To send a pallet from the United Kingdom to France, measure and weigh it, get the price online in 30 seconds for 1 to 3 pallets, check what both sites need and book with a free account. Since Brexit, customs formalities are compulsory: an export declaration in the UK and an import declaration in France, with clearance charges not included in the price.
The short answer: what it takes to send a pallet to France
Three kinds of business send pallets from the United Kingdom to France: the supplier delivering a French customer, the French buyer who bought ex works, and the SME with no transport desk. The method is the same: describe the pallets, get the price online, book, prepare the customs paperwork and hand the driver a CMR.
Step 1 — Measure and weigh each pallet
A reliable price rests on five facts: how many pallets, the footprint of each, its height once wrapped, its gross weight and what the goods are. The calculator asks for exactly these, and the height is compulsory. Measure after wrapping, pallet included, and round up: an underestimated height or weight leads to a price correction.
- Footprint: Euro pallet 1,200 × 800 mm, standard pallet 1,200 × 1,000 mm, square 1,200 × 1,200 mm, half pallet 800 × 600 mm.
- Height: from the floor to the highest point of the goods, pallet included, rounded up.
- Weight: gross weight per pallet, packaging and pallet included.
- Goods: machine parts, cartons, drums, a machine on a skid, and so on.
Step 2 — Get the price online in 30 seconds
Choose “To France”, enter your country and postcode, the delivery postcode in France and your pallets: the ex-VAT price appears in 30 seconds, with no sign-up. DHL Freight is also priced on some continental routes, but not from the UK or Ireland. Each offer shows the taxable weight used and the collection terms.
What the online price covers, and when to request a quote
The online price covers 1 to 3 pallets per shipment, up to 2,500 kg of taxable weight, 800 kg per pallet, 400 × 240 cm of floor space and 200 cm high. Beyond that, or for a full or part load, dangerous or temperature-controlled goods, request a quote: a member of our team replies in under 2 working hours.
| Criterion | Online price | Quote request |
|---|---|---|
| Pallets | 1 to 3 | More than 3, up to a full load |
| Weight | 2,500 kg taxable, 800 kg per pallet | Heavier loads |
| Dimensions | 400 × 240 cm of floor space, 200 cm high | Out of gauge |
| Goods | General cargo, no ADR, no temperature control | Dangerous or temperature-controlled goods |
| Reply | Price in 30 seconds | Under 2 working hours, 24 hours at most |
Step 3 — Check what the collection and delivery addresses need
Most failed collections and deliveries come down to the site, not the goods. Before booking, find out whether each address has a loading dock or a forklift, whether a lorry can get in and turn, what the opening hours are and whether the consignee insists on a booked delivery slot. Each of these changes the vehicle and the price.
Step 4 — Customs formalities since Brexit
Since Brexit, a pallet from the United Kingdom to France crosses a customs border. Formalities are compulsory at both ends: an export declaration in the UK and an import declaration in France. The online offer flags them, but customs clearance charges are not included in the price, so arrange them with a customs agent before collection.
- EORI numbers: one starting with GB for your business, and an EU EORI number for the French importer.
- Export declaration: lodged in the UK’s Customs Declaration Service, usually by a customs agent acting for you.
- Import declaration in France: lodged for the importer of record, who pays any duty and the import VAT.
- Commercial invoice: value, origin and commodity code of each item, with a statement on origin where preference is claimed.
Goods that originate in the United Kingdom and meet the rules of origin of the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement enter the EU at a zero tariff when preference is claimed, usually on the strength of the exporter’s statement on origin. Goods made elsewhere and re-exported from the UK do not qualify and may be dutiable.
Step 5 — Agree the Incoterm: DAP rather than DDP
The Incoterm in your sale says who books the transport and who handles each declaration. Under DAP, you deliver to the customer’s site and the French buyer clears the goods for import. Under DDP, you would also clear them and pay the French import VAT, which normally requires an EU presence or a fiscal representative.
| Incoterm | Who books the transport | UK export declaration | French import declaration |
|---|---|---|---|
| EXW — ex works | The French buyer | The buyer | The buyer |
| FCA — free carrier | The French buyer | You, the seller | The buyer |
| DAP — delivered at place | You, the seller | You, the seller | The buyer |
| DDP — delivered duty paid | You, the seller | You, the seller | You, the seller |
Step 6 — The documents that travel with the pallet
Every pallet travels under a CMR consignment note, drawn up from your booking and signed at collection and on delivery, together with the commercial invoice and the customs declarations. Your sale to a French business is zero-rated in the UK as an export, provided you keep proof that the goods left the UK.
