Key Points of Full-Process Customs Clearance Compliance for French Import Agency and Common Risk Avoidance Guide

I have been engaged in front-line import operations at Shanghai Port for more than 20 years,and French imports are one of the routes we handle most frequently.I once met Mr.Huang who runs red wine import business in Guangzhou.He hired a small agency whose quotation was half lower than the market price,which did not remind him to complete CBAM pre-declaration before shipment.After the goods arrived at the port,they were detained.The daily demurrage cost thousands of yuan,plus the fine,he lost more than 80,000 yuan in total.When he finally came to us for solution,the loss had already been caused.

French imports seem no different from ordinary imports,but EU policies have been updated rapidly in recent years,and domestic customs have increasingly strict requirements on commodity classification and valuation,so it is easy to step into pitfalls in many links if you are not careful.Next,I will disassemble according to the core links of customs clearance and explain the compliance points you must know.

Risk Control in Customs Valuation Link

Customs valuation is the link where problems are most likely to occur in French imports.Many French suppliers are accustomed to quoting EXW prices,or the trade term is FOB Marseille.If you omit freight and insurance premiums when declaring,the customs will determine that you underreport the price,and directly detain the goods for valuation check.

There are regional price differences for many imported luxury goods,beauty products and machinery from France.There is a price range for the same category in the customs system.If your declared price is lower than the lower limit of the range,it will directly trigger valuation inspection.Before valuation declaration,we will sort out a full set of price certification materials in advance,including procurement contracts,foreign exchange payment vouchers,and original factory invoices.If there are rebates or discounts,we will also prepare explanatory materials in advance to avoid being revalued and required to pay supplementary taxes by the customs.

As long as you can provide a formal EU GSP Certificate of Origin that complies with the rules of origin,you can apply for conventional tariff,which is lower than MFN tariff.We will help you check in advance whether the information on the certificate of origin is consistent with the declaration elements,so as to avoid failing to enjoy tax reduction treatment due to inconsistency between the certificate and goods.

Commodity Inspection Pre-audit and Access Compliance Requirements

No matter what category of goods you import from France,commodity inspection pre-audit must be completed before shipment,and you cannot wait for the goods to arrive at the port to make up.For example,for imported food and red wine,Chinese labels must be pre-audited in advance.In 2026,domestic customs updated the requirements for Chinese labels,with clear regulations on the font size and position of ingredients,country of origin,and importer information.A wrong position will require unloading for rectification,and the daily container demurrage is hundreds of yuan.

If you import electromechanical equipment,new equipment must provide CCC certification or CCC exemption certificate,and used equipment must undergo pre-shipment inspection by China Certification & Inspection Group first,and can only be shipped after obtaining the inspection certificate.I have seen many customers take shortcuts,ship first then handle the inspection,and finally can only return the goods.They not only lost freight,but also paid liquidated damages to suppliers.

For chemical products imported from France,a complete MSDS report must be provided to check the hazard grade.If the hazard label does not meet the requirements,it must be pasted at the French factory before shipment.The cost of pasting after arriving in China is more than three times that in France.

Sorting out Special Supervision Requirements for French Imports

The new EU regulations in 2026 must be emphasized.First,the EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) Directive.If you engage in platform-based French import business,you must have a valid EPR registration number.Without the registration number,domestic customs clearance will be stuck.

Then the CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism),which officially entered into force in 2026.The covered categories have added chemical products from the original six categories.As long as your imported goods are in the catalog,the French supplier must complete carbon declaration in advance,and you can complete customs clearance only after obtaining the certificate.This is a mandatory requirement with no buffer period.

There is also the ENS (Entry Summary Declaration),which must be completed 24 hours before the ship departs.Incorrect or missing information will lead to inability to exchange the bill of lading after the goods arrive at the port,delaying customs clearance.When we operate,we will check ENS information and domestic declaration information in advance to ensure the consistency of manifest information.

In addition,for import VAT deferred clearance,goods exported from France to China can also be processed for VAT deferral compliantly now,which can help you save capital occupation costs.We can help you handle the filing of deferred clearance and compliant deduction to avoid tax risks.

Comparison of Different Customs Clearance Methods for French Imports

Core Risk Avoidance Points for French Imports

• For all goods imported from France in 2026 that are included in the CBAM catalog,declaration must be completed in advance,otherwise the goods will be directly detained after arriving at the port,resulting in high demurrage fees
• For all French imported goods with CE marking,the validity of CE certificate must be checked during import declaration.Invalid certificates will directly trigger controlled inspection
• For food and cosmetics imported from France,entry quarantine pre-audit and Chinese label filing must be completed in advance,and those that do not meet the requirements will be directly required to rectify
• For used electromechanical equipment imported from France,pre-shipment inspection and quarantine must be completed in advance,and shipment can be arranged only after obtaining the inspection certificate of China Certification & Inspection Group

Finally,I would like to remind you that many French import agencies on the market now quote low prices,their core routine is to split bill of lading exchange fee,operation fee and inspection fee to attract customers with low prices,and the hidden fees are even higher than agency fee when final settlement.When we operate,all expenses will be listed clearly in the contract in advance,no extra charges will be added afterwards.In addition,the euro exchange rate fluctuates greatly,we will remind customers to lock the exchange rate in advance to avoid exchange loss.Many small agencies will not mention this,and customers often lose several points of profit for no reason.

Zhongshitong is headquartered in Shanghai International Trade Center.We not only handle customs clearance at Shanghai Port,but also can declare remotely at all ports across the country.We have a stable local agency network in France,which can help you check goods source information and pre-audit documents in advance,control risks before shipment,so you don’t have to solve emergencies after the goods arrive at the port.