Customs: money or value transferred to France from the foreigner - Foreigner to France

Verified 26 octobre 2023 - Legal and Administrative Information Directorate (Prime Minister), Ministry of Justice

Your situation

  • Transfer of foreigner to France
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Reporting is mandatory if cash by an amount equal or greater to €10,000.

Agent transport must be physical, i.e. on you, in your luggage or in your means of transport during the journey.

You are concerned regardless of your nationality, your place of residence (in France or not) and the reason for the transport of money (personal or professional).

You must file the return even if you are the holder of the money for a third party (another person).

This obligation also applies to couples and families who share a community of their property (marriage, civil partnerships), when the total amount of money reaches €10,000.

Example :

Whether each person in a couple is carrying €5,000, each of them must make a statement. If one of them can prove that the sum transported belongs to him only and not to the couple, he does not make a declaration. The evidence may be, for example, the marriage contract or Civil partnerships if it provides for the separation of personal property.

Please note

Customs may require inspection for a sum lower to €10,000 if it suspects, after investigation, that the source of the money is criminal.

You have to declare the money if it is worth greater than or equal to €10,000.

These are the following financial elements:

  • Cash (banknotes and coins)
  • Gold (ingot or piece)
  • Traveler's checks
  • Plates, chips or casino tickets
  • Promissory notes
  • Non-domiciled commercial paper
  • Anonymous Cash Vouchers
  • Mandates
  • Securities, funding certificates and other debt securities

Warning  

for the transfer of cash by freight or postal mail of more than €10,000, customs may ask you to complete a disclosure statement. Customs provides it. You must return it within 30 days.

Who shall I contact

  • Directorate General of Customs and Indirect Taxes (DGDDI) - Fight against fraud

    By mail

    Directorate General of Customs and Indirect Taxes

    Office JCF3 - Fight against fraud

    11 rue des deux communes

    93558 Montreuil cedex

    By email

    dg-jcf3@douane.finances.gouv.fr

You can make the statement:

  • At the earliest 30 days before date of border crossing (online or by mail)
  • No later than just before crossing the border on site directly at the customs office or online.

Warning  

The time limit depends on the means by which you make the declaration. By mail, you must do it at least 5 working days front border crossing; online declaration is possible at the earliest 30 days before and just before crossing.

Be it to do the statement of your money, or to respond to a request from disclosure coming from customs, the process is done in the same way.

Please note

For the transfer of cash unaccompanied, by freight, post and parcel post or by business of post, more than €10,000, customs may ask you to complete a disclosure statement. You can consult the customs website for more information on the declaration of disclosure.

You can file your return in 3 different ways:

  • Online via the Dalia service
  • By mail
  • At the customs office when crossing the border

From €50,000 you must provide specific documents.

Between EUR 10 000 and EUR 49 000

Répondez aux questions successives et les réponses s’afficheront automatiquement

Online

You must use the online reporting service called Dalia.

Declaration of cash (of capital) at customs (Dalia)

By mail

You must send the following form to customs at minimum 5 working days before crossing the border.

Declaration for the transport of cash between France (mainland France, DOM and Saint Martin) and the foreigner

On the spot

The following form must be completed and returned to customs the day the border is crossed.

Declaration for the transport of cash between France (mainland France, DOM and Saint Martin) and the foreigner

From 50,000 euros

Provide a document proving the source of the money

If you are carrying a sum equal to or greater than €50,000, you must provide a document proving the provenance of that money.

If you do not provide it, your return is considered false and you may face a judicial penalty.

FYI  

In the case of cash (coins or banknotes), the supporting document must be supplied to customs in the 6 months before the transport declaration and in the 2 years before for all other cases (checks, securities, money orders, gold, etc.).

The list of documents authorized is:

  • Bank document proving a cash transaction, cash withdrawal or check issue (example: a bank card withdrawal ticket)
  • Document proving a manual exchange operation, i.e. the exchange of banknotes or coins in different currencies by a trader engaged in foreign exchange activities
  • Document proving a real estate sale, sale or transfer of security (examples: shares, bonds) or a gift, debt recognition or loan
  • Contract or invoice
  • One-Game Winning Credential
  • Declaration on the honor of the owner, creditor or the debtor cash accompanied by a copy of his or her identity document
  • Cash declaration made at the customs of a Member State of the European Union (to be provided within 5 days before transfer)
Make the declaration

Répondez aux questions successives et les réponses s’afficheront automatiquement

Online

You must use the online reporting service called Dalia.

Declaration of cash (of capital) at customs (Dalia)

By mail

You must send the following form to customs at minimum 5 working days front crossing the border.

Declaration for the transport of cash between France (mainland France, DOM and Saint Martin) and the foreigner

On the spot

The following form must be completed and returned to customs when crossing the border.

Declaration for the transport of cash between France (mainland France, DOM and Saint Martin) and the foreigner

The declaration shall be free, regardless of the means chosen to carry it out.

Failure to report or misrepresentation may result in:

  • Fine equal to 50% the amount of the offense or attempted offense
  • Confiscation of all money by customs

Money transported without a customs declaration shall be considered as a taxable income in France.

The tax authority may require a tax recall with payment of interest for late payment of 0.20% by month and an increase of 40%.

If you have to pay the fine equal to 50% of the amount of money concealed, the increase shall not be applied.

Who can help me?

Find who can answer your questions in your region

  • For more information

    Customs Service Info

    To obtain customs information concerning export, import, customs forms, transport and border crossing, exemptions...

    By telephone

     0 800 94 40 40

    Open from Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 6pm

    Toll-free number, local call price

    Outside metropolis or from the foreigner, dial +33 1 72 40 78 50

    By E-mail

    Access to contact form

  • To send your return by mail

    Customs services in France and Europe

  • To send the disclosure statement

    Directorate General of Customs and Indirect Taxes (DGDDI)

    By mail

    Directorate General of Customs and Indirect Taxes

    FID2 Office - Transport and European Taxation

    11 rue des deux communes

    93558 Montreuil cedex

    By email

    dg-fid2@douane.finances.gouv.fr