Moving our belongings?

[Bevdeforges]

Admittedly, I have yet to "engage with" the great world of flat screen digital television, but I've never had a problem here yet with our stock standard French issue television (PAL/SECAM) and a region-free DVD player. The one or two DVDs that won't play on that set-up (due to security settings) I just watch on my computer.

I'd be hesitant to import an expensive television set from the US, just based on general concerns. There's also the issue of size. French homes are smaller, and although they are starting to sell "home theater" set-ups here, I suspect the components are designed to fit into a standard French home - not a giant American McMansion.
Cheers,
Bev

[rynd2it]

Originally Posted by Zoom

Hey kids, why complicate things? Zoom says just go over to DARTY or FNAC in Paris and buy a multi system Flat screen LCD (or LCD/LED whatever). I mean, if you can afford living in Paris/France with the US Peso Dollar as your basic currency you can afford to buy your flat screen in France.... just cut back a bit on the Creme Brulee and in no time you will have the extra scratch for the flat screen. Zoom (another in a string of advice pages from Zoom's World known Magnum Opus 3,000 page "Living in an Ultra Modern" world. Pick one up if you see it somewhere........

Excellent advice Zoom, I just bought a Samsung (small) LCD TV for 150 Euros in the local Leclerc - needed a TV before the container arrives.

Cheers

[RayRay]

Originally Posted by LeahStunts

I just did our move and while I need more space than this - it seemed like a good deal: Homeshipping |Flat Rate Menu -$395 unlimited weight & 20 boxes.

We brought our computers and bought FR cords, they work great - a nice 10Euro swap (and we have our familiar keyboards).

We own a house in France and have been moving everything from pots to sheets in VERY large items of luggage every time we fly over.

Did you pay import tax on the items you moved?

Thanks.

Ray

[Bevdeforges]

The only import tax you should normally have to pay on importing household goods to France would be VAT on items (declared or found out) less than 6 months old at the time of import. Hand carrying stuff in in your luggage is perhaps the most "efficient" way of accomplishing this.

If you use a shipper (even the post office) you'll need to do a customs declaration of some sort. They normally catch you for VAT (on the items and the shipping costs!) if you don't reference a long stay immigration status of some sort or some other "tax-free" status (like stuff from an inheritance).
Cheers,
Bev

[RayRay]

Originally Posted by Bevdeforges

The only import tax you should normally have to pay on importing household goods to France would be VAT on items (declared or found out) less than 6 months old at the time of import. Hand carrying stuff in in your luggage is perhaps the most "efficient" way of accomplishing this.

If you use a shipper (even the post office) you'll need to do a customs declaration of some sort. They normally catch you for VAT (on the items and the shipping costs!) if you don't reference a long stay immigration status of some sort or some other "tax-free" status (like stuff from an inheritance).
Cheers,
Bev

Bev

If I'm understanding you correctly, anything that we ship that's 6 months old would not liable for VAT? That would include almost everything we're bringing! That would be great.

It would make life a lot easier to send it all in one batch, especially the heavy stuff like pots and dishes. We travel with huge checked bags now and they're really heavy! <s>.

Ray

[rynd2it]

Originally Posted by RayRay

Bev

If I'm understanding you correctly, anything that we ship that's 6 months old would not liable for VAT? That would include almost everything we're bringing! That would be great.

It would make life a lot easier to send it all in one batch, especially the heavy stuff like pots and dishes. We travel with huge checked bags now and they're really heavy! <s>.

Ray

Ray, when we moved here into temporary accomodation we used a company called Luggage Forward - brilliant but not cheap. Two 60lb suitcases cost $495 door to door California to Vannes but they only took 48 hours. We did it because we needed household stuff like sheets, blankets, cutlery etc for a "furnished apartment", we still carried two more cases etc.

Taxes and customs duties are not due on any personal items owned more than 6 months provided you are making a long-term move and do not sell anything within one year of arrival.

Cheers

[RayRay]

Originally Posted by rynd2it

Ray, when we moved here into temporary accomodation we used a company called Luggage Forward - brilliant but not cheap. Two 60lb suitcases cost $495 door to door California to Vannes but they only took 48 hours. We did it because we needed household stuff like sheets, blankets, cutlery etc for a "furnished apartment", we still carried two more cases etc.

Taxes and customs duties are not due on any personal items owned more than 6 months provided you are making a long-term move and do not sell anything within one year of arrival.

Cheers

Bev

Thanks for clarifying. We'll continue schlepping a bit of our things to the house till we can move permanently.

I knew that when you make a permanent move to France with a long stay visa, you do not have to pay VAT or Import Tax.

When we do move, besides whatever household goods are left, we plan to move one of our cars (a MINI) to France. If we had to pay the taxes (10% for the Import Tax and over 19% for VAT), it would be cheaper to buy a car in France. But shipping alone from the East Coast to Le Havre is only $900 - $1,000. A bargain given the cost of buying even a used car in France.