Our transport invoice follows its own rule: a business established outside France is invoiced and charged ex VAT, with no French VAT.
Collection in the UK: on average within 72 hours
If you book before 4 pm French time, which is 3 pm in the UK, collection outside France takes place on average within 72 hours. The driver calls on a working day between 8.30 am and 5 pm, along their round, so the exact time is not known in advance. The pallet and its customs documents must be ready.
How your pallet crosses to France
From Great Britain, groupage pallets reach France through the short Channel crossings, Dover–Calais, Dover–Dunkirk and the Channel Tunnel, or through the western routes from Portsmouth to Normandy. The carrier’s network chooses the crossing, and the customs declarations must be ready before the vehicle reaches the port, or the pallet waits.
From Ireland, direct sailings to Cherbourg and Dunkirk keep the goods inside the EU, so the same pallet crosses with no customs formalities at all.
Delivering in France: appointments, the Paris region, booked slots
Standard delivery in France is to a loading dock or the kerb at a business address during working hours. Many consignees, particularly retailers, logistics platforms and sites in the Paris region, only accept goods against a booked slot, and some cities restrict heavy vehicles in the daytime. Flag these constraints when you book.
- Tail lift: essential if the consignee cannot unload the vehicle themselves.
- Booked delivery: required by most distribution platforms, retail chains and building sites.
- Private addresses: delivery to a private individual is not offered at the online price.
- Remarks on the CMR: the consignee checks the goods on arrival and notes any damage or shortage before signing.
Delivery time: variable and never guaranteed
The delivery time depends on the distance, the region of France, the number of platforms the pallet passes through and customs clearance: it varies and is never guaranteed. For a delivery on a fixed date, request a quote for a dedicated vehicle. Allow for customs before promising a date to your customer.
Insurance: CMR liability versus ad valorem cover
Under the CMR Convention the haulier is liable for loss or damage, but that liability is capped by weight, not value. For goods worth a lot per kilo, such as medical devices, electronics or cosmetics, ad valorem insurance covers the declared value. It is added when you book, at 0.8% of the declared value.
Checklist before you book
Run through this list before you book. It takes two minutes and makes the difference between a collection that happens as planned and one that has to be rebooked. Every line matches a field of the calculator or a document that the driver or the customs agent will ask for.
- Pallets measured after wrapping, weighed and within the online limits.
- Collection and delivery contacts with phone numbers and opening hours.
- Forklift or tail lift confirmed at both ends; delivery slot booked if required.
- EORI number, customs agent, commodity codes and commercial invoice ready.
Get the price for a pallet to France
FAQ
- Do I need customs paperwork to send a pallet from the UK to France?
- Yes. Since Brexit, goods moving from the United Kingdom to France need an export declaration in the UK and an import declaration in France, with EORI numbers on both sides. These formalities are compulsory, and customs clearance charges are not included in the online price. From Ireland, an EU member state, a pallet to France needs no customs formalities.
- Can you collect from a business that has no forklift?
- Yes, as long as you choose a tail lift when you book. The haulier then sends a vehicle with a tail lift so that the driver can load from ground level. Without it, a vehicle without one may arrive, be unable to load, and the wasted collection will be charged before a second attempt is booked.
- What are the maximum height and weight at the online price?
- Each pallet can be up to 200 cm high, pallet included, and up to 800 kg, on up to 400 × 240 cm of floor space; a shipment can have 1 to 3 pallets and up to 2,500 kg of taxable weight. Taller, heavier or larger loads are priced on request, with a reply in under 2 working hours.
- Is it cheaper to send one pallet now or three together?
- Per pallet, three together usually cost less than three separate shipments, because a groupage price rises more slowly than the pallet count and the fixed elements, collection, documents and the crossing, are shared. Whether it is worth waiting depends on your customer’s deadline. The calculator prices both options in 30 seconds, so you can compare them.
- Do you collect in Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta as well?
- Ireland and Gibraltar, yes: both are priced online in 30 seconds. From Ireland, a pallet to France needs no customs formalities; from Gibraltar, formalities are compulsory and clearance charges are not included. Malta is not covered by the online price: describe the shipment in a quote request and a member of our team replies in under 2 working hours.