fr.bev-cuvee.org · AS OF 2026-11-10
France
The business-to-business (B2B) hub for beverage alcohol: the trade rulebook for beverage alcohol, country by country, each section with its official sources.
As of 2026-11-10
Market status
Licensed. Excise authorisations depend on the operator’s activities and the tax status of movements.
Sources
Who can trade
Import, wholesale and distribution: Customs provides authorised warehousekeeper, registered consignee and registered consignor statuses. The appropriate status depends on storage and movement arrangements. Duty-paid intra-European Union receipts can require certified-consignee status.
Business-to-business (B2B) online sale: The public-health code treats distance alcohol sales as takeaway sales. The precise application of takeaway licensing to wholesale-only electronic sales: Not yet sourced.
Additional premises and food-business requirements: Not yet sourced.
Sources
- https://www.douane.gouv.fr/professionnels/alcools-boissons-alcooliques/vous-etes-ou-souhaitez-devenir-professionnel-du
- https://www.douane.gouv.fr/professionnels/paiements-garanties/garanties-et-dispenses-de-garantie-contributions-indirectes/vous
- https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/article_lc/LEGIARTI000020895404/2026-09-30
Customs and duty
Tariff headings: 2203 covers beer made from malt; 2204 covers wine of fresh grapes and certain grape must; 2206 covers other fermented beverages, including cider, and qualifying mixtures; 2208 covers spirits, liqueurs and other spirituous beverages.
Import duty: The European Union common customs tariff applies. Detailed classification, origin, preferences and other tariff measures determine the duty. A four-digit heading alone does not establish the payable duty.
Excise: Beer duty uses volume and alcoholic strength. Wine, cider and intermediate products have separate schedules; spirits duty uses pure alcohol. Alcohol above 18% also falls within the social-security contribution rules.
Territorial treatment: Overseas customs and excise variations: Not yet sourced.
Sources
- https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32016R1872
- https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/customs/common-customs-tariff-cct/calculation-customs-duties_en
- https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/online-services/online-services-and-databases-customs/eu-customs-tariff-taric_en
- https://www.douane.gouv.fr/fiche/droits-des-alcools-et-boissons-alcooliques
Labelling
Required language(s): French.
Mandatory alcohol warnings: Alcohol packaging carries the prescribed pregnancy health message or symbol.
Alcohol strength: Beverages above 1.2% alcohol by volume declare their actual strength; wine follows sector-specific rules.
Allergens: Relevant allergens require declaration, using “contains” if there is no ingredient list. Sulphites above 10 milligrams per litre require declaration.
Origin: Wine requires provenance. Other foods require origin where omission misleads; stated origin may trigger primary-ingredient origin disclosure.
Wine particulars: Ingredient and nutrition declarations apply, subject to transition for wine produced before 8 December 2023. Electronic disclosure is conditional; allergens and energy remain on the physical label.
Ingredient-dependent warnings: Sweetener and aspartame statements apply where relevant.
Sources
- https://www.boe.es/buscar/doc.php?id=DOUE-L-2011-82311
- https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/media/news/new-rules-wine-labelling-enter-application-2023-12-07_en
- https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/C/2023/1190/oj/eng
- https://www.economie.gouv.fr/dgccrf/les-fiches-pratiques/etiquetage-des-denrees-alimentaires-les-regles-connaitre
- https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/article_lc/LEGIARTI000054140162/2026-09-02
Age and sale limits
Legal purchase age: 18. Sellers require proof of majority.
Sale-hour and channel limits: Takeaway sales between 22:00 and 08:00 require the specified prior training. Local restrictions and wholesale-only hour rules: Not yet sourced.
Sources
Protected names
Protection framework: The European Commission maintains the legal registration database for protected food, wine and spirit names, alongside a register of protected traditional wine terms. Registration status and product specifications determine the applicable protection.
Verified examples: Rioja and Champagne are protected designations of origin for wine. These examples are not an exhaustive list.
Additional named spirit, beer and cider protections: Not yet sourced.
Sources
GTIN authority
Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) member organisation: GS1 France.
Sources
Not yet sourced
Wholesale-only online licensing; additional premises and food-business requirements; overseas territorial treatment; local restrictions and wholesale-only hours: Not yet sourced.
Additional named spirit, beer and cider protections: Not yet sourced.
Library catalogue: bev-cuvee.org · this page as data: mcp.bev-cuvee.org/mcp (get_rulebook, code fr)