International: France

At a glanceRequirements at a glance

EU Community Licence Required for Cross-Border Road Transport

Yes

Yes, where the mover operates its own vehicles across the border. A domestic-only licence de transport intérieur does not cover cross-border transport; the licence communautaire is required, covering France, the EU/EEA, and Switzerland. Where a mover subcontracts the cross-border carriage, the carrier’s own licence covers the transport it performs.

Domestic Liability Framework Continues to Apply: CMR Does Not Cover Furniture Removal

Yes. The CMR Convention, which would otherwise be the natural governing regime for international road carriage, explicitly excludes furniture removal from its scope under Article 1(4)(c), as confirmed in the Convention’s own text and by UNIDROIT (its custodian body). An international household-goods move therefore does not automatically fall under CMR’s liability limits or its consignment-note requirement. Instead, France’s domestic moving-contract liability question (the unresolved contrat de transport versus contrat d’entreprise debate covered on the France page) continues to apply even when the move is international.

Insurance

No international-specific insurance requirement was identified beyond the vehicle insurance that applies to the company operating the vehicles. No rule was found requiring movers to insure customers’ goods, so customers should ask what protection, if any, is offered, and read the contract’s liability terms carefully.

OverviewOverview & Scope

Cross-border household goods moves involving France add the same broad layers found in Germany’s international framework, though the specifics differ. First, a domestic-only licence doesn’t cover cross-border transport: a mover operating its own vehicles across the border needs a Community Licence instead. Second, on liability: France’s unresolved domestic debate over whether a moving contract is a carriage contract or a services contract continues to apply even to international moves, since the CMR Convention explicitly excludes furniture removal from its scope. This domestic ambiguity is not resolved simply because a move crosses a border, so the liability terms in each contract matter at least as much as for domestic moves. Customs formalities for moves to or from third countries are covered in Country Guides.

RegistrationRegistration & Compliance Essentials

Movers that carry goods across borders in their own vehicles must:

1. Hold a licence communautaire (EU Community Licence) rather than relying on a domestic-only licence de transport intérieur.

All movers handling international furniture-removal moves must:

2. Contract on terms that comply with French domestic contract and transport law, given CMR’s furniture-removal exclusion.
3. Where transport is subcontracted, use carriers that hold the licences required for the transport they perform.

ChecklistCompliance checklist

Company licensing

• Licence communautaire held for cross-border road transportWhere applicable (mover operates its own vehicles across the border)Verified by DocumentRequired

Subcontracted transport

• Where transport is subcontracted, the mover uses carriers that hold the licences required for the transport they performWhere applicableVerified by AffirmationRequired

Customer practices

• Contracts for international furniture-removal moves comply with French domestic contract and transport law (CMR does not apply to furniture removal)Verified by AffirmationRequired