United Kingdom

France

Exporting from the UK to France

Q: Do I need an EU EORI number to export to France?

You need a GB EORI to file the UK export declaration. Your French buyer needs their own EU EORI to file the import declaration — that is their responsibility unless you have agreed a DDP-style arrangement.

Q: What is a statement on origin and who issues it?

A declaration you make as UK exporter, on the invoice or a separate document, confirming the goods meet TCA rules of origin. It is what lets your French buyer claim 0% duty instead of the full EU tariff.

Q: Do I need to register for French VAT to sell there?

Not if you sell DAP or FCA and your French buyer imports in their own name. You only need a French or EU VAT registration if you sell DDP and want to account for that VAT yourself.

Q: How long does road freight take door to door?

1-2 days from most UK collection points to French delivery addresses, using daily groupage or full-trailer services via the Channel Tunnel or Dover-Calais.

Q: What happens if my goods fail the TCA rules of origin?

The shipment still clears, but your buyer pays the full EU Common External Tariff rather than 0% duty. Check origin eligibility before pricing, not after the goods have shipped.

Q: Do I need an export licence for machinery or electronics?

Most commercial machinery and electronics need no licence. Dual-use items — anything with a plausible military or surveillance application — do need an ECJU export licence regardless of the buyer.

Q: Is French import VAT reclaimable by my buyer?

Yes, a VAT-registered French business reclaims import VAT on its own VAT return, the same way a UK business reclaims import VAT on inbound goods.

Q: Can I ship DDP into France?

Only with an EU VAT registration or fiscal representative. Most UK exporters ship DAP or FCA instead and let the buyer's own VAT registration handle it.

France is the UK's 4th-largest export market, worth £24.1 billion in UK goods exports in the four quarters to Q4 2025 (ONS), out of £48.0 billion in total UK-France trade. Post-Brexit export declarations and a statement on origin decide whether your goods enter at 0% duty or the full EU tariff — we handle both, plus the road and Channel Tunnel freight to get them there.

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£24.1B

UK Goods Exports (2025)

1–2 Days

Road Transit

<1 Day

Air Transit

Duty With TCA Origin

Why do UK businesses export to France?

UK goods exports to France reached £24.1 billion in the four quarters to Q4 2025 (ONS), out of £48.0 billion in total UK-France trade — the UK's 4th-largest export market. Machinery, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and whisky lead the flow, moving daily via the Channel Tunnel and Dover-Calais.

France sits just behind Germany as the UK's largest EU export markets, and the short Channel crossing keeps road freight dominant for almost every category of cargo. Machinery, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and Scotch whisky are consistently among the highest-value UK exports, alongside a significant automotive parts trade feeding French assembly plants.

Since Brexit, every UK export to France needs a UK export declaration and, for the goods to clear at 0% duty under the TCA, a valid statement on origin issued by you as the exporter. Fail the rules of origin, or omit the statement, and your French buyer pays the full EU Common External Tariff instead of the 0% rate most quotes assume.

Gxpresss files the UK export declaration and safety and security declaration, verifies TCA origin eligibility before you issue the statement, and arranges road, air or sea freight through to French delivery.

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Get an Itemised Quote — Within 2 Hours

Tell us what you're moving on the UK–France route. You get an itemised breakdown — freight, duty, VAT, clearance — not a callback asking for the same details again.

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Origin

Destination

Freight Type

Cargo ready date

What are you shipping?

Should you use road or air freight to France?

Road freight is the default for this corridor given the short Channel crossing; air only earns its premium for genuinely urgent or very high-value cargo.

Road Freight — Groupage & FTL

Daily departures via the Channel Tunnel or Dover-Calais reach French destinations in 1-2 days door to door. Groupage suits smaller consignments; full truckload suits volume and just-in-time automotive schedules. The default for the large majority of this corridor's freight.

Air Freight

Daily flights from Heathrow and Manchester to Paris reach French destinations in under a day. Worth the premium only for genuinely time-critical spares or high-value items where insurance and inventory cost outweigh the freight difference.

Given the 1-2 day road transit already on offer, air freight rarely changes the delivery date meaningfully for this corridor.

What documents do you need to export from the UK to France?

Five documents clear a UK export to France: commercial invoice, UK export declaration (EX1 via CDS), statement on origin for TCA preference, CMR consignment note or bill of lading, and a safety and security export declaration.

Essential documents for exporting commercial goods from the UK to France.

Commercial Invoice

Full goods description, HS code, quantities, values, currency and Incoterms — must match the export declaration and transport documents exactly.

UK Export Declaration (EX1 / CDS)

Filed through the Customs Declaration Service before the goods leave Great Britain. Mandatory regardless of the goods' EU destination.

