General provisions

Postal shipments are subject to a simplified customs clearance procedure that is primarily governed by legal provisions and specific regulations. Mail handled by La Poste must meet both general conditions requiring certain customs documents and special conditions imposed by the countries of origin (transport bundles, etc.) and destination (import restrictions, various certificates, documents enabling the addressee to benefit from preferential customs rates).

In order to facilitate customs clearance operations, customs declarations (CN 22 label, CN 23 form, or the customs section of the CP 72 form) must be completed as carefully as possible.

Specifically, the customs declaration must include the following:

• the nature of the shipment – a detailed description of the mail’s contents
• when applicable, the customs tariff code
• the net weight for each category of merchandise
• the value of each category of merchandise, with monetary unit specified
• the total value
• an attached commercial or pro forma invoice in duplicate.

Attention: The definition of a gift may vary according to the customs conditions of each country, which may specify duty-free limits depending on the type of merchandise.