When it comes to shipping to France certain aspects of household goods and personal effects may be prohibited or restricted under French import laws. This article is to help you understand which household goods and personal effects you can bring with you into France.

You are able to import personal effects such as apparel, jewellery and hunting and fishing equipment to name just a few into France just as you are able to import household effects such as furniture, carpet, dishes, linen, books, pictures and similar household furnishings. All of these are able to be imported into France duty free and tax free as long as they meet the following conditions:

• These articles have been in your possession for at least six months before the date of your change of residency
• Each of those articles is itemised in a comprehensive list, in duplicate, signed and dated, of the goods you are importing into France as part of your moving (in one or more shipments), with the identification of their value
• You are in a position to prove, to the satisfaction of Customs, that you have been living outside the European Union for at least one year prior to your moving to France and that you are going to settle down in France on a permanent basis, e.g. by producing a French Resident Card ("carte de séjour") or a letter from your French employer

Aspects that have restrictions surrounding them are firearms. There are strict restrictions surrounding the importation of firearms into France; you are only allowed to import them for recreational or sporting use but you aren’t allowed to import them for any other reasons.

The restriction of importation also affects pets. You are generally allowed to bring your pets with you when you are shipping to France; you can bring your dog, cat, bird, hamster or rabbit to name just a few; however this is subject to a number of restrictions. You are not allowed to bring more that five pets across to France with you, if you are bringing dogs or cats it is essential that they are micro-chipped and they must have a valid rabies vaccination, even if they are less than three months old. If you are bringing a rabbit/hamster/mouse etc with you while you are shipping to France it is essential that you don’t sell them and that they are accompanied by a health certificate that is not more than ten days old prior to arrival in France.

Another aspect that is restricted when it comes to shipping to France is the shipping of plants and plant material. Plants should be presented for inspection at the port of entry in France by officials of the Plant Health Inspection Service.

In view of the continuing risk of serious animal diseases being introduced to France via personal imports, Commission Regulation (EC) No 745/2004 permanently prohibits all personal consignments of meat, meat products, milk and milk products from entering the EU, including packages sent to private persons.

One last aspect that is restricted under French import laws are drugs and medication. Drugs and narcotics are prohibited from being brought into France. You are allowed to bring prescribed medication as long as you are only bringing a small amount that is specifically for personal use.