Moving to Réunion checklist

6 months before leaving

• Ask several removal companies for quotes, for a full container or a shared one.
• If you are a transferred public servant, check whether your relocation costs are covered. Conditions for coverage
• Decide whether to ship your car or buy one locally. Shipping your car

3 months before leaving

• Draw up a detailed inventory of your belongings, dated and signed, in 2 copies. Exemptions when settling in an overseas department, French customs
• Gather proof of purchase, VAT included, for your valuable items.
• Prepare proof of settlement: employment contract, transfer order or certificate of change of residence.
• Fill in form cerfa 10070 if you import a vehicle. It includes the commitment not to sell it for 12 months.

1 month before leaving

• Check the school start and holiday dates of the Réunion education authority. School calendar
• Estimate your monthly budget on the island. Budget simulator

After arriving

• Change the address on your vehicle registration certificate within a month of moving. It is free for up to 3 changes. Changing the address on a vehicle registration certificate, Service-public
• Bring in your belongings within a year of settling to keep the exemption.
• Do not sell, rent or lend the belongings you imported tax-free for 12 months.
• Find your cyclone shelter and write down the emergency numbers. Cyclone checklist

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French customs, exemptions when settling in an overseas department. Service-public, changing the address on a vehicle registration certificate (page checked on 6 March 2026). Civil service, payment of relocation costs (page updated on 20 August 2025). Consulted on 26 October 2026.