Moving from The US to Paris

Planning a move from the West Coast to Paris? Chipman Relocation is the full-service international mover for households heading from the US to France. Since 1939, we've helped thousands of families and executives relocate across the country and across oceans. Whether you're settling in the 6e arrondissement, buying a flat in Neuilly-sur-Seine, or landing in a Boulogne-Billancourt corporate apartment, Chipman puts nearly nine decades of experience to work so your Paris move is coordinated and protected end to end.

Whether you're leaving California, Oregon, or Washington, our crews handle every step from origin pack-out through delivery at your new Paris address. Request a quote to get started.

Why Choose Chipman for Your Move to Paris?

History of Success: dependable moving services since 1939.
Licensed Mover in CA, OR, & WA: moving families since 1927, with the resources and coverage of the most trusted networks in North American relocation.
FIDI-Accredited International Partner Network: Chipman coordinates Paris delivery through vetted FIDI-accredited destination agents, the international standard for household goods movers.
Award-Winning Customer Service Coordination: your personal move concierge, dedicated to arranging every detail of your Paris move from US origin through Île-de-France delivery.
Qualified and Safe Crews: every crew member is background checked, drug screened, and health checked prior to every move.

Your Trusted Movers for Paris Relocations

Moving to Paris is not the same as moving across the country. It involves ocean freight, French customs clearance, inland trucking from the port, and a delivery window measured in weeks. Chipman coordinates all of it. As an award winning mover and a FIDI-accredited international member, we tap a global partner network that reaches every Paris arrondissement and Île-de-France suburb, so your West Coast origin and Paris destination are managed as one project rather than a hand-off between disconnected carriers.

Our local service centers handle origin work directly, so the crew who packs your home anywhere on the west coast is our trusted teammember, not a subcontractor. From there we coordinate the ocean leg and the destination delivery in Paris. Plan on roughly three to four weeks of transit for a full container (FCL) and four to six weeks for a shared container (LCL), plus customs clearance and Paris-end delivery scheduling.

Where Our Customers Are Moving in Paris

Paris is compact by American standards, but each arrondissement and inner suburb has its own character. Here's where our US-to-Paris customers most often settle.

6e and 7e (Left Bank)

The 6e (Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Odéon, Luxembourg) and 7e (Invalides, Champ de Mars, Rue Cler) are the classic Left Bank arrondissements: 19th-century Haussmann buildings, cafés throughout, Luxembourg Gardens nearby. Freight-elevator access is limited in older buildings, so Chipman coordinates street-side lift-and-window deliveries when the stairwell can't take large pieces.

8e and 16e (Residential West)

The 8e (Champs-Élysées, Parc Monceau) and 16e (Passy, Auteuil, Trocadéro) skew residential, quieter, and more spacious. These are common landings for families with school-age children, particularly those enrolling at the American School of Paris or the International School of Paris. Larger apartments and closer proximity to green space make them a good fit for the West Coast relocator carrying a full container of furniture.

Le Marais (3e and 4e)

Le Marais crosses the 3e and 4e and is where design-forward, professionally mobile West Coast transplants often land. Narrow medieval streets and pedestrianized blocks make delivery logistics tighter, so our Paris partners pre-scout the block for truck access and permit needs. Expect walk-ups and small elevators, which shapes how the shipment is broken down at origin.

Neuilly-sur-Seine and Boulogne-Billancourt

Both are western suburbs with a strong Franco-American professional community. Neuilly sits directly west of the 16e and reads as an extension of it: upscale, family-oriented, walkable. Boulogne-Billancourt is the region's tech and media hub, with a large corporate footprint and Metro Line 9 access into central Paris. Deliveries here are more straightforward than inside the Périphérique because parking and truck maneuvering are less constrained.

Saint-Germain-en-Laye and Versailles

For families wanting a house rather than a flat, plus RER access into central Paris, Saint-Germain-en-Laye and Versailles are the traditional choices. Both offer the classic French suburb feel: bakeries, weekly markets, historic town centers, and international schools within a short drive.

Testimonials

View all testimonials »

What to Know Before Moving From The US to Paris

A West Coast to Paris household move involves three moving parts most domestic relocators never see: ocean freight, French customs, and a delivery window that depends on both.

