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AMC makes moving to France simple whether it is a chic Paris apartment or a farmhouse in the Dordogne.
We collect, export-pack, and transport your household goods from anywhere in Ireland, delivering safely to every French department.
France is a big country. The city you pick sets your cost of living, your commute, your industry access, and how long it takes to feel like you're actually living there rather than just surviving.
Here's a plain breakdown of where Irish people tend to land.
The most common destination, and the most demanding. Paris is France's economic, cultural, and professional capital, and it runs at a pace that rewards people who arrive prepared. The international community is large; English is functional in most professional environments. Direct flights from Dublin are frequent and cheap.
The housing market is another story. Paris vacancy rates are low and landlords are selective. A one-bedroom in the 10th or 11th arrondissement runs €1,200-1,600/month. The 1st, 4th, and 6th arrondissements are significantly more expensive. Plan for 4-6 weeks of temporary accommodation while you look for something long-term. Many Irish people come to Paris without a permanent address and spend the first month in an Airbnb or serviced apartment.
Most central Paris apartments are in Haussmann-era buildings, the wide-boulevarded, uniform-facade buildings you associate with the city. These have lifts in some cases, but they're small. Staircases are narrower than you'd expect and spiral in older buildings. Large furniture often can't make it up. Read Section 3 on this before you finalise what's coming with you.
France's second city in almost every respect: economy, gastronomy, status. Lyon has a strong pharmaceutical, biotech, and finance sector, and it sits at a crossroads that makes it genuinely convenient, 2 hours from Paris by TGV, 2 hours from Geneva, 4 hours from Barcelona. Rents are significantly lower than Paris. A comparable apartment costs roughly 40% less.
Lyon gets overlooked because Paris is so dominant in the conversation. Irish people who've lived in both cities often say Lyon is the better choice for quality of life. If you're not specifically tied to Paris for work, it's worth serious consideration.
A city that has changed sharply in the last 10 years. The TGV connection to Paris (2 hours) transformed Bordeaux from a regional city into a commutable satellite. It's now one of France's most sought-after cities: wine country, Atlantic coast access, good weather, and an established expat community. The price of that transformation is visible in rents, which have risen considerably from what they were a decade ago. But they're still well below Paris.
The wine industry, aerospace (Airbus has a significant presence in the region), and tourism create most of the professional opportunities. Good choice for remote workers who want a high quality of life without the pressure of a capital city.
The obvious choice for people prioritising climate and coast over career. Nice has a large British and Irish expat community, particularly among retirees and remote workers. The airport has direct flights to Dublin. The Mediterranean lifestyle is the real deal - the food, the light, the pace.
It's expensive. Nice rents are comparable to Lyon or sometimes higher, and the Côte d'Azur broadly has high costs of living. If you're working remotely with an Irish salary or living on a pension, the numbers work. If you're job-hunting locally, the salary market doesn't keep pace with costs.
The aerospace capital of Europe. Airbus headquarters and the ecosystem of suppliers and subcontractors that orbit it make Toulouse one of the most important engineering cities on the continent. It also has one of France's largest student populations, which keeps the city culturally active and rents reasonable relative to its quality of life. Less international than Paris or Nice, more genuinely French in feel. Worth knowing about if you're in engineering, aerospace, or defence.
A growing number of Irish people are moving to rural France rather than a city. Normandy and Brittany have established Irish and British communities, reasonable ferry access, and property prices that feel almost fictional by Irish standards. The Dordogne and Lot regions attract people specifically seeking the rural French life: stone farmhouses, space, good food, and a pace that's nothing like Dublin.
Rural France works best when you're either remote-working or retired. Building a professional career from a village in the Lot takes more effort than it looks.
The Rosslare-Cherbourg ferry is the most direct road to mainland France without touching the UK landbridge. Brittany Ferries runs this route with an overnight or daytime crossing that puts you directly into Normandy with no UK complications whatsoever. For Irish people moving to France, it's the cleanest option.
AMC uses this route for French removals. Here's how the shipment options break down.
Your belongings share a truck with other customers moving in the same direction. Collected in Ireland, consolidated at our depot, and driven from Cherbourg to your French door. This is the right option for studio flats, one or two-bedroom apartments, or anyone not moving a full house.
