entirely in French, so families often opt for international options such as the British School of Paris, the International School of Paris, the American School in Saint-Cloud, or the Section Internationale (SIS) streams at Lycée International Saint-Germain-en-Laye. Healthcare runs through CPAM enrolment once your residence and visa status are confirmed; the carte vitale follows.

Freight options to France

French customs and duty relief on household goods

Personal effects and household goods imported into France by a person establishing residency may qualify for duty exemption under French and EU customs rules. The route is the Cerfa 10070 transfer-of-residence form (déclaration de changement de résidence), supported by a detailed inventory, proof of residence in India for at least twelve months, and evidence of your new residence in France. The goods must generally have been owned and used for at least six months. We lodge the Cerfa 10070 alongside the French Douane DELT’A entry under your EORI number; ICS2 advance data is filed for the air or sea leg as required. Done correctly, household effects move into France free of 20% VAT and duty — done loosely, the relief can be rejected and 20% VAT applied retrospectively.

How the move runs

1. Survey at your India address. We visit your home in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, Kochi or another city, assess the volume and contents, and recommend the right freight option for your timeline.
2. Prepare Indian export documentation. Shipping bill on ICEGATE with the correct AD code, packing list and export declarations filed with Indian Customs.
3. Pack and ship. Export-standard packing at the India end; the consignment departs from the appropriate Indian port on the confirmed vessel.
4. Clear in France and deliver. French Douane DELT’A entry under your EORI, Cerfa 10070 transfer-of-residence relief lodged, and road delivery arranged to your French address with unpacking. Where the relocation involves OFII registration on arrival, we time the delivery to fit around your initial appointment dates.

The move from India to France is long in distance but manageable in practice when it is planned from the India end with the same rigour as the French end. Request your quote and we will build the schedule around your departure date from India and your required arrival in France.