Moving from France to the United States
A classic Atlantic container move with a form led customs arrival. Here is the honest brief on costs from Le Havre and Marseille, the CBP Form 3299 your agent files, the realistic visa routes, and a timeline you can plan around.
The Atlantic crossing is the easy part, the visa is the project.
Most household moves from France to the United States travel by sea. Boxes leave from Le Havre or Marseille and sail to the major United States gateways, the New York and New Jersey ports for the East Coast, Norfolk, Houston for the Gulf, or Los Angeles and Long Beach for the West Coast. 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 is sensible only for the things you need in your first weeks.
The thing that surprises people leaving France is that the shipping is routine and the visa is the hard part. United States immigration is among the strictest of any wealthy country, and your goods cannot be planned around a date until you know your route in. On the customs side it is straightforward. Your agent files CBP Form 3299, the declaration for free entry of unaccompanied articles, and used personal effects you have owned and used are generally admitted free of duty. Line up your visa first, then the container follows easily.
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 United States port of entry, and final delivery distance move the figure. Summer is the peak and prices rise with it.
- +Best value for a studio or a partial home, you pay only for the space you use
- +Frequent sailings on the France to United States lane keep waits short
- −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 the United States.
Tell us your size and timing. We pass your request to vetted movers who run the France to United States lane into the major East and West Coast ports, 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 the United States.
Secure your visa
Confirm your route in, whether an employment visa, a treaty trader or investor route, family based immigration, or a green card. This is the gate for the whole move, so begin early.
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 CBP 3299
Professional packing for the sea voyage, and have your agent prepare CBP Form 3299 with a detailed inventory of your unaccompanied articles.
Ocean leg
Your container sails the Atlantic. Use this window to land, settle into your address, and have your documents ready for clearance.
Customs clearance
Your agent files CBP Form 3299 with the inventory and your passport and visa details, and US Customs and Border Protection clears your personal effects, usually without duty.
Delivery and setup
Delivery to your United States home, then apply for a Social Security Number where eligible, set up banking, and arrange utilities.
Clearing your household goods into the United States.
The United States is straightforward on used personal effects. Household goods and personal belongings you have owned and used abroad, generally for at least one year, are admitted free of duty when you are moving to live in the country. The central document is CBP Form 3299, the Declaration for Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles, which your agent files together with a detailed inventory, a copy of your passport, and your visa or residence details. Goods are entered as unaccompanied articles when they arrive separately from you by sea.
Some categories need care. Alcohol and tobacco have limits and can attract duty, food, plants, and items made from wood or animal products face inspection by the agriculture authorities, and certain medicines and goods are restricted. New items still in their packaging are not used personal effects and may be dutiable, so keep receipts and pack used goods as used. A vehicle is a separate import with its own safety and emissions standards.
The routes in for this corridor.
There is no single easy route from France to the United States. Most movers arrive through employment, a treaty based route open to French citizens, family, or permanent residence. Your work, business, or family ties decide which fits.
An employer petitions for a work visa such as the specialty occupation route or an intracompany transfer. These are capped or conditional, so timing and employer support matter a great deal.
France has a commerce and navigation treaty with the United States, so French nationals can use the treaty trader and treaty investor routes when they run substantial trade or invest in a US business.
A spouse or close relative who is a United States citizen or permanent resident can petition for you. Timelines vary widely by category and country of birth.
Routes to a green card include employment based categories, family, and the diversity visa lottery. Permanent residence removes the tie to a single employer or sponsor.
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 the United States regularly and has a customs broker at your port of entry, because a broker who knows CBP Form 3299 and the agriculture inspection rules keeps your container moving rather than sitting at the dock.
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 the United States?
For a two to three bedroom household by sea, plan on roughly 4,200 to 13,000 euros door to door in 2026, depending on volume, whether you share a container or take a full one, your French load port, and final delivery in the United States. 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 the United States?
Plan on about four to seven weeks door to door for a full container and a little longer for a shared one, since groupage waits to fill. East Coast ports are quicker to reach than West Coast ones from France.
Do I pay duty on my used furniture in the United States?
Used household goods and personal effects you have owned and used abroad, generally for at least a year, are admitted free of duty when you are moving to live in the country and you file CBP Form 3299. Newer items may be dutiable, and alcohol, tobacco, and some goods have their own rules.
Can I bring my car from France to the United States?
You can, but vehicle import must meet United States safety and emissions standards, which many European models do not without costly modification. Many people sell in France and buy locally. Treat a vehicle as a separate project from your household shipment.
What do I need to clear customs in the United States?
Your agent typically needs a completed CBP Form 3299, a detailed inventory of your unaccompanied articles, a copy of your passport, and your visa or residence details. Used goods clear free of duty in most cases when the form and inventory are in order.
Last reviewed: 7 June 2026. We refresh this guide as costs, customs, and visa rules change.