France: Buying

In this page: Customs Procedures | Industrial and Manufacturing Profile | Identifying a Supplier | Controlling the Quality of the Products | Organizing Goods Transport To and From France

Customs Procedures

Export Clearance

The export procedure foresees, in principle, two stages:

First the exporter/declarant presents the goods, his export declaration and, when necessary, his export authorization or license at the customs office responsible for the place where he is established or where the goods are packed or loaded for export (Article 161 (5) CC). The export declaration must be submitted by electronic means, through the Export Control System (ECS).

Subsequently, the goods are presented at the customs office of exit which examines the goods presented based on the information received from the customs office of export and makes sure that they correspond to those declared and supervises their physical departure (Article 332 UCC IA).

In the case of goods exported by rail, post, air or sea, the customs office of exit may be the office competent for the place where the goods are taken over under a single transport contract for transport to a third country (e.g. port, airport, railway station).

Necessary Declaration

The Customs declaration must contain the commercial invoice, which is a record or evidence of the transaction between the exporter and the importer. The commercial invoice contains the basic information on the transaction:

code, number, name, quantity and price of the product;
destination of the goods and the address of the person or place of reception;
name and registration number of the transport company;
place of warehousing.

Restrictions

It is only prohibited to export cultural artifacts, specimens of flora and fauna which are threatened with extinction and war material, arms, munitions and such.

Export Taxes

None

Industrial and Manufacturing Profile

Type of Production: For the resources for businesses on managing the manufacturing and the supply chain risk due to the outbreak of the Covid19 pandemic, please consult the report COVID-19: Managing supply chain risk and disruption (Deloitte Canada, 2020), as well as the insights on COVID-19: How to fortify your supply chain (Kearney, 2020).
The World Economic Forum's COVID Action Platform provides useful information on the latest strategic trends regarding COVID-19 implications for businesses, including manufacturing and supply systems. The report Outbreak Readiness and Business Impact (World Economic Forum in collaboration with the Harvard Global Health Institute) offers insights on handling coronavirus by businesses and strategies for effective response and resilience.
In France, the sector of industry represents 17.1% of the GDP and 19.9% of total employment (World Bank). The pharmaceutical, aeronautical, and new information and communication technology (NICT) industries have an important place in the French industrial scene.

Professional Associations by Sector: 159 professional associations listed for France.

Type of Manufacturers

Original Equipment Manufacturers: OEMs in France are generally manufacturers of spare parts for the automobile, aeronautical, IT and electronic industries. Among the French OEMs , there are large groups such as, for example, Valeo (automobile) or Atos (IT).
Original Design Manufacturers: A large number of subcontractors have had to adapt to the requirements of their industrial clients and take a bigger part in the industrial production process. They have gone from the simple task of making parts to that of helping with decision making or marketing. In France, it is often subcontractors of IT or electronic components who have become designer subcontractors.
Subcontractors: Subcontracting in France is extensive and dynamic. It is particularly well-developed in the fields of the iron and steel industry, the plastics industry, foundry work, spinning and weaving for the automobile, aeronautical, rail, electronic and textile industries.
French subcontractors provide high-quality services or products as their workforce is highly qualified. Some subcontractors are also chosen for their renown. They are appreciated for their ability to innovate which, nevertheless, would deserve investment in Research and Development which they cannot always carry out because of the need to reduce production costs.
Useful Resources: Directory of subcontracting (in French)
Industrial subcontracting trade fair

Identifying a Supplier

Business Directories

Multi-sector Directories: ABC France - B2B information in France
All.biz - France - Directory of companies in France
Annuaire des Entreprises de France - Directory of French companies
French Commercial Chamber - Directory of millions of French companies
French Polynesia Directory - Yellow page in Polynesia
French register of trade and companies - Infogreffe
Indexa - Online directory of professionals and companies
Le French Tech - French startup directory
MacRAE'S Blue Book - Business directory with detailed information of companies in Europe
Manageo - French companies directory
Register of French companies - Verif.com
Societe.com - Company directory in France.
The professional pages - B2B directory
The Yellow Pages - Business directory in France

To search directories by industry in France, check out our service Business directories.

Marketplaces

Marketplaces incorporated in the country: Achats-Industriels.com
Aero Bay
Afrikrea
Agriaffaires
Algomtl.com
ArchiExpo
Artisans de France
Batiweb
choozen
DirectIndustry
Epex Spot
Europages
Eurotransfret
FrozenB2B.com
Greentrade
HelloPro
IXARM.COM
KOMPASS
LeGuide.com
Mercamania
NauticExpo
Pagineprezzi.it
Pikengo
Pricesavvy.co.uk
Prisvis
Privalia
Pro-Wine
Prospea
Sarenza
Shopwahl
showroomprive.com
Spartoo.com
Tomatoland
Transport Marketplace
Wabel
Webkupiec.pl
Wotol
Marketplaces present on the continent: Adform
Agromaquinaria
Auctelia
Cargoclix
CargoSmart
delcampe.net
EquipNet
European Energy Exchange
Ex-Trade
Floqq

To go further, check out our service Online marketplaces.

Other Useful Resources

Trade Agencies and Their Representations Abroad: Portal of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry
Invest in France
Business France
CCI France International
Contact the French Chamber of Commerce in the United Kingdom.
Contact Your Commercial Representations in France: Contact the UK Department for International Trade in France
Contact the Franco-British Chamber of Commerce & Industry
Contact the British Embassy in France.
Fairs and Trade Shows: International aeronautics and space exhibition
Vinexpo, the wine and spirits show
The international food industry show (SIAL)
Portal for shows and professional events
Parisexpo, the Paris meeting points
Eurexpo, international exhibition park in Lyon
Chanot park in Marseille

To go further, check out our service Trade shows.

Learn more about Service Providers in France on Globaltrade.net, the Directory for International Trade Service Providers.

Controlling the Quality of the Products

Quality Control Organizations: Bureau Veritas
Ecocert

Organizing Goods Transport To and From France

Main Useful Means of Transport: The transport (national and international) of goods in France is dominated by road transport, with more than 2 billion goods transported every year. Road transport of goods is above all practical. Due to the size of the country and its location in the middle of Europe, but also due to its importance as a country with large manufacturing industries, French roads continue to be among the most important for European-wide international road freight transport: 18.3 % of all tonne-kilometres performed in international road freight transport took place in France, according to latest data by Eurostat. Plans for putting trucks on trains and reviving the use of waterways could advance the development of a form of transport other than roads, but their potential remains limited.

International goods transport for its part is dominated by sea transport. This means of transport is economical, and France is easy to access because of its extensive sea coast. Five of the fifteen biggest European ports are located in France; they are linked with each other and serve the other large European centres of consumption in the North and in the South thanks to an extensive network of shipping lines. The ports represent 85% in volume and 66% in value of French foreign trade. However, according to Eurostat, France recorded a decline (-7.8%) in the tonnes of goods handled in its main ports in the fourth quarter of 2019, compared to the same quarter of the previous year. The gross weight of goods in France was 71.1 million tonnes in 2019, an overall annual change of -2.7%.

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Learn more about Sourcing in France on Globaltrade.net, the Directory for International Trade Service Providers.