Importing from China to Monaco: customs, VAT and GPSR in 2026

Monaco produces almost nothing on its own soil: its economy runs on yachting, luxury hospitality, residential property and the Principality's boutiques, which drives import demand geared towards high value rather than high volume. According to IMSEE, the Monegasque statistics institute, as reported by Monaco Economie, Monegasque imports from outside France reached 2.8 billion euros in 2024, up 14.6%, a record.

China ranks as the fourth largest supplier with 5.9% of imports in 2024, behind Italy (23.4%), the United Kingdom (12.3%) and Germany (9.2%), according to the same source, which notes a slight 3.2% fall in Chinese imports and a growing share for Asia at Europe's expense.

Monaco is not a member of the European Union, but the customs convention of 18 May 1963 between the government of the Principality and the French government, enforceable in Monaco since 1 September 1963, establishes in its Article 1 that the two territories, including territorial waters, form a customs union, with a single customs line at sea. French customs law applies in the Principality as a matter of course.

The same convention sets out, in Articles 5 to 7, the collection of duties by the French customs authorities on behalf of both States, and the subsequent sharing of revenue; Article 8 requires that customs staff posted in Monaco be French, approved by the Monegasque government. In short: there is no separate Monegasque customs regime, and clearing Chinese goods bound for the Principality follows the rules, documents and rates of an import into France, an EU member state subject to its customs code.

On indirect taxation, the Franco-Monegasque tax convention organises the sharing of turnover tax revenue between the two States, which translates into Monegasque VAT aligned with French VAT, rate for rate.

The European Union has no free trade agreement with China: Chinese goods bound for Monaco bear the EU's common customs tariff, at the so-called MFN conventional rate, which varies by tariff heading and can rise sharply on certain lines subject to anti-dumping duties, for example electric bicycles, solar panels, ceramics, steel or tyres.

Import VAT, aligned with the French rate, stands at 20% in the general case, calculated on the customs value plus any duty paid and transport costs to the border of the Franco-Monegasque customs union. Since 1 July 2021, it has been payable on every parcel imported from outside the EU, whatever its value; below 150 euros no customs duty is levied, but VAT remains due.

Example: for a batch of furniture from Guangzhou with a customs value of 20,000 euros, on a line taxed at 3.7% duty, the duty payable comes to 740 euros, and the 20% VAT applies to 20,740 euros, i.e. 4,148 euros. The exact rate should be checked line by line before ordering, with a freight forwarder or via the integrated French customs tariff.

An importer based in Monaco must hold an EORI number, registered via the SOPRANO online service run by French customs, which is free and activated within 24 hours; Monegasque companies follow the same procedure, in the absence of their own customs administration.

As Monaco is attached to the EU customs territory, a Chinese product destined for the Principality must meet the same requirements as a product placed on the European market. CE marking applies to many categories relevant to the Monegasque market: electrical and electronic equipment, toys, protective equipment, and above all marine equipment under the Marine Equipment Directive, a sensitive point for rigging and yacht fittings sourced in China.

For consumer products with no dedicated harmonisation legislation, furniture, decorative items, light fittings, Regulation (EU) 2023/988 on general product safety, known as the GPSR, applies since it came into force on 13 December 2024, according to the summary published by EUR-Lex. It requires the importer to check the manufacturer's risk analysis and technical documentation, to affix their details to the product or its packaging, and to cooperate with market surveillance authorities should a risk be identified.

A pre-shipment inspection in China, carried out by a third party before the container leaves, remains a private precaution rather than a regulatory obligation, but it avoids a conformity defect being discovered only after several weeks of transport, on a part already earmarked for a building site or a yacht delivery.

Monaco has no deep-water port able to receive a container ship: sea freight from southern China, most often Guangzhou, Shenzhen or Yantian, first touches a major European port before being brought on by road to the Principality. Marseille-Fos, France's leading container port, suits full container loads; Genoa, in Italy, around an hour's drive away, often offers a shorter transit from Asia; Nice, more modest, remains useful for limited volumes.

Air freight, reserved for urgent shipments, most often arrives via Nice Côte d'Azur airport, around twenty minutes from Monaco, before a final road leg.

FOB or FCA ex southern China suits cases where the customer organises transport; DAP to Nice, Marseille or Genoa suits cases where a freight forwarder manages the whole journey. DDP remains inadvisable unless the Chinese seller is itself registered as an importer liable for VAT within the Franco-Monegasque customs union, which remains rare.

On payment, standard practice remains a deposit on ordering followed by a balance before shipment, paid exclusively into the Chinese company's business account, never a personal account; a change of bank details received by email should always be checked by a direct phone call before any transfer, as this type of fraud remains common in sourcing.

A first order follows a precise sequence: specification document, factory verification, approved sample, proforma invoice with Incoterm, verification of CE marking and, where necessary, the GPSR file, pre-shipment inspection, transport to Nice, Marseille or Genoa, then customs clearance by the customer or their freight forwarder with the French customs services responsible for the Principality.

Sorva is a sourcing and trading house based in Guangzhou (Tianhe), backed by a Chinese subsidiary whose business purpose covers buying, reselling and exporting goods, and a parent company in France. Our Chinese-speaking team on the ground finds and vets factories, arranges visits and samples, negotiates, has quality checked before loading, and organises freight to the chosen port or airport, working with Monaco clients in yachting, hospitality, boutiques and villa fit-outs. We never act as the official importer or as customs declarant: clearance remains in the hands of the client or their freight forwarder. Our base offer is invoiced in euros, with compliance options quoted on request.