Timeline: 6-10 days from collection. Groupage depends on enough volume heading in the same direction. France is a popular enough route that wait times are reasonable.
Your own vehicle, your own schedule. Right for 3-bedroom houses or larger, or when your move date is fixed. Faster than groupage (typically 4-6 days door-to-door) and priced accordingly.
Less common for Ireland-France given the road option is competitive, but worth knowing. A container from Cork or Dublin to a French port (Le Havre or Marseille depending on destination) takes 3-5 weeks. Makes sense for very large moves where timeline flexibility exists and budget is the priority, or when shipping a vehicle alongside household goods.
Central Paris is mostly Haussmann-era buildings: the stone-facade, uniform-height apartment blocks built during the mid-19th century overhaul of the city. They look beautiful. They have serious practical implications for anyone moving furniture in.
The lifts are small. Most were retrofitted after original construction and sit inside the stairwell. They're narrow, often without doors that accommodate a full-length sofa or tall wardrobe. The staircases themselves are usable, but spiral design and tight landings mean that large furniture pieces have to be assessed piece by piece.
For upper-floor apartments with no workable staircase or lift option, the standard solution is window hoisting. A rope and pulley system brings furniture up through the window from the street. Paris has a long tradition of this. Furniture removal companies and professional déménageurs are set up for it. AMC plans for this on Parisian moves when your address and building suggest it's needed.
What this means in practice: at the survey stage, tell us your delivery address and floor. If it's a central Paris apartment above the second floor with no adequate lift, we assess the hoist option. Measure your largest pieces (sofas, bed frames, wardrobes) against your window opening before the move. Some items genuinely cannot enter the building in one piece.
Lyon, Bordeaux, and Toulouse have more mixed building stock, older city-centre buildings can have similar issues, but it's less systematic than Paris.
Request a survey: in-person if you're in Leinster, video call anywhere else. Confirm your booking once you have a written quote.
Start the declutter. Access in French apartment buildings particularly Paris, punishes large or unusual items. The less volume, the smoother delivery day goes.
Confirm collection date. Pack non-essential rooms. Start the numéro fiscal application if you can, see Section 6 for how this works. Notify Revenue Commissioners you're leaving Ireland. Cancel or redirect utilities, subscriptions, and direct debits.
Pack the rest. Gather documents: passport, PPS records, birth certificate, employment contract or proof of funds, medical records. Confirm your delivery address with AMC and flag any access restrictions, ZFE zones in Paris (vehicle emission zones), parking restrictions, building lift dimensions.
Final rooms, meter readings on the Irish property, post redirect. Confirm your delivery slot.
EU vehicles don't pay import duty when moving with their owner to France. But the vehicle needs to go through a French registration process, and there are a few costs involved.
You can drive on Irish plates for up to a month after establishing French residency. Don't push this, driving as a resident on foreign plates beyond that period is a finable offence.
If you're living in Paris, Lyon, Grenoble, or another French city that operates a ZFE (Zone à Faibles Émissions), a low-emission zone covering city centres, you'll need a Crit'Air vignette. This is a small windscreen sticker that classifies your car by emission level. Most modern petrol and diesel cars qualify for a sticker; very old or high-emission vehicles may be restricted from driving in ZFE zones entirely.
Apply at certificat-air.gouv.fr. Cost: around €3.84 plus postage. Get it before you arrive or immediately after. ZFE restrictions apply to all vehicles, regardless of registration country.
Older cars with high CO2 ratings face ZFE restrictions that are tightening across French cities year on year. If you're bringing an older diesel, check whether it qualifies for a Crit'Air sticker and whether that sticker will allow access to the part of the city you're moving to. Some people in Paris find they can't drive into their own neighbourhood without fines. Worth knowing before you commit to bringing the car.
AMC transports vehicles as part of removals or separately. We quote for vehicles alongside household goods.
Ireland and France are both EU countries. Standard EU pet travel rules apply.
Your pet needs:
No quarantine for EU pets with the correct documentation.
