Shopping & Coming Home

What's worth buying

France is not cheap, but some things are better here, cost less than at home, or are simply unavailable in the US. The best buys fall into a few categories: French brands in their home market, pharmacy skincare, kitchen tools, food you can legally take home, and regional crafts.

By category

By region

VAT refund (détaxe), step by step

France charges 20% VAT on most goods, already included in the price. If you live outside the EU, you can claim it back on goods you take home. The refund company keeps a fee, so you typically get back somewhere around 10% to 14% of the price, with a smaller share on small purchases. The store or the form shows your exact refund.

Who and what qualifies

• You live outside the EU, are 16 or older, and are in France for less than six months.
• You spend more than €100 (so at least €100.01) including VAT in one store or one store group. French customs pages differ on timing: one says purchases must be made the same day, another allows up to three days. Plan on one day and ask the store how it bills.
• The goods are for personal use, and you carry them in your luggage when you leave the EU.
• Not eligible: services such as hotels and meals, tobacco, fuel, weapons, cultural goods like antiques and art (which have their own export rules), and vehicles.

How to do it

1. At the store: ask for the détaxe or tax-free form before you pay, and show your passport (the original, not a copy). The store gives you a tax-free form (bordereau de vente à l'exportation) with a barcode, on paper or by email. Choose how you want the refund: credit card is usual; cash at the airport costs extra in fees.
2. Keep the goods unused and handy. Customs can ask to see them, so do not pack them deep in your checked suitcase.
3. At your departure airport, before check-in: find the PABLO kiosk near the customs (douane) desk. Choose English, scan the barcode, and wait for the green screen saying the form is validated. That screen counts as your customs stamp, and the refund company is notified electronically. You do not mail anything.
4. If the screen turns red: go to the customs desk with the form, passport, boarding pass and goods. If the kiosk does not recognize the barcode at all, contact the refund company printed on the form, because French customs cannot fix it.
5. Get paid. Card refunds can take several weeks. If you chose cash, go to the refund operator's counter after validation, if one is open.

The form must be validated before the end of the third month after the month of purchase. If you buy something on October 10, you have until January 31.

Where the kiosks are

According to French customs, PABLO kiosks are in all Charles de Gaulle terminals and at Orly, as well as at Nice, Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux and Basel-Mulhouse airports, the Eurostar terminals at Paris Gare du Nord, Lille Europe and Marne-la-Vallée, the Channel ports and the main Swiss border crossings. Allow an extra 15 to 30 minutes at the airport, more in summer.

Leaving the EU from another country or by train

• Connecting through another EU airport (Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Dublin, Lisbon): French customs say the forms are then stamped by customs in the last EU country you leave from, and you send the stamped forms to the store yourself; the store must receive them within six months of the sale. Customs there may ask to see the goods, which is a problem if they are in a checked bag, so ask your refund operator before you fly how to handle your connection.
• Eurostar to London: the UK is outside the EU, so validate at the PABLO kiosk in the Eurostar terminal at Gare du Nord before boarding. The UK no longer offers tax-free shopping for visitors, so buy in Paris.
• Train or car to Switzerland: forms must be stamped at the border station or by customs during the journey. Since 2023, travelers heading to Switzerland overland must get the stamp at designated staffed customs points.
• Cruise or ferry: validate at the last EU port.

The main refund companies are Global Blue, Planet and Fair Tax Free; the store chooses the operator. You can track your refund on the operator's website with the form number.

Sales periods (les soldes)

France regulates when stores can hold official sales. There are two four-week periods a year, set by law, with discounts of 30% to 50% at the start and up to 70% in the final weeks. Outside these periods stores can still run promotions, but they cannot sell at a loss.

A few départements, including some in Lorraine, Corsica and overseas, can set different dates, and the government has discussed moving the dates in recent years. Confirm the official dates closer to the time. Black Friday and "private sales" (ventes privées) with discounts run in late November and before the official sales.

Outlets

Counterfeits: don't buy them

Sellers near the Eiffel Tower, Sacré-Cœur, beach promenades and street markets offer fake handbags, sunglasses, watches and perfume. In France, buying or simply carrying counterfeit goods is a customs offense, and the buyer is liable. Unlike in the US, where enforcement targets sellers, French customs fine travelers.

