City Guide

All non-French nationals need a valid passport to enter France (check its expiration date). The French government no longer requires visas for U.S. citizens, provided they're staying less than 90 days. For longer stays, they must apply for a long-term visa, residence card, or temporary-stay visa. Each requires proof of income or a viable means of support in France and a legitimate purpose for remaining in the country. Applications are available from the Consulate Section of the French Embassy, 4101 Reservoir Rd. NW, Washington, DC 20007 (tel. 202/944-6195), or from the Visa Section of the French Consulate, 934 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10021 (tel. 212/606-3601). Visas are required for students planning to study in France even if the stay is less than 90 days.

Citizens of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland, Japan, and European Union countries do not need visas.

If your passport is lost or stolen, go to your consulate as soon as possible for a replacement.

For information on how to get a passport, and for an up-to-date country-by-country listing of passport requirements around the world, go to the website of the U.S. State Department at http:/ ravel.state.gov.

Customs

What You Can Bring Into France -- Customs restrictions differ for citizens of European Union (EU) countries and non-EU countries.

For Non-EU Nationals -- You can bring in, duty-free, 200 cigarettes, 100 cigarillos, 50 cigars, or 250 grams of smoking tobacco. You can also bring in 2 liters of wine and either 1 liter of alcohol over 22 proof or 2 liters of alcohol under 22 proof. In addition, you can bring in 60cc (2 oz.) of perfume, a quarter liter of eau de toilette, 250cc (8.5 oz.) of coffee, and 200 grams of tea. Visitors 15 and over may bring in other goods totaling 175€ ($228); the allowance for those 14 and under is 90€ ($117). (Customs officials tend to be lenient about general merchandise, realizing the limits are unrealistically low.)

For EU Citizens -- Visitors from European Union countries can bring into France any amount of goods as long as they're intended for their personal use -- not for resale.

What You Can Take Home From Paris--Returning U.S. citizens who have been away for at least 48 hours are allowed to bring back, once every 30 days, $800 worth of merchandise duty-free. You'll be charged a flat rate of 4% duty on the next $1,000 worth of purchases. Be sure to have your receipts handy. On mailed gifts, the duty-free limit is $200. With some exceptions, you cannot bring fresh fruits and vegetables into the United States. For specifics on what you can bring back, download the invaluable free pamphlet Know Before You Go online at www.cbp.gov. Or contact U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP), 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20229 (tel. 877/287-8667), and request the pamphlet.

For a clear summary of Canadian rules, write for the booklet I Declare, issued by the Canada Border Services Agency (tel. 800/461-9999 in Canada, or 204/983-3500; www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca). Canada allows its citizens a C$750 exemption, and you're allowed to bring back duty-free 1 carton of cigarettes, 2.2 pounds of tobacco, 40 imperial ounces of liquor, and 50 cigars. In addition, you're allowed to mail gifts to Canada valued at less than C$60 a day, provided they're unsolicited and don't contain alcohol or tobacco (write on the package "Unsolicited gift, under $60 value"). All valuables should be declared on the Y-38 form before departure from Canada, including serial numbers of valuables you already own, such as expensive foreign cameras. Note: The C$750 exemption can be used only once a year and only after an absence of 7 days.

Citizens of the U.K. who are returning from a European Union (EU) country will go through a separate Customs Exit (called the "Blue Exit") especially for EU travelers. In essence, there is no limit on what you can bring back from an EU country, as long as the items are for personal use (this includes gifts) and you have already paid the necessary duty and tax. However, customs law sets out guidance levels. If you bring in more than these levels, you may be asked to prove that the goods are for your own use. Guidance levels on goods bought in the EU for your own use are 3,200 cigarettes, 200 cigars, 400 cigarillos, 3 kilograms of smoking tobacco, 10 liters of spirits, 90 liters of wine, 20 liters of fortified wine (such as port or sherry), and 110 liters of beer.

For more information, contact HM Customs & Excise at tel. 0845/010-9000 (or 020/8929-0152 from outside the U.K.), or consult its website at www.hmce.gov.uk.

The duty-free allowance in Australia is $A900 worth of duty/tax free goods ($A450 for under 18), 2250ml of alcoholic beverages and 250 cigarettes or 250g of tobacco products. If you're returning with valuables you already own, such as foreign-made cameras, you should file form B263. A helpful brochure available from Australian consulates or Customs offices is Know Before You Go. For more information, call the Australian Customs Service at tel. 1300/363-263, or log on to www.customs.gov.au.

The duty-free allowance for New Zealand is NZ$700. Citizens over 17 can bring in 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars, or 250 grams of tobacco (or a mixture of all three if their combined weight doesn't exceed 250g), plus 4.5 liters of wine and beer or 1.125 milliliters of liquor. New Zealand currency does not carry import or export restrictions. Fill out a certificate of export, listing the valuables you are taking out of the country; that way, you can bring them back without paying duty. Most questions are answered in a free pamphlet available at New Zealand consulates and Customs offices: New Zealand Customs Guide for Travellers, Notice no. 4. For more information, contact New Zealand Customs Service, The Customhouse, 17-21 Whitmore St., Box 2218, Wellington (tel. 04/473-6099 or 0800/428-786 in New Zealand; www.customs.govt.nz).

City Guide

Paris France Tourism: Entry Requirements & Customs

Entry Requirements & Customs

Paris Travel & Vacation Deals

Paris Travel Deals