French Customs Code

Customs officers may only immobilise means of transport and goods or keep persons at their disposal for the time strictly necessary to carry out the physical inspection operations, which include checking the goods, means of transport or person and, where applicable, seizures. After four hours from the start of the inspection operations, the public prosecutor is informed of these operations by any means. This obligation to inform does not apply…

Each visit to the premises or places referred to in articles 60-1, 60-2 and 60-4 shall take place in the presence of the person concerned or their representative or, failing this, a person requested for this purpose by the customs officers and who is not under their administrative authority. The inspection of means of transport takes place in the presence of the driver, the owner or, failing this, a person…

Customs officers may only take statements with a view to recognising objects discovered during the visit. Where a person concerned by the visit and suspected of having committed a customs offence is the subject of a measure of constraint against his person, he may not be heard in accordance with the procedures laid down in Article 67 F.

The fact that the inspection operations reveal offences other than those mentioned in articles 60-1 to 60-4 does not constitute grounds for invalidity of the incidental proceedings.

Where there are serious indications that a person is carrying narcotics concealed in his or her body, customs officers may subject the person to medical screening tests after first obtaining the person’s express consent. In the event of refusal, the customs officers submit a request for authorisation to the president of the judicial court with territorial jurisdiction or to the judge delegated by him. This application is forwarded to the…

1. All drivers of means of transport must comply with the orders of customs officers. 2. The latter may use appropriate equipment that complies with the technical standards defined by order of the Minister responsible for Customs to immobilise means of transport in the cases provided for in Article L. 214-2 of the Internal Security Code.

Pending the prohibition or authorisation decision referred to in Article 6 of Council Regulation (EC) No 428/2009 of 5 May 2009 setting up a Community regime for the control of exports, transfer, brokering and transit of dual-use items, customs officers shall immobilise, under conditions laid down by decree in the Council of State, non-Community civilian and military dual-use items bound for a country that is not a member of the…

I.-For the purposes of applying this Code, Regulation (EU) 2018/1672 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018 on controls of cash entering or leaving the EU and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1889/2005, Chapter II of Title V of Book I of the Monetary and Financial Code and Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 October 2013 establishing the…

I. – For the purposes of this Code, Regulation (EU) 2018/1672 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018 on controls of cash entering or leaving the Union and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1889/2005, Chapter II of Title V of Book I of the Monetary and Financial Code and Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 October 2013 establishing…

Customs officers may at any time visit artificial islands, installations and structures on the continental shelf and in the exclusive economic zone. They may also visit means of transport involved in their exploration or the exploitation of their natural resources, within the security zones provided for by law and within the maritime zone of the customs radius.