Personal Effects Shipping to France from Canada

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Sending your belongings to France by sea

Moving to France, going home after years in Canada, or sending boxes to family? Personal effects travel in a shared ocean container (LCL groupage) from our receiving warehouses in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver to <a href="/shipping-to/bordeaux-france/">Bordeaux</a>, <a href="/shipping-to/le-havre-france/">Le Havre</a>, <a href="/shipping-to/lyon-france/">Lyon</a>, <a href="/shipping-to/marseille-france/">Marseille</a>, and <a href="/shipping-to/paris-france/">Paris</a>. You pay only for the space your boxes take, from USD 2 per cubic foot, and the carrier estimates 17–48 days in transit depending on the gateway and the city.

Personal effects to France are accepted subject to carrier approval: before you pay, we send your packing list and passport copy to the carrier, and only then is the booking confirmed.

Moving to France. Used household goods can enter free of duty and VAT under the change-of-residence relief if they have been owned for six months and the owner lived outside the EU for at least twelve months. French customs asks for form Cerfa 10070 (declaration of personal goods), a dated and signed inventory and proof of your new address in France.

Rates for household boxes to France

Example: moving boxes from Montreal to Bordeaux

A medium moving box of 18 × 18 × 16 inches holds 3.0 cubic feet; packed with clothes, books and kitchenware it weighs about 15 kg.

• 10 boxes (30 cu ft, 150 kg): USD 335.64
• 20 boxes (60 cu ft, 300 kg): USD 385.00
• The smallest shipment: USD 335.64

The totals include the A1 processing fee, surcharges and solar fee. The carrier charges by volume or by weight (1,000 kg per CBM), whichever is greater. From the Prairies, with trucking to the port included: Calgary USD 585.00 (via Montreal) and Winnipeg USD 585.00 (via Montreal).

Which Canadian gateway: 20 boxes to Bordeaux

• From Toronto: USD 445.00, about 21 days
• From Montreal: USD 385.00, about 21 days
• From Vancouver: USD 565.00, about 31 days

Montreal is the least expensive gateway to Bordeaux, Toronto the fastest: 0 days quicker for USD 60.00 more. Choose the warehouse you can reach; from other Canadian cities the calculator shows the lowest of the three.

20 moving boxes to different cities in France

• Bordeaux: USD 385.00 from Montreal, about 21 days
• Le Havre: USD 385.00 from Montreal, about 17 days
• Marseille: USD 385.00 from Montreal, about 21 days
• Paris: USD 385.00 from Montreal, about 19 days
• Lyon: USD 579.81 from Toronto, about 20 days

The difference between the least and the most expensive of these is USD 194.81.

Documents for personal effects

• Passport copy. The photo page of the shipper's passport. It must be valid (not expired) and the name must match the shipper on the booking and on the packing list. We accept a passport from any country, but no other ID.
• Packing list. Our fillable packing list (PDF) names the shipper and the receiver in France and lists every box: contents, quantity, dimensions, weight and value. Number the boxes and write the same numbers on the list. "Winter clothes, 2 coats, 6 sweaters" is useful; "personal items" is not. Sign it before you upload it.
• Customs value. The total declared value of the shipment may not exceed CAD 2,000.

The carrier's tariff requires a passport copy and a complete, detailed packing list for every personal-effects shipment, and household goods must be professionally packed. More help: how to fill in the packing list.

Packing advice

Your boxes are handled several times: at the warehouse, in the container and at the terminal in Bordeaux. Use new, strong double-wall cartons and fill them completely so they do not collapse under the weight of others; seal every seam with packing tape. Put heavy items such as books in small boxes and light items in larger ones. Write the receiver's name and city in France on two sides of every box. Many boxes can be strapped onto a pallet on ISPM 15 heat-treated wood; you or your mover prepare the pallet, A1 does not palletize.

What not to pack

The carrier does not accept vehicles or parts with fuel, food, plants, animals, medication, weapons, dangerous goods (aerosols, batteries, paint, flammable liquids), cash, jewellery or other valuables. If you are not sure about an item, ask us before you pack it.

Carrier conditions for France

• Commercial Invoice Required
• Personal Effects / Household Goods On Approval
• Subject to ISPM 15 Packing Regulations
• Paris Customs Clearance at Port of Entry

Insurance (optional)

Cargo insurance for personal effects is arranged through Marsh Canada (CargoCover): owner-packed goods, all risks, with a USD 300 deductible. To request it, sign the insurance coverage form and complete the valued inventory, then upload both on your booking page before departure. All forms: useful links and forms.

How to book

Calculate the price in the calculator above with the cargo type "Personal effects", accept the quote and upload the passport copy and the signed packing list on your booking page. After the carrier approves the shipment and confirms the destination charges, you pay and receive the labels and the warehouse delivery instructions. You deliver the boxes yourself: A1 does not offer pickup from your home.

Shipping to France by service

• All shipping to France: rates and destinations
• Commercial cargo shipping to France from Canada

By city: Bordeaux, Le Havre, Lyon, Marseille, Paris.

Questions and answers

Rates valid October 1–31, 2026; totals include A1 fees of USD 265.00. Destination charges are confirmed by the carrier, duties and taxes are paid by the consignee, and transit days are the carrier's estimate.