Tobacco Cigarettes 🇫🇷 France
200 from non-EU; 800 from EU
Can I bring Tobacco Cigarettes into France?
200 from non-EU; 800 from EU
Full details
France follows EU duty-free tobacco allowances: 200 cigarettes from non-EU countries, 800 from other EU states for personal use. French tobacco prices are among the highest in the EU due to heavy taxation. Andorra border crossings are strictly monitored. Enforcement in France carries fines from EUR 250 to EUR 5,000 under Code des douanes Art. 411, Art. 412 (ordinary personal cases are handled as civil infringements). Leaving France with tobacco cigarettes is a separate question — allowed: Cigarettes for personal use may be exported from France freely; destination duty-free allowances (typically 200 cigarettes) govern the arrival side.
PENALTIES
- Fine: 250–5000 EUR
- Civil penalty only
Occasional — Enforcement reported intermittently.
Leaving France with tobacco cigarettes
Cigarettes and tobacco for personal consumption are freely exportable from France — excise is origin-paid at retail and no export formality applies to personal quantities. The binding constraint is the destination's duty-free allowance, typically 200 cigarettes (one carton) or 250 g of tobacco, above which arrival duty and in some countries steep penalties apply. Carrying obviously above-allowance quantities can also draw origin-side questioning about undeclared commercial export.
Same EU rules as Germany. For travelers from outside the EU: 4L still wine + 16L beer + 1L spirits; 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250g tobacco (age 17+). Goods: €430 duty-free for air/sea travelers, €300 for others. France also has specific rules on cheese (many raw milk cheeses require health certificates when importing from non-EU).
Declare quantities above the standard 200-cigarette / 50-cigar / 250g personal allowance to Douane; bring the purchase receipt to compute excise + VAT. Keep duty-free purchases sealed in the original retailer bag for audit.
200 (non-EU) / 800 (intra-EU)
EU Directive 2007/74/EC
This page covers destination customs rules in France. Whether you can carry tobacco cigarettes through security, in carry-on, or in checked baggage depends on airline and screening rules — see air travel rules.
Related rules
Tobacco Cigarettes rules in other countries
Tobacco Cigarettes
🇦🇺 Australia
25 cigarettes duty-free per adult. Excess requires import permit and duty payment.
Tobacco Cigarettes
🇸🇬 Singapore
No duty-free tobacco allowance. All tobacco must be declared and duty paid.
Tobacco Cigarettes
🇵🇭 Philippines
400 cigarettes or 50 cigars duty-free
Tobacco Cigarettes
🇻🇳 Vietnam
400 cigarettes duty-free
Tobacco Cigarettes
🇰🇷 South Korea
200 cigarettes duty-free for travelers over 19
Tobacco Cigarettes
🇪🇸 Spain
200 cigarettes from non-EU; 800 from EU