Importing goods and customs clearance in France

If you want to ship your goods to France then you have to get them through customs and formally import them. This article describes a number of important aspects.

Please note that if you need help, there are various parties available to support you. 

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    Our consultants typically charge between 3.000 and 15.000 Euro on fees for market research or a partner search, depending on the complexity and country. There is always an initial payment and they don't work on a commission basis.

    Shipping your products

    If you sell physical products, you need to get them delivered into France. Depending on the country you are in, this may be a challenge.

    First of all you may have to pay import duties or settle VAT. There are certain thresholds for both of these charges, e.g. while importing in the EU you don’t have to pay import duties on any shipment worth less than € 150. 

    There may also be non-financial bariers, like certifications or approvals to be obtained. Especially for food, cosmetics or medicine this may be the case. Check this in advance, even before you invest in your marketing.

    Convince potential distributors

    A local consultant can find possible business partners, or you have identified them yourself. But how to convince them to market and sell your products or services?

    For this you need an export plan with a clear strategy and sufficient financial details.

    Get your plan to convince them

    Importing goods into France

    When importing goods into France, you need to comply with the customs regulations set by the French Customs (Douane Française), which is part of the French Ministry of the Economy. The official website provides information on duties, VAT, and other regulations: French Customs – English.

    General Import Process

    1. Customs Declaration
      • Submit an Import Declaration electronically through the DELTA system (Déclaration en Ligne des Transports et des Achats).
      • Required documents include a commercial invoice, bill of lading, and packing list.
    2. Import Duties and VAT
      • Calculate duties using the EU TARIC database (TARIC Calculator).
      • VAT rates include:
        • Standard VAT rate: 20%.
        • Reduced VAT rate: 5.5% for food, books, and certain cultural goods.
    3. Additional Non-Financial Requirements
      • You can check the Access2Markets portal (Access2Markets) for product-specific requirements, including safety, labeling, and certification standards.
    4. Inspection and Clearance
      • Customs may inspect goods. Normal processing time is 1-3 days with correct documentation.
    5. Release of Goods
      • After clearance, goods can be transported to their final destination within France or to other EU countries.

    Service Providers for Assistance

    1. Kuehne+Nagel France – kuehne-nagel.com
    2. Geodis – geodis.com
    3. DB Schenker France – dbschenker.com
    4. XPO Logistics – xpo.com
    5. Sealogis – sealogis.com

    Importing Small Parcels

    For small parcels, popular couriers like DHL, UPS, FedEx, and La Poste provide reliable shipping services to France. Shipping costs for a 2kg parcel typically are:

    • From the USA: €25-€50.
    • From China: €15-€30 for economy services.

    Express options (3-5 days) are more expensive. For precise rates, consult the respective service providers’ websites.

    Get funding from banks & investors

    Entering a new market is an investment. Finding partners, contracts, translations and marketing costs money and you may need additional working capital.

    Only with a good plan with enough financial data you can convince banks and investors to fund you. We help you with the complete business case and documentation.

    Get your plan to convince them

    Read more of our articles

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    The financial logic of doing international market research
    Writing a pitch deck for global growth investment funding
    The Return on Investment for international expansion
    China market entry strategy: 5 lessons for success
    HS code list finder and HS tariff database lookup

    Frequently asked questions

    The best way to find an importer in France is to understand the sales channel for your product, and what parties are involved. Then find the right importers or wholesalers at the beginning of that chain. Before starting to push your product, approach a number of them to ask what they need. This way you can position your product better before you reach out to a broader group.
    First check whether your product normally is sold through web shops in France or that other distribution structures are more common. Then determine the characteristics of your ideal web shop, and find a number of these, or outsource this search. When you approach the first few, you will learn what they find important and who your competitors are.
    As in any country, convincing an importer or wholesaler to put your product in his assortment is difficult. Importers in France look at the rotation of the product, how easy and often they can sell it, and multiply this with the margin they can make on it. The result should be higher than they earn now from any competing product. Only if you have proper sales data, for example from other countries, they will engage in a discussion with you.