Freight Forwarder from China to France

Great Hensen operates from our headquarters at Qingdao Port (22M+ TEU annually, top 5 port in China), with weekly sailings to Le Havre in 30-35 days and Marseille-Fos in 28-32 days -- connecting Shandong manufacturers directly to France's two major container gateways. France is the second-largest economy in the EU and a top-5 destination for Chinese exports to Europe. Great Hensen operates weekly sea freight departures from Qingdao, Shanghai, and Tianjin to both of France's major container ports: Le Havre (Channel/Atlantic coast) and Marseille-Fos (Mediterranean). We handle FCL, LCL, dangerous goods (IMDG classes 2-9), and oversized project cargo on this lane. DDP door-to-door service with French customs clearance and VAT handling is available for importers who want a single point of contact from factory to final delivery.

Port options: China departure and France arrival

Departure Ports (China)

• Qingdao: Our headquarters port. Direct services to Le Havre and Marseille-Fos. Best for cargo originating in Shandong, Henan, Hebei, and northern China.
• Shanghai: Highest sailing frequency to France. Best for cargo from Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, and the Yangtze River Delta.
• Tianjin: Available for cargo from Beijing, Tianjin, and northeast China. Slightly longer transit by 2-3 days compared to Qingdao or Shanghai routings.

Arrival Ports (France)

• Le Havre (FRLEH): France's largest container port and the primary gateway for northern France and the Paris region. Connected by rail to the Paris logistics hubs (Gennevilliers, Rungis) within 24 hours of discharge. Also serves as a transshipment hub for UK and Benelux distribution.
• Marseille-Fos (FRMRS): France's largest Mediterranean port and the second-largest container port. Best entry point for southern France (Lyon, Toulouse, Montpellier) and cross-border distribution to northern Italy and Spain. 2-3 days faster transit from the Suez Canal compared to Le Havre.

Air Freight Ports

• Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG): Europe's second-busiest cargo airport. Served by direct freighter and passenger belly cargo from PVG (Shanghai Pudong) and CAN (Guangzhou Baiyun). Transit time 4-6 days including customs clearance.
• Lyon Saint-Exupery (LYS): Secondary cargo airport for southeastern France. Suitable for urgent shipments to the Lyon-Grenoble industrial corridor.

Shipping methods and transit times

The choice between sea and air freight on the China-France lane depends on cargo volume, urgency, and budget. Below are the standard service options:

• FCL Sea Freight to Le Havre: 30-35 days from Qingdao or Shanghai. 20ft, 40ft, and 40ft high-cube containers. Direct carrier services available with MSK, CMA CGM, COSCO, and HPL.
• FCL Sea Freight to Marseille-Fos: 28-32 days from Qingdao or Shanghai. CMA CGM's home port means strong sailing frequency and competitive rates on this routing.
• LCL Sea Freight: Weekly consolidated containers to both Le Havre and Marseille-Fos. Cost-effective for shipments under 15 CBM. Allow 3-5 additional days for consolidation at origin and deconsolidation at destination.
• Air Freight: 4-6 days door-to-door from PVG or CAN to CDG or LYS. Suitable for time-sensitive cargo, high-value goods, and shipments under 500 kg where sea freight LCL minimum charges make air cost-competitive.
• DDP Door-to-Door: Full-service option covering ocean or air freight, EU customs clearance, French VAT payment, and last-mile truck delivery. Single invoice, single point of contact.

Customs clearance and documentation for France

France applies EU Union Customs Code (UCC) procedures. Key requirements for importers:

• EORI Number: Every importer into France must have an Economic Operators Registration and Identification (EORI) number issued by French customs (Direction generale des douanes et droits indirects). We can assist first-time importers with the EORI registration process.
• French VAT: Standard rate is 20% on the CIF value plus duty. VAT can be deferred under the French postponed accounting scheme if the importer holds a valid intra-community VAT number.
• CE Marking: Products subject to EU CE directives (electronics, machinery, toys, medical devices, construction products) must carry valid CE marking and a Declaration of Conformity. Non-compliant goods will be held at French customs.
• Customs Documentation: Commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading (sea) or air waybill (air), certificate of origin (Form A for GSP-eligible goods if applicable), and any product-specific certificates (CE, FDA-equivalent for food contact materials).

Le Havre handles customs clearance for northern France and the Paris region. Marseille-Fos handles clearance for southern France and Mediterranean transshipment. Both ports have bonded storage facilities if customs documentation requires additional processing.

Cargo types we handle on the China-France Lane

• Standard FCL/LCL: General cargo in 20ft, 40ft, and 40ft HC containers. Consumer goods, industrial components, machinery, furniture, textiles.
• Dangerous Goods (IMDG 2-9): Full DG handling for all nine IMDG classes. DG Packaging Certificate (危包证), MSDS, and Maritime DG Declaration required at origin. French DG regulations align with EU ADR/RID for inland road and rail distribution. See our DG freight service page for detailed requirements.
• OOG/Heavy-Lift/Project Cargo: Flat rack containers and breakbulk service available for oversized machinery and industrial equipment. Le Havre has dedicated heavy-lift berths with cranes up to 650 tonnes. Marseille-Fos handles breakbulk at the Fos-sur-Mer terminal complex. See our project cargo service page.

