Three Core Changes in the Import Clearance of French Equipment

According to the amendment of the EU Customs Code that came into effect in 2025,there are three major changes in the customs clearance of imported equipment in France:

• Mandatoryelectronicdeclaration:Allmustbepre-declaredthroughtheEU-CARGOsystem
• Upgradedsafetycertification:TheMachineryDirective2006/42/EChasaddedCEcertificationrequirementsfor11typesofequipment
• Environmentalprotectionsurcharge:Fluorine-containingrefrigerationequipmentneedstopayaGWPsurchargeof12eurosperkilogram

Illustrated Flowchart of Equipment Classification for Customs Clearance

There are significant differences in the customs clearance of different types of equipment in France:

• Ordinaryelectromechanicalequipment
  • Declarationcycle:3-5workingdays
  • Requireddocuments:CEcertificate+technicalparametersheet
• Special equipment
  • Pressurevessels:RequirecertificationbytheFrenchAPAVEinstitution
  • Medicalequipment:MustcompleteregistrationintheEUDAMEDdatabase
• Used equipment
  • Theproofofservicelifeneedstobenotarized
  • Theresidualvalueassessmentmustbeissuedbyadesignatedinstitution

Analysis of High - risk Links in Customs Clearance

According to the French customs data statistics for 2024,the main violations in equipment imports were concentrated in the following areas:

• Misdeclarationofcommoditycodes:TheerrorrateofHSCODEisashighas37%
• Certificatedeficiency:Non-EUequipmentneedstoprovidecompletetraceabilitydocuments
• Incompletetechnicaldocuments:ThenewversionoftheCEcertificatemustcontainacybersecuritystatement

Value Assessment of Professional Agency Services

When choosing a French customs clearance agent,the following should be focused on:

• LocalizationAbility
  • WhetherthereareofficesinLeHavre/Marseilleport
  • TheprofessionalqualificationsoftheFrenchcustomsdeclarationteam
• Technical processing capabilities
  • WhetheritcanhandletheT1transitdocument
  • Whetherthereareprofessionalclassifiers
• Emergency response mechanism
  • Therapidresponsetimeforcustomsinspections
  • Thenumberofsuccessfulcasesofdisputeresolution

Analysis of Typical Cases

A Chinese machine tool enterprise completed customs clearance through a professional agent:

• CompletedtheregistrationoftheEORInumberinadvance
• Notedtheequipmentpowerparametersduringpre-declaration
• Savethesecuritydepositbyusingthetemporaryentryprocedure(ATACarnet)
• Finallyachieverapidcustomsclearancewithin72hours

France’s customs authorities will introduce a new risk assessment system in 2025,and suggest that importers choose agents who possess the following qualifications: hold an AEO certification from French customs,be equipped with engineers certified by the European Union to handle technical documents,and have on-site operation teams in major French ports.Professional agency services can reduce the inspection probability by approximately 40%,shorten customs clearance time by 60%,and avoid 90% of compliance risks in the preparation of technical documents.