• The law provides for confiscation, a fine of one to two times the value of the goods, and up to three years in prison.
• In practice, customs at airports and borders usually settle minor cases with tourists on the spot: you hand over the fakes and pay a fine. Customs checks luggage at airports and on trains, and a suitcase of fake bags can be expensive.
• The US also seizes counterfeit trademarked goods at the border.

The street sellers are also often linked to pickpocket and scam networks. See safety and scams.

Antiques, art and cultural goods

Flea markets and antique shops are one of the joys of France, and most purchases need no special paperwork. Valuable art and antiques are another matter. To take cultural goods out of the EU above certain value and age thresholds, which vary by category, you need a French export certificate from the Ministry of Culture and an EU export licence. Paintings, old books, archaeological objects and old furniture are the main categories.

• For anything valuable, buy from a reputable dealer and ask them to handle the export paperwork and shipping. It can take weeks.
• Cultural goods are excluded from the VAT refund.
• A flat tax on precious objects can apply when exporting high-value art, antiques or jewelry outside the EU. Dealers know the rules.
• Keep the receipt and description for US customs. Original works of art and antiques over 100 years old generally enter the US duty-free, but you must declare them.
• Avoid anything containing ivory, tortoiseshell or other protected species. See prohibited items below.

US customs: your allowance

When you return to the US, you declare everything you bought abroad, including gifts and items bought at duty-free shops. The rules for returning US residents are below.

The $800 personal exemption

• Each returning resident can bring back $800 worth of goods duty-free, as long as you were abroad at least 48 hours and haven't used the exemption in the previous 30 days.
• The goods must be for personal use or gifts, and they must travel with you. Items shipped home separately do not count toward it.
• The next $1,000 above your exemption is charged at a flat 3%. Beyond that, normal duty rates apply by product.
• Declare what you actually paid, converted to dollars, and keep receipts where you can reach them.

Families

Members of the same household traveling together can file a single declaration and combine their exemptions. A family of four can bring back $3,200 of goods together, even if one person bought most of it. Children get the same exemption as adults, but only travelers 21 and over can bring alcohol.

Alcohol

Each traveler 21 or older can bring 1 liter of alcohol duty-free, a bit more than one standard 750 ml bottle of wine. You can bring more: federal law sets no fixed limit for personal use, but extra bottles are subject to duty and federal excise tax, which is usually modest for a few bottles of wine. Your state's laws also apply and some limit how much you can bring in without a state license. Declare everything.

Tobacco

You can bring 200 cigarettes (one carton) and 100 cigars duty-free. Cuban cigars and other Cuban-origin tobacco and alcohol are banned from entry, even if bought in France.

Cash

You must declare more than $10,000 in cash or monetary instruments, in any currency, on entering or leaving the US; on a family declaration, the family's total counts. When you leave or enter the EU, you must declare €10,000 or more. Carrying large sums is legal; failing to declare them is the offense.

Declaring at the airport: MPC and Global Entry

At most large US airports you no longer fill in a paper customs form. You declare to the officer at passport control, in an app or at a kiosk. If you are handed the paper CBP declaration (Form 6059B) on the plane, one form covers a whole family. Be honest: an officer who finds undeclared food can fine you on the spot.

• Mobile Passport Control (MPC): a free CBP app for US citizens, permanent residents and some visitors, accepted at dozens of major US airports. After landing you enter your passport details, take a selfie and answer the customs questions on your phone, then use the dedicated MPC lane, which is often much shorter. A family traveling together can usually submit together. You still show your passport to an officer.
• Global Entry: a trusted traveler program with a $120 application fee for five years, which also includes TSA PreCheck. Children under 18 applying with, or whose parent is already a member, pay no fee. Members scan their face at a kiosk or in the app and skip the main line. You still declare food and goods. Apply months ahead, since interview slots can be booked up.

Either way, if you have food, alcohol over the limit or goods over your exemption, say so and you may be sent to a secondary line for a quick check. That is routine.