Choosing between Le Havre and Marseille-Fos

The two-port choice matters for inland logistics cost and total door-to-door transit time:

• Choose Le Havre if your final destination is Paris, northern France (Lille, Rouen), eastern France (Strasbourg, Nancy), or if you are transshipping to the UK, Belgium, or the Netherlands. Le Havre is connected to Paris by dedicated rail freight corridors with 24-hour terminal-to-warehouse transit. The Port of Le Havre handled 3.1 million TEU in 2024 and is undergoing a EUR 1.3 billion expansion of its Port 2000 container terminal complex.
• Choose Marseille-Fos if your final destination is southern France (Lyon, Toulouse, Nice), or if you are distributing to northern Italy, Switzerland, or eastern Spain. Marseille-Fos saves 2-3 days of vessel transit from the Suez Canal. The port's rail connections to Lyon (3 hours) make it the preferred entry for the Rhone-Alpes industrial corridor. Marseille-Fos handled 700,000 TEU in 2024, with additional breakbulk and RoRo capacity at the Fos terminals.

For DG cargo, both ports accept IMDG classes 2-9. Le Havre has larger DG terminal capacity; Marseille-Fos has shorter inland DG transport distances for southern European destinations. We advise on port selection based on your specific cargo type and delivery address.

Departure from Qingdao Port

Headquartered in Qingdao, we coordinate all France shipments directly from the Qingdao Port complex. Qingdao has dedicated container terminals (Qianwan Container Terminal phases 1-4, with 20m+ water depth) and is China's largest port for refrigerated cargo and a top-3 port for DG handling. Loading at Qingdao means cargo moves from factory to vessel with fewer intermediate trucking legs compared to Shanghai or Tianjin for Shandong, Henan, and northern Jiangsu manufacturers. For France-bound shipments, weekly sailings from Qingdao are served by MSK, COSCO, HPL, and CMA CGM with 28-32 days to Marseille-Fos (via Suez) and 30-35 days to Le Havre -- the dual-port option giving French importers flexibility to route via Mediterranean or Atlantic gateways depending on the final delivery address.

Carrier options on the China-France Route

The Asia-Europe trade lane is served by all major container lines. Great Hensen maintains contract rates with MSK, HPL, MSC, COSCO, HMM, OOCL, EMC, YML, and CMA CGM. CMA CGM, headquartered in Marseille, offers particularly strong service frequency and competitive rates on China-France routings given their home-port advantage. All carriers provide weekly departures from Qingdao and Shanghai. Our Qingdao bonded warehouse allows cargo staging for just-in-time shipment to align with French buyer inventory requirements.

French customs: DGDDI, ICS2, and advance cargo declaration

French customs is administered by the Direction Generale des Douanes et Droits Indirects (DGDDI). As of March 2024, all maritime cargo entering France falls under the EU's ICS2 (Import Control System 2) regime, which mandates advance cargo information filing before vessel loading at the origin port. The Entry Summary Declaration (ENS) must be submitted by the carrier at least 24 hours before cargo is loaded at the Chinese departure port. Failure to file or incomplete ENS data results in the shipment being held at the first EU port of entry, with storage costs typically running EUR 80-200 per day at Le Havre or Marseille-Fos. Great Hensen verifies ENS submission status for every France-bound FCL and LCL booking and coordinates with the carrier to ensure ICS2 compliance before the vessel departs.

Le Havre and Marseille-Fos differ in cargo specialization. Le Havre, handling over 3 million TEU annually, is France's primary gateway for Paris-bound consumer goods, automotive parts, and industrial machinery. The port's Port 2000 terminal complex accommodates the world's largest container vessels (24,000 TEU+) with 16.5-metre draft and has dedicated on-dock rail terminals connecting to the Paris logistics platforms of Gennevilliers and Rungis within 24 hours of discharge. Marseille-Fos, by contrast, handles a higher proportion of breakbulk and project cargo alongside container traffic, with the Fos-sur-Mer terminal complex offering heavy-lift crane capacity up to 650 tonnes -- the highest in the French port system. For Mediterranean routing to Lyon, Toulouse, or cross-border distribution to northern Italy and Switzerland, Marseille-Fos saves 2-3 days of vessel transit compared to Le Havre and shortens inland trucking distances by 500-700 km.

Regional cross-reference: For Northern European gateway alternatives, see our Germany trade lane page (Hamburg for northern/eastern German distribution) and Netherlands trade lane page (Rotterdam, Europe's largest container port, for Benelux and Rhine corridor logistics). For shipments destined for southern Germany or Switzerland, Marseille-Fos via Lyon is often cost-competitive with North Sea routings when inland freight is factored in.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related: Air Freight to France | Netherlands | DDP to Europe