France Duty-Free & Customs Allowance: What You Can Bring
How much alcohol, tobacco, perfume and other goods you can bring into France duty-free from outside the EU — plus the personal-use limits when travelling within the EU.
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How much you can bring depends on where you arrive — and, crucially, whether you are arriving in France from outside the EU or travelling within the EU. The two are completely different, so we cover both below.
Arriving in France from outside the EU
These are true duty-free allowances — the amounts each traveller aged 17 or over can bring in free of duty and tax:
Alcohol & spirits
- 1 litre of spirits over 22% ABV (whisky, vodka, gin, cognac…), or
- 2 litres of sparkling or fortified wine under 22% ABV (Champagne, port, sherry),
- plus 4 litres of still wine,
- plus 16 litres of beer.
You can't exceed the spirits option by also taking the sparkling/fortified option — it's one or the other, plus the wine and beer.
Tobacco
- 200 cigarettes, or
- 100 cigarillos, or
- 50 cigars, or
- 250g of smoking tobacco (including heated-tobacco and water-pipe tobacco).
Perfume & cosmetics
There is no specific quantity limit for perfume, skincare or cosmetics. They simply count towards your general "other goods" value allowance below.
Other goods & value limit
Everything else — perfume, watches, electronics, gifts — is covered by a total value allowance of €430 per traveller by air or sea (€300 by land, €150 for travellers under 15).
Travelling within the EU (e.g. France to another EU country)
There is no duty-free on flights between EU countries — you pay local tax. But you can carry generous amounts for personal use. Above these guide levels, customs may ask you to show the goods aren't for resale:
- Spirits: 10 litres
- Fortified wine: 20 litres
- Wine: 90 litres (of which max 60 litres sparkling)
- Beer: 110 litres
- Cigarettes: 800 · cigarillos 400 · cigars 200 · tobacco 1 kg
Quick reference
| Item | From outside the EU (duty-free) | Within the EU (personal use) |
|---|---|---|
| Spirits (>22%) | 1 L | 10 L |
| Sparkling / fortified | 2 L | 20 L |
| Still wine | 4 L | 90 L |
| Beer | 16 L | 110 L |
| Cigarettes | 200 | 800 |
| Tobacco | 250 g | 1 kg |
| Perfume / other goods | €430 (air/sea) | No fixed limit |
Good to know
- Allowances are per person — each traveller carries their own.
- Under-17s get no alcohol or tobacco allowance.
- A few EU land borders apply reduced tobacco limits (as low as 40 cigarettes) — not relevant for airport arrivals.
- The allowance applies once per journey; you can't reset it by hopping back and forth across a border.
Know your limit — now find the cheapest place to buy: compare spirits, tobacco, or fragrance prices.
This guide is general information, not legal or customs advice, and rules can change. Figures reflect the EU-harmonised traveller allowances (European Commission and national customs authorities). Always confirm the current limits with France's customs authority before you travel.