When can the French post charge you to receive items from abroad?

Reader question: Will I have to pay something to receive a gift my family sends me from the UK for my birthday?

Certain parcels and packages from abroad may require the receiver to pay extra to receive it if being sent from outside the EU.

Three types of charges could be applied on these parcels – VAT, customs duties, or handling fees (frais de gestion).

The latter may notably be levied by La Poste for acting as the middleman between you and the French customs, but this should only apply where there were also other fees payable and La Poste has incurred costs in paying these upfront.

Whether customs duties need to be paid on the items depends on a number of factors, such as the value and type of object.

Those sending a parcel (whether a firm or an individual) will have to complete a form declaring what is in the package for customs officials to decide whether to impose the charges.

Often, if receiving a package from a company, it will tell you in advance if you need to pay additional fees on the package, or incorporate these costs into the price you pay at an online checkout.

With personal parcels you may not know until the parcel arrives in France whether these charges have been applied.

Import charges will be different if you bring the products back into France yourself when travelling, and certain products (such as foods containing meat or dairy or plants) may be prohibited, even if you buy them through a company.

What could cause me to pay?

Packages under a value of €45 marked as a ‘gift’ on customs forms are not subject to paying any VAT (French TVA), but for parcels over this amount it may be applied.

On top of this, customs duties may be payable on goods sent from outside the EU, at varying rates depending on the category of item (from 0% to around 20%). These only apply from a value of €150 or more in the case of online purchases.

However, for items sent from the UK, due to the UK/EU trade agreement, this is waived if the item can be shown to have been made wholly or mostly in the UK or EU.

French customs officials decide whether either of these charges need to be paid by assessing the customs forms – they do, however, have the right to check parcels if necessary.

What duties are levied (if any) depend on the type of the product – the French Customs website provides a general idea of the rates for typical gifts and products commonly purchased online..

How do I pay?

In the case where there are any additional customs duties or VAT charges, your parcel will be withheld until you pay these.

This payment can either be made online through La Poste’s site before the parcel is delivered, or you can pay when collecting the parcel or it is delivered to you.

If you receive the parcel through a private delivery service, then, unless this has already been factored in, it may also charge fees related to dealing with the customs formalities. For example you may receive a text or email inviting you to make a payment online to settle this.

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