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CITY GUIDES — FRANCE
Where to live in France: a mover’s city guide
One region, many rulebooks. The UK differs from the EU, and each country sets its own customs and residency requirements. Pick your destination below.
France destinations we cover
Each guide covers customs, timings and what to expect on that specific route from Dubai.
Ireland
Netherlands
Belgium
Spain
Portugal
Italy
Switzerland
SwedenUK vs the EU
The UK now has its own customs regime (including transfer of residence relief), separate from EU member states — we handle both.
Sea & road options
Most France moves go by sea to a nearby port, then road delivery — often faster and greener than you would expect.
Residency paperwork
Several countries need proof of residence for duty relief — we tell you exactly what to prepare before you ship.
Choosing where to live in France
People moving from Dubai to France usually settle the country before they settle the city,
then find the city is what actually shapes the move. Where you land decides which destination
partner handles your delivery, how far your shipment travels after clearance, and — more than
anything else — what physically has to happen to get your belongings through the door. This
page covers the 5 cities we relocate to from Dubai, and what each one involves.
The cities below sit across Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Occitanie, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and Île-de-France. That matters more than it sounds: the region decides which destination partner carries your belongings into the property, and how far the shipment travels after it clears.
How your move reaches France
The sea leg runs 18–22 days, and the customs side is prepared before arrival: the DGDDI déménagement file that brings qualifying household goods in duty-free travels with a French-ready inventory from day one.
For Paris and the larger cities, the delivery itself is the planning point — parking authorisation for the crew’s vehicle is arranged in advance, so the shipment is not stuck circling a block it cannot legally stop on.
Access is the variable that moves the price
Most of the cities we cover in France have an old centre, and that is the single thing most likely to change what a move costs. Streets laid out before motor vehicles do not take a 40-foot lorry, and buildings of that age often have no lift and a stairwell too tight for a sofa. None of that is a problem when it is known at survey and planned for. All of it is a problem when a crew finds it on the morning of the move.
The cities we cover in France
Moving to Lyon from Dubai
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. France's gastronomic capital at the Rhône and Saône. Moving in: narrow streets and older buildings, so expect a shuttle vehicle, an external hoist or a street permit.
Moving to Marseille from Dubai
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. France's oldest city and its Mediterranean gateway. Moving in: narrow streets and older buildings, so expect a shuttle vehicle, an external hoist or a street permit.
Moving to Nice from Dubai
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. The principal city of the Côte d'Azur. Moving in: narrow streets and older buildings, so expect a shuttle vehicle, an external hoist or a street permit.
Moving to Paris from Dubai
Île-de-France. France's capital, dense and tightly regulated. Moving in: narrow streets and older buildings, so expect a shuttle vehicle, an external hoist or a street permit.
Moving to Toulouse from Dubai
Occitanie. The centre of European aerospace. Moving in: dense in the centre and easier on the approaches, so parking permits are the usual constraint.
If your city is not listed
These are the destinations we have written up, not the limit of where we go. We move
households from Dubai to France as a whole, including towns with no page here. Tell us the
address and we will survey and price it the same way.
Moving to France?
Pick your country guide above, or get a quote and we will plan the full route.