Removals from Tonbridge to France
France is the move Kent makes most — and from Tonbridge the Channel crossings are barely an hour away. Here’s how we get a household from TN9 to Normandy, the Dordogne or the Riviera, paperwork and all.
Of all the routes we run, France is the one people picture most easily — the Channel, an autoroute, a stone house with shutters. From Tonbridge it’s also unusually convenient, because the crossings at Dover and Folkestone are so close. We move households from Tonbridge to France by road, surveyed and inventoried here, with the customs side prepared before we leave — and the same careful team the whole way.
Who moves from Tonbridge to France
It’s a real mix. Families swapping a Tonbridge house for space in the French countryside; couples buying a place in the Dordogne or the Lot they’ve holidayed in for years; commuters who decide the daily train can become an occasional flight; and a good number retiring to Provence or the Languedoc. Each move has a different rhythm, which is why we survey first.
The route to France
We load in Tonbridge and head out on the A21 and M26 to the M25, then down the M20 to the Kent coast — the Eurotunnel shuttle from Folkestone or a ferry from Dover to Calais. Once in France the roads split by destination: the A1 and A16 for Paris and the north, the A6 corridor towards Burgundy and the Alps, and the long run south-west on the A10 and A62 towards Bordeaux and Toulouse. For the deep south it’s the Rhône valley on the A7 down to Provence and the coast. On the through-routes your things stay on one lorry.
Customs and paperwork since Brexit
This is the part people dread, and the part we quietly take care of. A household move to France now needs a full inventory and the transit and customs documents that go with moving personal effects into the EU. We prepare them, file them, and keep them travelling with your goods so nothing is held up for want of a form. There are no day counts we’d promise for the border — timing depends on the route and the paperwork — but the work itself is done for you, and it’s set out in your quote.
What we move
Whole houses or part-loads, furniture and boxes, the awkward and antique things that make a home — see our fragile & antiques care for the delicate pieces. We pack as much as you want, protect it for a long road, and rebuild at the French end. If your dates don’t line up, we can store on the Tonbridge side until you’re ready. Heading somewhere else? See the rest of our European routes.
Tonbridge to France — common questions
How do my things get from Tonbridge to France?
By road, and the crossings are close. We load in Tonbridge, run out on the A21 and M26 to the M25 and down to the Kent coast, then cross by Eurotunnel shuttle or ferry to Calais. From there it’s the French autoroutes — the A1 to Paris, the A10 and A62 to the south-west, or the A6 towards the east.
Do you go to the south of France as well as Paris?
Yes. Paris and the north are common for work moves, but a lot of our France work heads south — the Dordogne, the Lot, Provence and the Côte d’Azur for people buying or retiring. The route is longer but it’s the same through-loaded lorry.
What paperwork do I need to move to France?
A detailed inventory and the transit and customs documents a household move now needs post-Brexit. We prepare and file them for you. You’ll need your own ID and proof of your move; we’ll tell you exactly what to have ready.
Can you handle a part-load to France?
If you’re not filling a lorry — a flat rather than a house, or just what you’re taking now — a shared load can make sense, with your goods consolidated alongside other moves on the same route. We’ll say honestly whether that suits your move.
Planning a move to France?
Send us where in France you’re headed and what needs to travel. We’ll come back with a clear, itemised quote and a plan for the route and the customs.