Imports & Customs — France
What travelers need to know about imports & customs in France. What is legal at home can be a serious crime here — each rule links to its official source.
Imports & Customs in France: prohibited — what is legal at home can be a serious crime here.
That fake handbag is a customs offence in France, and buying it for yourself is no defence. French customs treat importing counterfeit goods as a delit douanier under articles L.513-1 to L.513-5 of the Code des douanes, punishable by a fine of one to two times the value of the GENUINE article - "une amende comprise entre une et deux fois la valeur de l'objet de la fraude" - by up to three years' imprisonment, and by confiscation of the goods, the means of transport and anything used to conceal them. Where an organised gang is involved the fine rises to ten times the value and the term to ten years. Customs may settle minor traveller cases by transaction rather than prosecution, but the goods are still seized.
Fine of 1 to 2 times the value of the genuine goods and up to 3 years' imprisonment, plus confiscation of the goods and the means of transport. Organised-gang cases: up to 10 times the value and 10 years.
§ Direction generale des douanes et droits indirects (DGDDI) - Infractions douanieres en matiere de contrefaconVerified Sep 18, 2026