Statement on Origin (TCA Preference)

Issued by you as the exporter, confirming the goods qualify as UK-origin under the TCA rules of origin. Without it, your French buyer pays the full EU tariff.

CMR Note / Bill of Lading

A CMR note for road freight, a bill of lading for sea — confirms consignor, consignee and routing.

Safety and Security Declaration (EXS)

Pre-arrival export safety and security filing required on UK exports to the EU, typically submitted by the carrier or your freight agent.

What import duty will your customer pay in France?

UK-origin goods qualifying under the TCA enter France at 0% customs duty against your statement on origin. French import VAT (TVA) at the standard 20% rate applies on the customs value regardless of the preferential duty rate.

Duty relief under the TCA depends on the goods meeting the agreement's rules of origin — products assembled from significant non-UK components can fail this test even when finished in the UK. Goods that fail, or ship without a valid statement on origin, are charged the full EU Common External Tariff. French import VAT applies either way and is typically reclaimable by your VAT-registered French buyer on their own return.

Rules of origin are assessed per product, not per shipment. Gxpresss checks origin eligibility before you issue the statement, not after your buyer's customs agent queries it.

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How do you export from the UK to France?

Exporting to France takes six steps: confirm TCA origin eligibility, file the UK export declaration and safety and security declaration, issue the statement on origin, book road, air or sea freight, cross with pre-lodged declarations, then deliver.

How Gxpresss manages your export from the UK to France.

Confirm TCA Origin Eligibility

Check your goods meet the TCA rules of origin before quoting a price that assumes 0% duty.

UK Export Declaration & EXS

File the EX1 export declaration through CDS along with the safety and security export declaration.

Issue Statement on Origin

Add the statement to your invoice or a supporting document, referencing the TCA rule your goods satisfy.

Book Freight

Road groupage or full trailer for most cargo, air for time-critical shipments, sea for bulk or oversized freight.

Cross Into the EU

Declarations are pre-lodged so the crossing at Dover-Calais or the Channel Tunnel does not stop for a fresh filing.

French Import & Delivery

Your buyer's customs agent clears the EU import declaration against your statement on origin, and the goods are delivered to the final French address.

Get an instant freight estimate

Freight cost only — a starting point before your itemised quote.

What does it cost to export a shipment from the UK to France?

A real shipment structure — machinery components, full trailer road freight, Birmingham to Lyon, claiming TCA preference.

Goods value (FCA Birmingham)	£15,500
Road freight (FTL, Birmingham–Lyon)	£1,750
Insurance (0.3%)	£47
Shipment value (customs basis)	£17,297
EU duty @ 0% (TCA preference, statement on origin held)	£0
French import VAT @ 20% (payable by buyer)	£3,459.40
UK export declaration & clearance fee	£55
Total UK-side export cost	£1,852

French import VAT is charged to and reclaimable by your VAT-registered French buyer, so it does not add to your export cost. Without a valid statement on origin, the buyer would instead pay EU Common External Tariff duty on top, which for machinery typically runs 1.7-2.7% before VAT.

Which Incoterm should you use exporting to France?

French buyers are used to frictionless intra-EU trade and often expect a delivered price. Whether you quote DAP or FCA changes who manages EU import formalities.

DAP (Delivered at Place)

You deliver to the French address with the buyer handling EU import clearance and French VAT. The term most French buyers find familiar, workable as long as your freight partner coordinates with their customs agent.

FCA (Free Carrier)

You hand the goods to your carrier in the UK with the export declaration complete; the buyer arranges freight and EU import from that point. Shifts logistics work onto the buyer but avoids you carrying liability once goods leave UK soil.

Avoid quoting DDP into France unless you hold an EU VAT registration or fiscal representative. Gxpresss prices DAP and FCA quotes so the EU-side cost is not a guess.

What can't you export from the UK to France?

Five categories need extra paperwork or fail clearance into France: dual-use and defence goods needing a UK export licence, goods without a valid statement on origin, non-CE-marked electricals, chemicals not REACH-registered in the EU, and excise goods such as spirits.

Dual-use and defence-related goods — need a UK export licence from the ECJU before departure.
Goods without a valid statement on origin — clearance proceeds, but your buyer pays the full EU tariff rather than 0% TCA rate.
Electricals and machinery without CE marking — UKCA marking alone does not satisfy EU market requirements.
Chemicals not registered under EU REACH — UK REACH registration does not carry over to the EU.
Excise goods (spirits, tobacco) — need to move under an EU excise movement or have French excise duty accounted for on arrival.

Unsure whether your product meets EU market requirements? Get a free pre-shipment compliance check before you agree a delivery date.

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Every declaration is filed by an HMRC-registered customs broker and backed by BIFA and FIATA/IATA network membership — the accreditations UK freight forwarders are judged on.

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Exporting to France — FAQ

Common questions about exporting goods from the UK to France.