Why Choose White & Company?
Planning to move to Marseille in the near future? Here’s just a few of the reasons why you should consider choosing White & Company as your designated removals specialist:
- offices & storage depots in Marseille & UK
- door-to-door packing & removals
- founder member of BAR, FIDI & OMNI
- award winning service
- established in the UK since 1871
- fully insured
- dedicated team of trained professionals
- tailored removals package
We’re founder members of the British Association of Removers, FIDI & OMNI and have been providing removal and shipping services to destinations all over the world for over 135 years.
Whether you’re moving to the trendy hipster central of Cours Julien or the green and family-friendly neighbourhood of Longchamp our specialist local knowledge will help ensure your belongings arrive safely, without disruption.
Our removals service
We offer weekly removals services to and from Marseille.
This includes either full load consignments that take your belongings direct from point A to B, or part loads that are delivered shortly after your arrival.
Our extensive fleet of vehicles, specialist local knowledge and experienced staff make us the standout choice for all removals to Marseille.
We can arrange a free no obligation home survey and quotation, carried out by one of our qualified surveyors. They will answer any questions you have and offer advice where necessary.
The survey will determine the volume of effects you will be shipping. The total cost of shipment is based on the space your effects will take up in our vehicles.
Regular removals to Marseille
We offer weekly full or part load services to Marseille and destinations all over France.
With full load services our team will arrange the unloading and unpacking of your household items exclusively onto our own fleet of trucks and will deliver a door-to-door service.
If you are moving with fewer items or are staggering your move to Marseille you may want to opt for a part load service.
The service is completely the same but we will combine several customers’ loads onto one high-capacity truck to save time and reduce transport costs.
Our dedicated team will ensure all the relevant paperwork and customs clearance is processed correctly to give you complete peace of mind.
Depot Locations
White & Company offers secure containerised storage facilities via its own depots, with 19 strategically placed storage facilities throughout the UK and France to choose from.
Recognition
White & Company are founder members of the British Association of Removers, FIDI & OMNI, the voices of the removals industry both in the UK and internationally.
All our warehouses are clean, dry, secure and accredited to European Standard BS EN 14873.
Insurance
Despite our best efforts sometimes items get damaged or things go amiss. White & Company always try to minimise problems during the moving process, that’s why we offer limited liability insurance.
Marine insurance is a key consideration when shipping overseas. We recommend that you consider protecting your valuable personal possessions while in transit and/or storage with our ‘All Risk’ Marine Standard Liability cover.
Marine Insurance Cover is offered to you on receipt of a completed Overseas Valuation Form. Such Marine Insurance Cover is ‘Comprehensive’ and ‘All Risk’ and is based on the values as declared by you on the Overseas Valuation Form.
Moving to Marseille? Get a removals quote
Preparing for Your Move
Moving to Marseille will take time and effort but a little forward planning will help ease the transition and relieve at least some of the stress involved.
Choosing a removal company who have a proven track record with European moves will give you peace of mind that your personal belongings are in safe hands.
Each European country has its own rules and regulations and France is no different.
There can be some unusual parking rules and in many French towns, parking is permitted on one side of the street for the first half of the month and on the her other for the second.
More troublesome is that not all towns have large open streets. Marseille in particular has some very narrow roads (especially in the older parts of the city) which need to be carefully navigated.
Thankfully our experienced moving team can help put you at ease and answer any questions you might have about the process of moving to Marseille.
Our drivers are equipped with local knowledge of the roads having carried out many successful delivers before.
Below are some further things to consider before you move to Marseille:
- Register – Citizens of the EU do not need a visa to enter or live in France. However, this may change for UK residents when the UK leaves the EU. It is expected that an implementation period will come into effect and you will have until at least July 2021 to apply for new residency status in France.
- Research before you buy a property and consult independent legal advice. most properties In the centre of Marseille will be expensive apartments but the further outside of the centre you venture you’ll find larger plots of lands and even some estates.
- Rent before you buy – This will give you time to decide which part of the city would suit your requirements: close to the busy centre or in the suburbs which cater more for families.
- Secure school places early and ideally before you leave. Expats tent to send their children to an international school, where English is the main language and they can study for international qualifications accepted in their home country like the IB.
- Opportunities – Marseille is home to a number of internationally renowned universities, including three campuses of the Aix-Marseilles University and the Ecole Centrale de Marseilles.
- Safety and Security – Marseille has very low crime rates. However, as it is a busy city with lots of tourists you should be wary of pickpocketing and petty theft. Additional care should be taken when withdrawing money from cash points, especially late at night.
- Vaccinate and microchip your pets and obtain the necessary paperwork they need to move with you.
- Start taking French lessons before you go, to help integrate quicker and gain higher paid work.