Thanks again for knowing the details!

Ray

[rynd2it]

Originally Posted by RayRay

Bev

Thanks for clarifying. We'll continue schlepping a bit of our things to the house till we can move permanently.

I knew that when you make a permanent move to France with a long stay visa, you do not have to pay VAT or Import Tax.

When we do move, besides whatever household goods are left, we plan to move one of our cars (a MINI) to France. If we had to pay the taxes (10% for the Import Tax and over 19% for VAT), it would be cheaper to buy a car in France. But shipping alone from the East Coast to Le Havre is only $900 - $1,000. A bargain given the cost of buying even a used car in France.

Thanks again for knowing the details!

Ray

Hi Ray,

Ok - search this forum for a thread called "Bringing your car to France" - started by me and represents about a year of research. Don't assume because you have a European car you can import it easily - the taxes and duties are the same as for household goods (i.e. zero) but registering it is another story altogether.

Quick example - it would have been easier to register my Lexus than my wife's Mercedes, go figure!

Bon chance

[RayRay]

Originally Posted by rynd2it

Hi Ray,

Ok - search this forum for a thread called "Bringing your car to France" - started by me and represents about a year of research. Don't assume because you have a European car you can import it easily - the taxes and duties are the same as for household goods (i.e. zero) but registering it is another story altogether.

Quick example - it would have been easier to register my Lexus than my wife's Mercedes, go figure!

Bon chance

Thanks, David. I will look up registering a car when the time comes (this forum has been really useful).

I have no assumptions about the MINI being easier to register in France because it's built in the UK by BMW <s>. I know that registering the car will be a process. Fortunately, the staff at the mairie in our village is really great and we have a super insurance agent in our village, as well.

Thanks, again.

Ray

[Sands321]

Originally Posted by rynd2it

Nothing wrong with your definitions - just that TV's sold in the USA have only recently included the ATSC tuners and capabilities. Even then, adding a PAL DVD player (for example) may not go through the tuner at all, just an RCA/Composite/HDMI interface.

My advice to anyone thinking of bring a US TV set to Europe is to have it checked professionally for compatibility otherwise don't risk it. I've spent oo much time over the past twenty years in the US dealing with these incompatibilites. I only solved it all by buying a multi-system TV and region-free DVD player.

Cheers

Okay, I had to duck over to a professional video forum and was able to straighten out everything. I will post here for the benefit of others who are considering brining their HDTV from the US to France.

First, the fact that most flat screen LCD TVs will work on 120-240V, 50/60 Hz is unfortunately where the party ends. All that means is that you will be able to plug it in over in France (using a plug adapter) and it will not blow up.

PAL and NTSC are standard definition composite formats and are not relevant to HDTV or HDMI. However, PAL is often used as shorthand by non-technical people to indicate 50Hz TV, while NTSC is often used as shorthand 60Hz TV.

This is because Europe (France uses 50Hz SECAM, as does Russia), Australia, New Zealand and large chunks of Asia (Korea and Japan being obvious exceptions) use 50Hz PAL TV standards, and North America, Japan and Korea, use 60Hz NTSC TV standards, for standard definition OTA (over the air) and analogue cable.

This also means that broadcast digital TV - both standard definition and HD - is also broadcast at the same frame / field rate. Therefore, in "PAL" territories (including SECAM ones), digital TV (both HD and SD) is 50Hz, and in "NTSC" territories, digital TV (HD and SD) is 60Hz.

(There is one notable oddity - Brazil - where 60Hz PAL is used )

So in the US, one uses 480/60i, 720/60p and 1080/60i for broadcast, with 480/60p, 1080/60p and 1080/24p also used.

In Europe, one uses 576/50i, 720/50p and 1080/50i for broadcast, with 576/50p, 1080/50p, 720/60p, 1080/60i, 1080/60p and 1080/24p.

An HDTV from the USA will cope fine with NTSC SD composite/S-video content, and 60Hz component and HDMI content, but likely NOT cope with 50Hz content, since 50Hz support is not widespread in US TVs because 50Hz sources are rare in the US.

However, European "HD Ready" displays DO support both 50Hz and 60Hz sources (it is part of their licensing regulations) - and Blu-ray and HD-DVD releases are 24p/60i globally (with 24p output either as 24p, 60i or 60p) so 60Hz compatibility is near universal.

So even if one can't use one's US gear in Europe, and have to buy European gear in Europe, if you move back to the US, your European gear WILL work with US HDMI, Composite, S-video and component video feeds (though won't have NTSC-M/ATSC 8VSB/QAM tuners internally - they will probably have PAL/SECAM BG/I/L/DK and DVB-T and poss DVB-S/-C support).

Case closed!