Delivery Day in France: Lifts, Floors and Street Permits

A shipment can clear French customs perfectly and still have a bad delivery day. The reason is the building. Narrow Haussmann-era stairwells, a lift that holds two people and a suitcase, a sixth-floor apartment under the rooftop: delivery in France is decided at the front door as much as at the port.

SDC, a licensed overseas moving company serving all 50 states, relies on French destination partners for the last leg. This guide covers the access questions to settle before your pack date for a household goods move to a French apartment or house.

Count the Floors the French Way

This one trips up Americans constantly. In France, the ground floor is the rez-de-chaussée, and the premier étage is what Americans call the second floor. When a listing says third floor, a US reader counts three flights and a French one counts four levels from the street. Confirm the actual number of flights, and whether there is a lift, in writing.

Lifts, Stairwells, and the Monte-Meuble

Many older French buildings have a lift too small for furniture, or none at all. When the stairs will not work, crews use a monte-meuble, an exterior furniture lift that takes items through a window or balcony. It needs wide enough openings, a stable footing on the street, and a clear path above, with no branches or cables.

The practical rule is to measure before packing. Sofas, wardrobes, and mattresses in particular get measured against the stairwell turns, not just the front door. Our packing service can disassemble and crate larger pieces, and your coordinator builds the load plan from the survey, but a piece that cannot reach the apartment is a decision best made before it ships.

The Street Permit

A truck or lift that occupies the road generally needs authorization from the mairie, the local town hall, which can set parking restrictions for the day. In large cities, expect the lead time to be a week or more, and expect signs to go up ahead of the date. Ask your destination partner at booking who files it.

If nobody does, a parked car in the wrong place can hold up the whole delivery.

Building Rules and the Syndic

Apartments in France usually belong to a copropriété, run by a syndic that sets rules for the building. These can include delivery hours, lift reservations, or protection for stairwells and common areas. Ask your landlord or the building’s manager for the règlement and any advance notice they require. Many buildings do not accept deliveries on Sundays or public holidays, so plan for a weekday.

What to Find Out and Send Your Coordinator

• The number of flights and whether there is a lift, with its interior dimensions
• Stairwell width and the sharpest turns on the way up
• Window or balcony openings on upper floors
• Whether the street allows a truck to stop, and who files for the mairie permit
• Building rules on delivery hours and protection of common areas

The France moving guide covers the paperwork and the full sequence of the move.

Closets, Cellars, and What Actually Fits

French apartments commonly have little built-in storage. Bedrooms often have no closets at all, which is why armoires and freestanding wardrobes are so common, and a cave (a small cellar storage room in the basement) may be your only extra space. That matters for sizing. A large wardrobe you were about to part with may be exactly what the new bedroom needs, while an oversized sectional that suited a US family room may never make it past the first landing.

Walk through the apartment, in person or by video, before the survey. Note every room where a large piece will sit, and the route it takes to get there. Your coordinator can then sort the inventory into what ships, what gets disassembled, and what is better left behind.

Heavy and Fragile Items on Upper Floors

Pianos, marble tables, large mirrors, and artwork are where access problems become expensive. Each one needs a clear path, additional crew, and sometimes a lift, and a miscalculation can mean damage or a failed delivery. Flag them early, with photos and dimensions, so the load plan and the delivery plan account for them from the start.

Plan the delivery day around the building, not the other way around. If the lift has a booking window, or the street permit fixes the date, that is the date your delivery works around.

Questions About Delivery in France

Is there a lift that fits furniture?

In many older buildings, no. Check before you decide what ships.

Do I need to tell my building before delivery?

Often, yes. Ask for the rules at the time you sign the lease.

Can delivery happen on a weekend?

Saturday daytime is sometimes possible. Sundays and public holidays are usually off the table in an apartment building.

Does this apply outside Paris?

The details differ, and smaller towns tend to be simpler, but stairwells and lifts are a question everywhere.

Will the crew carry everything up six floors?

Where there is no usable lift, either by hand or with a monte-meuble. Either way it takes more crew and more time than a ground-floor delivery, which is why the floor count belongs in your first conversation with your coordinator.

Found an apartment already? Send your coordinator the address, the floor count, and the lift dimensions, and we will flag what the building is likely to ask of a delivery.