Ocean freight is the standard mode for full-household shipments. A full container (FCL, 20-foot or 40-foot) transits from the Port of Oakland, the Port of Long Beach, or Seattle/Tacoma to Le Havre in roughly three to four weeks, plus customs clearance and inland trucking to Paris. LCL (shared container) is the right choice for smaller shipments and typically runs four to six weeks door to door. Le Havre is France's largest container port and the main gateway for household goods heading to Paris and Île-de-France, operated as part of the HAROPA PORT network across the Seine axis. From Le Havre, shipments truck south to Paris in a single day.

French customs treats a bona fide change of residence generously. If you're transferring your principal residence from a non-EU country and you've lived outside the EU for at least 12 months, your used personal effects and household goods can typically enter France free of customs duties and VAT under the transfer-of-residence exemption, provided the goods have been in your possession and use for at least six months before shipment. The French customs authority publishes the eligibility rules, and service-public.gouv.fr walks through the process in plain terms. Our FIDI partner in Paris handles the customs filing and tells you which documents to prepare.

Immigration is the other timing pressure point. Americans relocating to France for longer than 90 days need a long-stay visa (VLS-TS is the common visitor category, with worker and student equivalents), and the visa needs to be in hand before the shipment arrives so you can prove residence to customs. Sort the visa first, then set the shipment date.

If pets are joining you, plan on an ISO-standard microchip, a valid rabies vaccination administered after the microchip, and an EU pet passport or third-country health certificate before travel. The European Commission's guide to bringing a pet into the EU from a non-EU country lays out the current requirements. Vehicle import is possible but paperwork-heavy, so most relocators sell at origin and buy or lease in France.

International Moving Services

Chipman provides complete international relocation services. Every move is different, so we'll build a free, itemized quote for your West Coast to Paris shipment.

Flexible Pickup and Delivery Dates

With Chipman coordinating both origin and destination, you set pack-out and delivery windows around your visa, your lease, and your travel dates. If timing shifts, we adjust the plan.

Convenient Storage Options

If your Paris flat isn't ready when your shipment arrives, we can hold your goods in origin storage or coordinate destination storage through our Paris partner.

Your Belongings, Safe and Secure

Full containers are sealed at origin and opened only at destination. For LCL shipments, our packing standards and inventory controls protect your goods through the shared-container process from the West Coast to Paris.

Packing and Unpacking

Our crews can pack as little or as much as you need. Destination unpack and debris removal is handled by our FIDI partner in Paris.

Full-Value Shipment Protection

Chipman offers Full-Value Protection with every international move to protect your belongings during transit and destination handling.

Full-Service International Moves

Chipman provides flexible, full-service international relocations. A short list of what our team can handle for a West Coast to Paris move:

Appliance Disconnect at Origin: professional prep of washers, dryers, and refrigerators. French voltage and connections differ, so most US appliances stay behind or are replaced in Paris.
Specialty Crating: custom crating for artwork, glass table tops, chandeliers, marble, and other items that need protection for an ocean voyage.
TV Disconnect at Origin: removal of wall-mounted televisions. Region and voltage differences mean many US electronics are replaced in France rather than reinstalled.
Export Packing to International Standard: our crews pack to international export standards, a step above domestic packing and required for ocean freight insurance.
Auto Transport: optional and paperwork-heavy for France. Most US-to-Paris movers sell at origin and buy locally.
Destination Delivery, Unpack, and Debris Removal: coordinated through our FIDI-accredited partner in Paris.

International Moves Since 1939

Since 1939, Chipman Relocation has been the trusted moving partner for US families relocating across the country and across oceans. Our Paris moves have delivered families to Left Bank flats in the 6e, family apartments in the 16e, Marais walk-ups, Neuilly-sur-Seine townhomes, Boulogne-Billancourt rentals, and full houses in Saint-Germain-en-Laye and Versailles. Every one of those moves is different, and we plan each from the ground up.

Ready to Plan Your Move to Paris?

The right partner turns a US-to-Paris move from a paperwork puzzle into a coordinated handoff between coasts and Paris arrondissements. Chipman Relocation & Logistics has been helping West Coast families relocate since 1939, with the FIDI network, customs experience, and Paris coordination your move deserves. When you're ready, request a residential quote and we'll build your plan around your origin and destination. Learn more about our international moving services or reach us to get started.