Moving from France to Japan
A long sea move into one of the most organised arrival systems anywhere. Here is the honest brief on costs from Le Havre and Marseille, the customs form your agent files at Yokohama or Kobe, the residence card you collect on landing, and a timeline you can plan around.
The sea leg is long, but Japan's arrival process is precise and predictable.
Most household moves from France to Japan travel by sea. Boxes leave from Le Havre or Marseille and sail via Asian hubs to the main Japanese gateways, Yokohama and Tokyo for the Kanto region, Kobe and Osaka for Kansai, or Nagoya in between. You ship in a shared container for a smaller load or a sole use twenty or forty foot container for a full home. Air freight suits only the essentials you want in your first weeks.
The thing that surprises people leaving France is how orderly the Japanese arrival is. Customs wants the declaration of personal effects and unaccompanied articles, form C No. 5360, which you present or note on arrival so your agent can clear the sea shipment that follows. On the residence side, you receive your residence card, the zairyu card, at the airport on landing, then register your address at the local municipal or ward office and obtain your My Number. Each step has its place, and the move runs smoothly when you follow the order.
What it costs in 2026, by home size and container.
Your bill is driven by volume and whether you share a container or take a full one, not by the sea miles. The figures below are indicative ranges for 2026 in euros, door to door.
Indicative 2026 ranges in euros, door to door by sea. Volume, season, the French load port, the Japanese port of entry, and final delivery distance move the figure. Summer is the peak and prices rise with it. Tight delivery access in Japanese cities can add handling.
- +Best value for a studio or a partial home, you pay only for the space you use
- +A sensible choice for smaller loads on the long Asian route
- −Slower, because your goods wait for a full container to sail
- +Your home loads and seals at your door and is not handled again until delivery
- +Best for a two bedroom home or larger
- −You pay for the whole box even if you do not fill it
- +Fast for the essentials you need in your first weeks
- +Useful while your container is still at sea
- −Priced by weight, so it is costly for a full household
Get moving quotes for France to Japan.
Tell us your size and timing. We pass your request to vetted movers who run the France to Japan lane into Yokohama, Kobe, and Nagoya, and you compare them on your own terms.
A realistic schedule for this route.
Working back from the day your container sails, here is a realistic schedule for a sea move from France to Japan.
Sort your visa
Confirm your route in, often a work visa such as engineer or specialist in humanities, the highly skilled professional route, or a family visa. Secure the certificate of eligibility first where it applies.
Survey and book
Have movers run a video or in home survey of your volume, then book your shipping slot. Confirm whether you share a container or take a full one.
Pack and prepare C No. 5360
Professional packing for the sea voyage, and prepare the C No. 5360 declaration of personal effects and unaccompanied articles with a detailed inventory.
Ocean leg
Your container sails via Asian hubs to Japan. Use this window to land, collect your residence card, and register your address.
Customs clearance
Your agent clears the unaccompanied shipment at Japanese customs using your C No. 5360 and inventory. Used personal effects of a new resident clear without duty.
Delivery and setup
Delivery to your Japanese home, then complete your ward office registration, obtain your My Number, and enrol in health insurance and utilities.
Clearing your household goods into Japan.
Japan handles used personal effects cleanly. Household goods and personal belongings you have owned and used are admitted without customs duty when you are moving to live in Japan, whether they arrive with you or, as is usual for a sea move, separately as unaccompanied goods. The key document is form C No. 5360, the declaration of personal effects and unaccompanied articles, which you note on arrival and your agent uses to clear the container that follows. A clear inventory in support speeds everything along.
Some categories are tightly controlled. Japan is strict on certain medicines and quantities, so check rules on prescription and over the counter drugs before you pack them. Firearms and swords are heavily regulated, some foods and plant and animal products face quarantine, and items that breach intellectual property or obscenity rules are seized. New goods still boxed are not used personal effects and can be dutiable, so keep receipts and pack used goods as used. After customs, your residence card, address registration, and My Number complete the settling in.
The routes in for this corridor.
Most people moving from France to Japan arrive on a work visa tied to a job, with highly skilled, student, and family routes covering the rest. Your role, skills, or family ties decide which fits.
The common route. A Japanese employer supports a status such as engineer or specialist in humanities and international services, usually backed by a certificate of eligibility obtained before you travel.
A points system rewards education, income, and experience with a faster, more flexible status and a quicker path toward permanent residence for strong applicants.
A place at a Japanese institution supports a student visa, with limited work rights. A frequent first step for younger movers who later switch to a work status.
The spouse or child of a Japanese national or a resident can apply for a dependent or spouse status, again usually with a certificate of eligibility from the sponsor in Japan.
How to pick a mover for this route, without the guesswork.
We do not rank or recommend individual companies. We teach you the criteria that separate a safe international move from an expensive mistake, then put your request in front of vetted movers who run this lane.
Check the trade affiliation. Membership of FIDI or IAM is the clearest signal a mover is financially screened and bound to industry standards for international household goods. For this route, ask whether the mover ships France to Japan regularly and has an agent who handles the C No. 5360 clearance and Japanese delivery, because tight access in many Japanese neighbourhoods rewards a carrier that plans the final leg carefully.
Insist on a binding pre move survey. A real video or in home survey of your volume is the only honest basis for a price. A quote given without one is a guess that tends to grow on moving day.
Compare like for like. Read what each quote includes: packing, materials, customs clearance, destination delivery, stair or long carry charges, and insurance. The cheapest headline number is rarely the cheapest move.
Understand the insurance terms. Ask whether cover is full replacement value or depreciated, what the excess is, and how claims are handled. Read the valuation clause before you sign.
Read recent reviews for this corridor. A mover can be excellent locally and weak on international shipments. Look for verified reviews that mention the actual route and customs experience.
Questions people ask about this move.
How much does it cost to move from France to Japan?
For a two to three bedroom household by sea, plan on roughly 4,800 to 15,000 euros door to door in 2026, depending on volume, whether you share a container or take a full one, your French load port, and delivery access in Japan. A studio sharing a container sits below that, and a large home in a sole use forty foot container above it.
How long does shipping take from France to Japan?
Plan on about six to ten weeks door to door for a full container, and eight to twelve for a shared one, since groupage waits to fill and the route runs via Asian transhipment hubs. Build that window into your plans.
Do I pay duty on my used furniture in Japan?
Used household goods and personal effects you have owned and used are admitted without customs duty when you are moving to live in Japan and you declare them on form C No. 5360. New boxed items can be dutiable, and medicines, foods, and some goods have their own strict rules.
What is the residence card and My Number in Japan?
The residence card, or zairyu card, is issued at the airport when you land on a medium or long stay status and is your main identity document. My Number is your social and tax identification, obtained after you register your address at the local ward or municipal office.
Can I bring my car from France to Japan?
You can, but Japan drives on the left and import involves compliance testing, modification, and registration, so a left hand drive French car is often impractical. Many people sell in France and buy locally. Treat a vehicle as a separate project from your household shipment.
Last reviewed: 4 April 2026. We refresh this guide as costs, customs, and visa rules change.