Route · Ashford to France
Removals from Ashford to France
No town in England begins this journey better placed. The shuttle terminal sits a short run down the M20, which means a load from Ashford is at the crossing before a London departure has finished negotiating the orbital.
Our most common France job from here is a household buying an older stone house after years in a new build.
Who takes this route from Ashford
- Households leaving Ashford for a whole house in Normandy, Brittany or the Charente — frequently people who have spent a decade in modern estate housing and want something with thick walls.
- Families relocating to Paris and the Île-de-France for work, generally into a flat considerably smaller than the Kent house.
- Second-home owners in the west shipping part-loads out and occasionally back.
Getting to the crossing
Down the M20 to junction 11a and onto the Eurotunnel shuttle at Folkestone, or the A20 to the Dover docks. Both are close enough that the choice is made on sailings and bookings rather than on distance — a genuine luxury on this route.
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 the file
France sits outside the UK customs union, so a household move counts as an export and an import even though everything in it is used. Transfer of residence relief keeps it duty-free for somebody genuinely moving, and it turns on the inventory matching what is in the vehicle.
Who obtains what
| Document | Obtained by | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Detailed inventory (valued) | Us | Written at survey and checked at loading. This is the document customs reads, so it names contents rather than counting boxes. |
| Proof the Ashford address has ended | You | Closing council tax bill, an ending tenancy, or completion paperwork. |
| Proof of the French address | You | Deeds, a lease, or an attestation from the mairie once you have registered. |
| Passport and residence status | You | Copies for the file. Your status determines whether the relief applies at all. |
| Export declaration | Us | Raised on the UK side against the inventory — from here, shortly after the vehicle is loaded. |
| Import entry and relief claim | Us | Lodged with French customs through our agent against the same inventory. |
Rows marked You hold loads up when they are left late, so start those first. Rows marked Us are prepared here and lodged against the inventory taken at your property.
Old stone after new brick
A pattern we see repeatedly from this town: people who have spent years in a modern estate house buying something old in rural France, and discovering that the two have opposite characteristics. Thick walls, small openings, winding stairs, and no fitted storage whatsoever.
The practical consequences are worth planning for. Furniture that fitted a new-build bedroom may not get up a stone spiral. And where the new house has no built-in storage, you will need considerably more freestanding furniture than you currently own — which sometimes argues for taking things you were about to sell.
The third point is access, and it is the same question a Weald lane poses. French rural properties frequently cannot take a full-size vehicle. That is solved by shuttling, and it is identified before the load leaves Kent rather than at the end of a lane.
Ashford to France
Questions on this route
- 01
Is being in Ashford actually an advantage?
On this route, measurably. The terminal is one short motorway run away, so the least predictable part of a European move from England — getting to the coast — barely exists from here.
- 02
Tunnel or ferry?
Both are close, so the choice is made on sailings and what else is booked rather than on distance. For a loaded removals vehicle the shuttle is usually preferred: short crossing, vehicle sealed, driver stays with it.
- 03
Can you do a part-load?
Yes, and for a second home it is normally right. A part-load shares a vehicle with other consignments on the route: lower cost, departing when the route fills rather than when you choose.
- 04
Will our new-build furniture suit an old French house?
Some of it, and less than you would hope. Measure the stairs and the door heads at the viewing and send us the numbers — it is a free answer and it changes what people take.
- 05
Do we pay duty on our own furniture?
Not where you qualify for transfer of residence relief and the file is correct. It is conditional on your residence status and on an accurate inventory.
- 06
Can you hold our things here first?
Frequently — including where the French purchase and your Ashford completion do not line up. Goods are collected, listed and held, and the export file is built from that list.
Moving from Ashford to France?
Both addresses, what is going, and whether the far end has a date. We will come back with the route, the documents to begin, and a written quote.