Re: An Inventory Needed for Customs when Moving from UK to France?

Finding/Owning French Property

An Inventory Needed for Customs when Moving from UK to France?

Rich1972 04/05/2008, 22:38

Hi all

Can you tell me whether a complete inventory on household goods is needed for customs when moving permanently from the UK to France via the ferry?

Thanks!

Rich

Re: An Inventory Needed for Customs when Moving from UK to France?

BJSLIV 05/05/2008, 0:13
Not any more.

Re: An Inventory Needed for Customs when Moving from UK to France?

Rich1972 05/05/2008, 1:47
Thanks :)

Re: An Inventory Needed for Customs when Moving from UK to France?

Val_2 05/05/2008, 6:23
Just wondered if you got that info about needing an inventory from one of those "moving to France" type books. If so, I would bin the book as it is years out of date and you could be worrying about other things that are in it and have long since changed which is the problem with them as they are never current upto date with things in France. You will actually get the facts better asking on a forum such as this one.

Re: An Inventory Needed for Customs when Moving from UK to France?

Gastines 05/05/2008, 9:24

Thank goodness that farce was stopped. We used to have our list stamped by Customs at Portsmouth for the grand sum of £25. In dozens of trips back and forth it was looked at once by French Customs and the Customs Officer told us to drive to Rennes to get it stamped?From memory it was about 10.30pm. on a Sunday night.

Regards.

Re: An Inventory Needed for Customs when Moving from UK to France?

Val_2 05/05/2008, 9:37
Yes we used to suffer too every time we came to work on our house, every nail,tool and screw had to be counted,valued and put on an official carnet.One time after a few years the customs on the Portsmouth side suddenly decided they were going to charge £13 to stamp the dam thing and my husband actually got locked up intheir pound from arrival at 6pm until nearly 10pm because they had no staff. Complete and utter farce it was. Then the douannes at St.Malo suddenly decided also to inspect the vehicle every time and even helped themselves to a shoulder bag containing his documents for examination,perhaps because he was crossing at least four times a year and it was in the days before the mass exodus of brits buying here.

Re: An Inventory Needed for Customs when Moving from UK to France?

Gastines 05/05/2008, 10:38

My wife has just reminded me of one stop by the Customs at Cherbourg. I was stripping out a large store in Poole and had loads of 4 X 2 PAR timber. I denailed a large pile and completely filled a large van to bring over to the first house we renovated in Brittany.On arrival in Cherbourg we got taken into the office and the Customs chap actually put his pistol on the desk in front of us,he pointed out that they sell timber in France and that it wasn't nesessary to bring it over. I did point out that it was USED and showed the rows of old nail holes but he charged us 700francs and gave us a receipt.When I brought a small tractor over in the back of a van,unaware that it was supposed to be steam cleaned to remove any soil,no-one said a word.

Regards.

Re: An Inventory Needed for Customs when Moving from UK to France?

Rob Roy 05/05/2008, 19:51
When was this? Obviously prior to 2001 when we came over!

Re: An Inventory Needed for Customs when Moving from UK to France?

Val_2 05/05/2008, 21:49
Well we were doing it in 1989 for a few years but I think with Shengen it stopped about 1994.

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