English-speaking coordination
One point of contact, in English, from first call to final placement
The Mission Conservator manages all communication in English: initial briefing, quote, Sensitivity Mapping, insurance instruction, parking permits, delivery coordination. No translation layer, no relay through a French-speaking intermediary. Reporting to a family office, a relocation manager or an EA is handled directly.
Customs and CITES import
Compliance coordinated before the shipment leaves origin
Household goods imported into France for personal use are generally exempt from customs duties under the regime of transfert de domicile (Règlement UE 1186/2009), provided the applicant has resided abroad for a minimum of 12 months and the goods have been owned for at least six months. Items made from CITES-regulated materials (certain exotic woods, ivory, tortoiseshell, reptile skin) require an import permit from the Direction régionale de l’environnement (DREAL) before entry into France. The Mission Conservator identifies CITES-sensitive items at the Preliminary Visit and initiates the permit process in coordination with our partner freight forwarder CEVA Logistics (CMA CGM group).
Art handling · Unmarked Convoy
Declared artworks transported according to gallery and auction house standards
Paintings, sculptures, decorative objects and signed furniture declared above 10 000 EUR travel in an Unmarked Convoy: a vehicle bearing no Griffon markings, carrying only the Tier-3 items from the same project. The qualified pair handles the piece from hook-down at the residence of origin to hook-up at the Parisian destination. The chain of custody is documented continuously. For transport of artworks across Paris, the same protocol applies to single-piece movements.
Climate-controlled storage
Between two residences, or during Paris renovation works
Items that cannot go directly to the Parisian address are held in climate-controlled storage under continuous thermo-hygrometric monitoring. This applies to furniture awaiting delivery after renovation, to seasonal rotations between residences, or to Tier-3 items held during the decoration of a new flat. The Continuity Principle applies in storage: Griffon remains the single custodian throughout.
Parking and heritage-area permits
Paris-specific authorisations handled from the moment of signature
Any operation requiring a vehicle on a Paris street needs a stationnement autorisation filed with the Préfecture de Police, typically 15 working days before the operation date. In protected heritage areas (secteurs sauvegardés or sites patrimoniaux remarquables under the Code du patrimoine, art. L612-1 onwards), any visible intervention on a building facade requires validation by the Architecte des Bâtiments de France. These constraints are identified at the Preliminary Visit and integrated into the project calendar from the day of signature.
Carrier liability · AXA France IARD
A mover’s liability insured and capped.
The mover’s liability of the Maison is insured with AXA France IARD under a Carrier Professional Liability policy. It applies in the event of fault and is capped · 150,000 EUR per incident in material damage, 10,000 EUR per item or set not listed on the inventory, 50,000 EUR per incident on the entrusted-goods line. The French legal default under Décret n° 99-269 du 6 avril 1999 applies otherwise: 23 EUR per kilogram for international shipments, 11 EUR per kilogram for domestic. For an item whose value calls for higher cover, we recommend a dedicated policy taken out by the owner with their own insurer.
