Selling in France from outside the EU: what you need, in order

Before your first French order

Area	What	Source
EPR	Representative and IDUs	Légifrance+1
VAT	Registration or IOSS	Iimpots.gouv.fr
Product safety	EU responsible person	EUR-Lex
Language	French on labels and instructions	Légifrance
Packaging	Triman, PPWR traceability EEuropean Commission	French Ministry of Ecologica+1

Who is the producer

Set-up	Producer for French EPR
You sell to French customers and ship from abroad	You Légifrance
Your stock is in a French or EU warehouse, sold in your name	You
A French distributor imports and resells	The distributor
A marketplace buys and resells as retailer	The marketplace
A retailer sells your goods under its own brand	The retailer

First year

When	What	Source
Before the first French sale	Representative appointed, IDU per stream, IDUs in every marketplace ADEME	Légifrance+1
On every household pack	Triman and Info-tri	French Ministry of Ecologica
From 1 January 2027	Professional packaging scheme, if you sell to businesses	ADEME
Early the following year	Declaration of the previous year's French sales	Citeo
All year	Eco-contributions at published rates, no markup	Léko

Sanctions

Failure	Sanction	Source
Not meeting EPR duties after formal notice	Up to €1,500 (individual) or €7,500 (company) per unit or tonne concerned	Légifrance
Still not complying	Daily penalty up to €20,000	Légifrance
Register and IDU failures	Fine up to €30,000	Légifrance
No IDU on a marketplace	The platform blocks the listing or pays in your place	Ministère de l'Écologie

Streams

Stream	Eco-organismes	Source
Household packaging and paper	Citeo, Léko, Adelphe Citeo+1	Léko
Professional packaging (2027)	Citeo Pro, Léko Pro, Twiice Twiice+1	ADEME
Electrical and electronic equipment	ecosystem, Ecologic, Soren Eecosystem+1	ADEME
Batteries	Batribox, ecosystem BBatribox	BBatribox
Textiles and shoes	Refashion RRefashion	Refashion
Furniture	Ecomaison, Valdelia, Valobat Ecomaison+1	ADEME
Toys	Ecomaison	Ecomaison
Sports and leisure	Ecologic	Ecologic

PPWR recycled content from 2030

EUR-Lex

The whole list

Topic	What it is	Who helps
EPR	Representative, memberships, IDUs, label, declarations Légifrance	Us
Product safety	For consumer products, a responsible person in the EU under the General Product Safety Regulation, in application since 13 December 2024 EUR-Lex	A compliance provider
Language	Consumer information in French under the Toubon law Légifrance	A translator, or a French counsel
Tax and customs	VAT and import status depend on how you ship	A tax adviser
Sector rules	CE marking, cosmetics, food, toys and so on, by product	A specialist

The order that avoids rework

1. Decide your flow: direct from abroad, EU warehouse, marketplace, distributor. It decides who the producer is.
2. Check product rules before you print anything.
3. Sort tax with your adviser.
4. Appoint your representative and get IDUs. Marketplaces check them. Ministère de l'Écologie
5. Finish labels and French text together, so you print once.
6. List, and enter your numbers on each platform.
7. Keep data by product from the first sale.

Who is the producer as goods enter France

Channels

Marketplaces check. Your own store does not get checked, but must publish your IDU. Platform by platform. ADEME

The EPR part

With no establishment in France, a representative established there is compulsory since 10 July 2026, by written mandate. Légifrance ADEME issues one IDU per stream, through the eco-organisme you join. ADEME AADEME+1

Standard is €190 a year per eligible stream (up to three), up to 1 tonne a year per stream, with simplified reporting and one declaration a year; Plus is €990 a year for up to three streams, with detailed reporting that optimises your eco-contributions, up to 10 tonnes. There is no setup fee. Eco-contributions are passed on at cost, with 0% markup. See pricing or the calculator.

Potential fines reach €30,000 for specified registration, IDU and reporting breaches, and €7,500 per unit or tonne for a company in other cases, under article L. 541-9-5. Légifrance

Who needs a representative · from China · from the United States.

What we do not do

We handle EPR only. We do not give tax, customs or product-safety advice, and the list above is a map, not advice on your product. Check it with the right adviser.