Bringing food home

US agriculture rules are about pests and animal disease, and they are strict. The basic rule: solid cheese, chocolate, baked goods without meat, candy, condiments and most packaged shelf-stable foods are generally allowed; saucisson, cured ham and most other meat products, and many fresh fruits and vegetables, are not.

Declare every food item, even the ones that are allowed: answer yes to the food question in the MPC app, at the kiosk or on the paper form, and tell the officer what you have. If you declare it, the worst outcome is that a prohibited item is taken from you, with no penalty. If you don't and the officer finds it, you can be fined up to $1,000 for a first offense. The officer at the border has the final say.

Wine in your luggage

Wine and Champagne travel well in checked bags. TSA rules allow it in checked luggage with no limit for wine and beer under 24% alcohol, and up to 5 liters per person of spirits between 24% and 70% alcohol in unopened retail packaging. Spirits over 70% alcohol are banned on planes.

• Wrap each bottle in a padded wine sleeve or bubble wrap, then in a plastic bag, and pack it in the middle of the suitcase surrounded by clothes.
• A standard bottle with packing weighs about 3 lb (1.4 kg). Six bottles can push a bag toward the 50 lb (23 kg) limit for economy.
• Many wine shops sell polystyrene shipping boxes for 6 or 12 bottles that you can check as a bag.
• Duty-free alcohol bought after security can go in your carry-on in a sealed bag with the receipt. If you connect in the US, you go through TSA screening again, so put it in your checked bag after customs.

Shipping purchases home

Mailing things home used to be simple. It is now more expensive and complicated, because the US suspended its duty-free de minimis rule for low-value packages on August 29, 2025, and a 2025 law ends it for good in July 2027. US law still exempts genuine gifts of $100 or less sent by one person to another, but La Poste says its parcels owe duty from the first dollar, gifts included, so expect to pay.

• La Poste and Colissimo: you must buy the label online at laposte.fr and fill out the customs declaration there, which includes paying the US duties and a handling fee up front. Parcels are capped at $2,500 declared value. Letters and documents can still go by regular mail with stamps, but goods cannot.
• Product restrictions: since September 17, 2026, La Poste has suspended sending children's products, toys, costume jewelry, electronics, clothing and sports goods to the US through its standard Colissimo service for consumers, because of new US safety declaration rules. Check laposte.fr for the current list.
• Courier services: DHL, UPS and FedEx ship from France to the US and handle the duties for you, at a higher price.
• Stores that ship: department stores, wine shops and antique dealers often ship to the US themselves and include duties, which is the easiest option for big items.
• Wine: shipping alcohol is regulated by each US state, and it can't go by regular mail. Specialized wine shippers can deliver to many states; expect to pay a lot per case.

Tariffs on European goods have changed several times since 2025, after US court rulings and new trade measures, so the duty on a shipped package is hard to predict. For most travelers the easiest solution is to bring an extra suitcase or buy one in France and check it. Paying an extra bag fee is often cheaper than shipping.

Prohibited and restricted items

• Ivory and protected species: African elephant ivory is almost entirely banned from import to the US, with very narrow exceptions for certified antiques. Many states ban its sale. Also avoid tortoiseshell, coral, some reptile leathers and anything from protected species unless you have CITES paperwork. France also bans most ivory trade.
• Medicines bought in France: you can bring a personal supply of medicine for your own use, generally no more than 90 days, in its original packaging. Drugs that need a prescription in the US, such as codeine, antibiotics or sleeping pills, should come with a prescription or doctor's note. Controlled substances must be declared and can be seized. See medicines and health.
• Counterfeits: seized at the US border, and risky to carry through French customs, as explained above.
• Absinthe: allowed only if it is thujone-free by US standards. Most French brands sold in the US meet this; check the label.
• Cuban cigars and rum: banned, wherever you bought them.
• Kinder Surprise eggs: banned because of the toy inside.
• Knives: allowed in checked bags, never in carry-on. Federal law restricts importing switchblades, so stick to ordinary folding knives like Opinel and Laguiole.
• Pets and animal products: see pets for bringing animals.