How to sell to customers in France

How people pay online

• Cards were used for 53% of online transactions in France in 2024, the same share as in 2022. 1
• Online payment solutions (wallets and apps) made up 27% of French online payments in 2024, up 6 points in two years; PayPal alone was close to 18%. 1
• Cartes Bancaires is France's local card network, and more than 95% of its cards are co-badged with Visa or Mastercard. 2

Taking payments from abroad

• Stripe accounts in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Mexico, New Zealand and across Europe can accept Cartes Bancaires in EUR; a business not based in France must first process one payment from a CB-eligible card to fully enable it. 2
• Businesses processing co-badged cards in the EEA must let customers choose the card network at checkout; Cartes Bancaires disputes carry a €0 fee on Stripe. 2
• PayPal through Stripe is only open to Stripe accounts in a list of European countries (including Germany, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Ireland, the UK, Switzerland and Norway); sellers based elsewhere, such as the US, must connect their own PayPal account instead. 3
• Stripe offers Klarna to shoppers in France, but only businesses based in the EEA, the UK or Switzerland can use it cross-border; a Stripe account in another country (for example the US or Australia) can only take Klarna from customers in its own country. 4

Import tax and duty on parcels

• Orders of up to €150 shipped to France from outside the EU can go through the EU Import One-Stop Shop (IOSS), which lets the seller collect VAT at checkout and file one monthly VAT return in a single EU country. 5
• From 1 July 2026 the EU charges a temporary €3 customs duty on parcels worth up to €150 imported from outside the EU, per item by tariff classification (3 T-shirts and a watch = €6), declared and paid by the seller or importer. 6
• The standard VAT rate in France is 20%. 7

Where to reach buyers

• YouTube's ad reach in France was equal to 77.2% of the population in late 2025, out of 63.4 million internet users. 8
• Facebook's ad reach in France was 47.2% of the population at the end of 2025, Snapchat's 44.7% and Instagram's 42.2%. 8
• TikTok's ad reach in France was 36.9% of internet users and Pinterest's 27.5% of the population at the end of 2025. 8

Marketplaces

• In Q2 2026 the most visited e-commerce sites in France were Amazon (41.2 million monthly unique visitors), Leboncoin (32.1 million), Booking.com (22.5 million), Temu (21.3 million) and Vinted (20.1 million). 9

Common questions

1. How do people in France pay online?

   Cards were used for 53% of online transactions in France in 2024, the same share as in 2022. More on payments

2. Can a business outside France accept the payment methods people there use?

   Stripe accounts in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Mexico, New Zealand and across Europe can accept Cartes Bancaires in EUR; a business not based in France must first process one payment from a CB-eligible card to fully enable it. More on taking payments

3. Do customers in France pay import tax or duty on goods bought from abroad?

   Orders of up to €150 shipped to France from outside the EU can go through the EU Import One-Stop Shop (IOSS), which lets the seller collect VAT at checkout and file one monthly VAT return in a single EU country. More on import tax

4. Where should a business advertise to reach buyers in France?

   YouTube's ad reach in France was equal to 77.2% of the population in late 2025, out of 63.4 million internet users. More on ads

5. Which online marketplaces are biggest in France?

   In Q2 2026 the most visited e-commerce sites in France were Amazon (41.2 million monthly unique visitors), Leboncoin (32.1 million), Booking.com (22.5 million), Temu (21.3 million) and Vinted (20.1 million). More on marketplaces