Three Core Changes in the Import Clearance of French Equipment

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

• Mandatory electronic declaration: AllEquipment Importsmust be pre - declared through the EU - CARGO system
• Upgraded safety certification: The Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC has added CE certification requirements for 11 types of equipment
• Environmental protection surcharge: Fluorine - containing refrigeration equipment needs to pay a GWP surcharge of 12 euros per kilogram

Illustrated Flowchart of Equipment Classification for Customs Clearance

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

• Ordinary electromechanical equipment
  • Declaration cycle: 3 - 5 working days
  • Required documents: CE certificate + technical parameter sheet
• Special Equipment
  • Pressure vessels: Require certification by the French APAVE institution
  • Medical equipment: Must complete registration in the EUDAMED database
• Second - hand equipment
  • The proof of service life needs to be notarized
  • The residual value assessment must be issued by a designated institution

Analysis of High - risk Links in Customs Clearance

Statistics of French customs data in 2024 show that the main violations in equipment imports are concentrated in:

• Misdeclaration of commodity codes: The error rate of HS CODE is as high as 37%
• It is recommended to verify through the following methods:Certificate deficiency: Non - EU equipment needs to provide complete traceability documents
• Incomplete technical documents: The new version of the CE certificate must contain a cybersecurity statement

Value Assessment of Professional Agency Services

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

• Localization Ability
  • Whether there are offices in Le Havre/Marseille port
  • The professional qualifications of the French customs declaration team
• Technical processing capabilities
  • Whether it can handle the T1 transit document
  • Whether there are professional classifiers
• Emergency response mechanism
  • The rapid response time for customs inspections
  • The number of successful cases of dispute resolution

Analysis of Typical Cases

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

• Completed the registration of the EORI number in advance
• Noted the equipment power parameters during pre - declaration
• Save the security deposit by using the temporary entry procedure (ATA Carnet)
• Finally achieve rapid customs clearance within 72 hours

The French customs will launch a new risk assessment system in 2025. Importers are advised to choose agency service providers with the following qualifications: holding the AEO certification of the French customs, equipped with technical document engineers certified by the EU, and having an on - site operation team at the major ports in France. Professional agency services can reduce the inspection probability by about 40%, shorten the customs clearance time by 60%, and avoid 90% of compliance risks in the technical document preparation process.