Popular Destinations We Cover in Marseille
- Allauch
- Aubagne
- Auriol
- Belcodène
- Cadolive
- Carnoux-en-Provence
- Cassis
- Ceyreste
- Cuges-les-Pins
- Gréasque
- Gémenos
- La Bouilladisse
- La Ciotat
- La Destrousse
- La Penne-sur-Huveaune
- Marseille
- Peypin
- Plan-de-Cuques
- Roquefort-la-Bédoule
- Roquevaire
- Saint-Savournin
FAQs
Marseille was named European Capital of Culture in 2013 which means you will be spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing where to live.
France’s ‘sunniest city’ is made up of a whopping 111 neighbourhoods which is further divided into 16 arrondissements (quarters).
The vast majority of city centre accommodation are apartments but there are some larger family detached properties further afield.
Finding the best neighbourhood to suit your needs will depend on several factors, including your budget and personal circumstances. Below is a selection of popular expat areas:
Joliette – an area which has seen massive regeneration. New homes and rooftop bars have all been built. The opening of the new shopping mall, Les Terrasses du Port has seen a spate of interest from young professionals with lots of disposal income.
Longchamp – is the family friendly and leafy neighbourhood in the fourth arrondissement. Away from the fast-paced city hustle and bustle, it is conveniently located close to lots of commodities, green spaces and a ‘golden triangle’ of primary and secondary schools.
Notre-Dame-du-Mont – once perceived as undesirable renewed investment like in Joliette has seen it emerge as a cool and edgy location with reasonable property prices a bonus.
France has a dense network of medical practitioners, and there are doctors’ surgeries (called ‘cabinets’) even in very small towns.
The healthcare system in France is very well regarded and was ranked number one in the world by the World Health Organization the last time it carried out ranked reviews.
Expats are eligible for public healthcare providing they can prove they’ve been consistently living in France for at least three months.
European citizens can attend and receive medical services from any French doctor using their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) if they are visiting France temporarily.
For those moving permanently or longer than three months you must register with a primary doctor (médecins traitant).
To register with a doctor in France you will need to complete a form and return it to your doctor who will register with the local Caisse Primaire d’Assurance Maladie (CPAM).
The city is relatively compact compared to many of France’s major cities and is easy to navigate.
There is a wide choice of transport available consisting of Metro trains, trams, busses, and mainline rail services which depart from Marseille’s main railway station, Gare de Marseille Saint-Charles.
Getting around is fairly cheap and will cost approximately €1.50-€1.80 (£1.30-£1.50) for a one-way ticket or around €50 (£43) for a monthly pass which includes unlimited rides on the metro, buses and tramways.
An extensive network of motorways connects Marseille to the north and west (A7), Aix-en-Provence in the north (A51), Toulon (A50) and the French Riviera (A8) to the east.
The city is also served by an international airport, Marseille Provence Airport, located in Marignane, a distance of 5 miles with flights operating to the UK and the rest of Europe.
Buying property is never an easy process. It can get even more complicated if dealing with an unknown property market and legal restrictions.
For the time being the UK remains a member of the EU, and so there are little restrictions on foreigners buying property in Marseille.
Before you take the plunge, here are some tips for buying a home in Marseille:
Research the area you would like to live in and visit at different times of the day and evening. Some places look quiet in the middle of the day but can get extremely busy in the evening.
Speak to expats who have already purchased property in Marseille. Their experience will be invaluable and they will be able to share practical tips on applying to schools and eating out.
Instruct a French estate agent to draw up the agreement between buyer and seller. Note the buyer covers all legal fees and taxes, which usually amount to 7.5% of the purchase price).
Obtain expert, independent legal advice from someone who’s familiar with French law. Engage a Notaire (lawyer) who speaks fluent English. They will also be able to assist with issues such as contracts, which are almost always written in French.
If you follow the basic rules, you should not have any problems buying your dream home is Marseille.
For added security British buyers can obtain a list of English speaking Notaire’s from the Law Society in the UK.
It is compulsory for all children resident in France to attend school between the ages of 6 and 16.
The French education system is divided into primary level (école), elementary or middle school (collège) and high school (lycée). State education is perceived by many to be of a higher quality than private education.
The language barrier can be problematic for some children, particularly older ones as generally all public and private schools will teach lessons exclusively in French.
As such many expats opt for an international school. British international schools teach lessons in English and pupils can follow an international recognised curriculum such as the International Baccalaureate.
Bare in mind that fees for international schools are typically very high, as is demand. It is worth applying in advance therefore and checking to see if your employer will cover some or all of the fees as part of a relocation package.
What Others Say…
Wayne Middleton and Brian Witherford were professional and extremely helpful. Did a brilliant job. Would recommend Whites to anyone. Thanks very much.
Have used this company regularly for 5 years including my time in the armed forces. They are professional and efficient. Will use them again on our next move.
The move went very smoothly and they were very polite.
A very smooth move by White and Co. The team worked very hard and were polite, professional and helpful.
