France Customs Import and Export Goods Policy

Summary

This article primarily discusses the inspection and quarantine standards for import and export goods in France, including International Standards, European Union Standards, and French Standards.

France imposes stringent quality and safety requirements on import and export goods, and has developed a series of corresponding inspection, quarantine regulations, and effective control measures. These regulations and measures not only apply to imported goods but also to goods produced in France for export and all goods sold on the French market.

[Inspection Standards for Import and Export Goods]

Currently, France mainly adopts the following three types of inspection standards for import and export goods:

(1) International Standards: Primarily refers to the ISO 9000 standards established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). France does not mandate enterprises to implement this international standard; enterprises have the right to voluntarily choose whether to apply for this certificate.

(2) European Union Standards: There are currently over 3,300 product quality standards in the European Union. The EU requires all member states to gradually modify their national quality standards to align with EU standards and to launch the EU quality standard label, namely the "CE" standard label. According to EU regulations, EU quality standards only indicate the basic standards that a product has reached in terms of quality and safety. The corresponding standards currently in place in each member state can only be higher, not lower, than the EU standards.

(3) French Standards (NF): Established in 1947, there are 17,700 quality standards for various products. The authoritative body for issuing the "French Standard" label is the French Association for Standardization (AFNOR). According to regulations, products that have obtained the French Standard label can directly apply for the EU "CE" standard label without the need for any further inspection of the product, and only simple procedures need to be completed.