How to prepare your trip abroad? Are you a foreign tourist or are you French returning from your trip? French Customs reminds you of the essential rules not to forget to travel serenely and avoid unpleasant surprises. Be careful, some rules may differ depending on where you come from.
Legal obligations before crossing the national border
Whether you are a foreign tourist or a French tourist returning from your trip, it is essential to remember that upon your arrival in the national territory, certain goods are subject to declaration, subject to compliance with specific rules or are totally prohibited.
Mandatory Reportable Products
- Money (notes, coins, gold, checks, etc.) of more than 10,000 euros (or its equivalent in foreign currency) that you carry, whether you own it or not.
This declaration can be anticipated via the DALIA online service or made with the customs service at the time of entry or exit from French territory.
- Products brought back from a trip abroad, via the DeclareDouane online service, in order to pay duties and taxes if they exceed the thresholds in quantity or value.
Products and animals subject to specific rules
Medicines, foodstuffs (fish, fruits,...), armed vegetables, works of art, pet, etc.
If you are transporting medicines on the move, only the amount reserved for personal use corresponding either to the duration of treatment prescribed by the medical prescription or, in the absence of a prescription, to a duration of treatment of three months, is authorized.
Food of animal origin
Do you know that viral diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease, African swine fever, avian influenza or Ebola can be carried by animal products?
Also, to protect you and preserve the European territory from these diseases, imports of products of animal origin contained in your luggage and in personal packages are strictly regulated and must comply with the quantity thresholds set by European regulations.
Foodstuffs of plant origin
The import of plants and plant products into the luggage of travelers to the European Union from third countries (except from Andorra, Monaco and Switzerland) is subject to the mandatory presentation of a phytosanitary certificate from the first specimen.
Cross-border flows of war materials, as well as weapons, ammunition and their components are prohibited.
This prohibition can only be lifted by obtaining a public policy document (DOP) in the form of an authorization specific to the nature of the flow and the weapons or material concerned.
This authorization must be presented when the customs formalities are completed and at any request from the authorized authorities. However, derogations from the obligation to obtain an authorization are provided for by the regulations, under certain conditions.
In order to protect national and European cultural heritage, specific regulations govern the movement of goods of historical, artistic, archeological, aesthetic, scientific or technical interest.
Various accompanying documents, issued by the Ministry of Culture, are required on leaving the national customs territory and on leaving the customs territory of the European Union.
In addition, import controls are now being carried out to combat trafficking in third-party cultural goods illegally removed from their countries of origin.
Live animals can carry serious diseases, such as rabies or avian influenza. Rabies, for example, is a disease that affects all mammals, transmissible to humans and always fatal once symptoms are declared.
Also, to protect you and preserve the European territory from these diseases, customs controls pets arriving on the territory of the European Union.
Products totally prohibited
Some products are totally prohibited: drugs, counterfeit products, meat, milk and meat and milk products, wild species (animal or plant), threatened with extinction.
More tips to avoid counterfeits
Quantity of tobacco and alcohol that can be brought into France from a European Union country (excluding DROM-COM)
Quantity thresholds are set, beyond which you will have to declare your products and pay the corresponding duties and taxes. It must be possible to present an invoice or a receipt at the customs check.
Quantities of tobacco/cigarettes that you can bring to France without having to declare it to customs in the EU
You can bring them back to France for your personal consumption, provided you are 18 years of age or older and carry them yourself.
| Quantities | Products |
|---|---|
| 800 units | cigarettes |
| OR 400 units | cigarillos |
| OR 200 units | cigars |
| OR 1 kg | tobacco |
| OR 1 | proportional range |
Quantities of alcohol you can bring to France without having to declare it to customs in the EU
| Quantities | Products |
|---|---|
| 110 liters | beer |
| + 90 liters | wine (including a maximum of 60 liters of sparkling wine) |
| + 20 liters | intermediate products (vermouth, port, madeira, etc.) |
| + 10 liters | spirits (whisky, gin, vodka, etc.) |
The verification of non-commercial character may be subject to customs control.
Quantity of tobacco and alcohol that can be brought into France from a country outside the European Union
Quantity thresholds are set, beyond which you will have to declare your products and pay the corresponding duties and taxes. It must be possible to present an invoice or a receipt at the customs check.
Quantities of tobacco/cigarettes you can bring to France without having to declare it to customs outside the EU
| Quantity | Product |
|---|---|
| 200 | cigarettes |
| OR 150 | cigarillos |
| OR 50 | cigars |
| OR 250 grams | smoking tobacco |
| OR 1 | proportional range |
Quantities of alcohol you can bring to France without having to declare it to customs outside the EU
Purchases made or gifts received abroad that must be declared
When you transport goods purchased or offered to you, the total amount of which does not exceed the authorized thresholds, you do not have to make a declaration or pay duties and taxes.
The total market value of the goods shall not exceed the following amounts:
| Traveler under 15 years | Traveler 15 years and older |
|---|---|
| Whatever the mode of transport: 150 euros |
By plane, by boat: 430 euros By car, train and others: 300 euros |
However, you will have to declare and pay duties and taxes applicable to the total amount of your product, if its unit value exceeds the authorized thresholds.
In case of accumulation of products, you will have to declare and pay the duties and taxes applicable to those that cause you to exceed the authorized value thresholds.
Learn more about products purchased and gifts received abroad
Administrative procedures before traveling
As part of measures to strengthen the security of the European Union and its citizens, French citizens and nationals of the Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, coming from or destined for a non-Schengen country, are subject, like those of other countries, to enhanced controls on entry and exit from France.
Check your identity papers before traveling
Depending on your destination, you must have a valid passport or identity card.
- You are traveling in Europe: the service-public.fr portal provides an online simulator to know which documents to take to travel (less than 3 months) in Europe.
- You travel outside Europe: there are formalities specific to each country. The website servicepublic.fr offers a page of advice for your trips abroad.
Special cases of certain destinations
Specific regulations may apply depending on your destination. This is particularly the case for certain countries such as Andorra or the United Kingdom and for certain geographical areas such as the Antilles. Find out more to prepare your trip.