France doesn't have nationwide breed-specific legislation in the same way as Germany, but it does have a category system. "Category 1" dogs (attack dogs, broadly defined) are banned. "Category 2" dogs (defence and guard dogs, including American Staffordshire Terrier, Rottweiler, and Tosa types) are permitted but require registration, a behavioural assessment, and liability insurance. If your dog might fall into either category, check the specifics before you travel.
AMC doesn't transport live animals but can point you toward specialist pet relocation services on the Ireland-France route.
France has paperwork. It's not unmanageable, but doing things out of sequence causes delays. Here's the practical order.
This is a plain-language overview. For anything involving tax residency, business registration, or complex visa situations, use a professional who knows both Irish and French law.
Your French tax ID. You need it to interact with French tax authorities, file a tax return, and access certain government services. Apply at impots.gouv.fr when you arrive. It's issued automatically once you register. Keep the document.
France taxes residents on worldwide income. The trigger is physical presence: 183 days or more in France in a calendar year establishes you as a French tax resident. If you're arriving mid-year or maintaining Irish income streams, get advice on how this interacts with the Ireland-France double taxation agreement before you make any assumptions.
As an EU citizen, you have the right to live in France without a visa. If you stay longer than 3 months, you should register your residency. In practice, France doesn't strictly enforce residency registration for EU nationals in the way Germany enforces Anmeldung. But the carte de séjour becomes important when you need to prove legal residency for a lease, a bank account, or public services. Apply at your local préfecture or sous-préfecture.
The CPAM (Caisse Primaire d'Assurance Maladie) is the body that manages French state health insurance, the Sécurité sociale. As an EU citizen establishing residency in France, you're entitled to register. Bring your passport, proof of French address, and your numéro de sécurité sociale (which you apply for through CPAM). Processing takes several weeks, sometimes longer.
Once you're registered, you receive a Carte Vitale, a green smart card that you swipe at every doctor's appointment and pharmacy. It's the central document of French healthcare and you need it to access reimbursements properly.
France's public healthcare covers around 70% of standard costs. Many people take out a complémentaire santé (supplementary insurance, often called a mutuelle) to cover the remaining 30%. Many employers provide this as part of employment contracts.
CAF is the French family benefits authority, and it covers more than just family allowances. One benefit worth knowing about: the APL (Aide Personnalisée au Logement), a housing allowance paid directly by CAF toward your rent. Eligibility depends on your income, family situation, and the rental property itself. Many new arrivals in France don't know this exists. Check your eligibility at caf.fr once you have your CPAM registration and French bank account in place.
You need one. French landlords almost universally require a French IBAN for rent payments. BNP Paribas, Crédit Agricole, Société Générale, and La Banque Postale are the main high-street banks. Boursorama, Hello Bank!, and N26 work well as digital alternatives while you're getting set up. Most landlords will accept a neobank IBAN for rent, but some older landlords won't confirm before signing a lease.
Irish driving licences are EU licences and are valid in France. Once you establish French residency, you'll eventually need to exchange your Irish licence for a French one. There's a reciprocal agreement that allows direct exchange without retesting. Do this at your local préfecture when you register your residency.
The Rosslare-Cherbourg direct ferry removes the UK landbridge complication and makes France one of AMC's more efficient routes. These figures are a guide — your quote depends on a survey.
Prices are for collection in Ireland, direct Rosslare-Cherbourg crossing, and delivery to France. Packing service, vehicle transport, window hoisting for Paris apartments, and specialist items are quoted separately.
If your French address is in central Paris or another city with ZFE vehicle restrictions affecting delivery truck access, mention this at the survey stage.
Q. What does it cost to move to France?
A. Price depends on volume, access (lift, stairs, rural roads), and distance. Request an obligation-free quote for accurate pricing.
Q. How is volume calculated?
A. After our survey we total your goods in cubic feet or metres and assign the right truck or container so you only pay for required space.
Q. Can you deliver packing materials in advance?
A. Yes. We can drop boxes, wardrobe cartons, and tape a week or more before loading. See our various packing materials & sizes here.
Q. When should I book?
A. Four weeks ahead is ideal, especially in summer peak season.
Q. Can I pack myself?
A. You can, but self-packed cartons aren’t covered by insurance. Professionally packed boxes give full cover.
Q. What if I don’t have a French address yet?
A. We can store goods safely until you receive keys to your new place.
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