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Customs Information
France
Used household goods duty-free if owned abroad for six months, if the owner is moving his principal residence to France, and the items arrive within one year from the arrival date reflected on the Change of Residence.
- Regulations are different if the Customer is establishing a secondary residence.
- If SECOND shipment anticipated, it must be stated at the time of the first importation
Inheritance:
- Declaration from notary with inventory of goods, date of death, relationship & French Resident
- The goods must be shipped within one year from date of death
Wedding presents:
- Marriage Certificate and French Resident Permit.
- Goods must be shipped within one month of wedding.
- Students
- Official attestation of attendance at school or university. The scholar's goods must be shipped within one month from date of registration at school or university.
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Transportation
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France |
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Railways:
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Total: 32,175 km
standard gauge: 32,008 km 1.435-m gauge (14,320 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 167 km 1.000-m gauge (2003)
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Highways:
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total: 893,100 km
paved: 893,100 km (including 12,000 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (2002)
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Waterways:
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8,500 km (1,686 km accessible to craft of 3,000 metric tons) (2000)
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Pipelines:
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Gas 14,232 km; oil 3,024 km; refined products 4,889 km (2004).
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Ports and Harbors:
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Bordeaux, Boulogne, Cherbourg, Dijon, Dunkerque, La Pallice, Le Havre, Lyon, Marseille, Mulhouse, Nantes, Paris, Rouen, Saint Nazaire, Saint Malo, Strasbourg (2003)
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Merchant Marine:
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Total: 56 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 703,639 GRT/889,705 DWT
by type: cargo 4, chemical tanker 6, liquefied gas 4, passenger 3, passenger/cargo 30, petroleum tanker 8, roll on/roll off 1
foreign-owned: 6 (Sweden 5, Switzerland 1)
registered in other countries: 139 (2005)
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Airports:
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478 (2004 est.)
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Airports -
with paved runways:
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Total: 283
over 3,047 m: 13
2,438 to 3,047 m: 28
1,524 to 2,437 m: 95
914 to 1,523 m: 82
under 914 m: 65 (2004 est.)
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Airports -
with unpaved runways:
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Total: 195
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 72
under 914 m: 120 (2004 est.)
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Heliports:
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3 (2004 est.)
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Geography
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France
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Location:
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Western Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay and English Channel, between Belgium and Spain, southeast of the UK; bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Italy and Spain.
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Geographic Coordinates:
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46 00 N, 2 00 E
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Map References:
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Europe
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Area:
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Total: 9,596,960 sq km
Land: 9,326,410 sq km
Water: 270,550 sq km
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Area Comparative:
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Slightly less than twice the size of Colorado
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Land Boundaries:
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total: 2,889 km
border countries: Andorra 56.6 km, Belgium 620 km, Germany 451 km, Italy 488 km, Luxembourg 73 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Spain 623 km, Switzerland 573 km
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Coastline:
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3,427 km
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Maritime Claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm (does not apply to the Mediterranean)
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
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Climate:
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Generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean; occasional strong, cold, dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as mistral.
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Terrain:
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Mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west; remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps in east.
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Elevation Extremes:
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Iowest point: Rhone River delta -2 m
Highest point: Mont Blanc 4,807 m
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Natural Resources:
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Coal, iron ore, bauxite, zinc, uranium, antimony, arsenic, potash, feldspar, fluorospar, gypsum, timber, fish.
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Land Use:
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Arable land: 33.53%
Permanent crops: 2.07%
Other: 64.4%
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Irrigated Land:
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20,000 sq km (1998 est.)
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Natural Hazards:
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Flooding; avalanches; midwinter windstorms; drought; forest fires in south near the Mediterranean.
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Environment - current issues:
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Some forest damage from acid rain; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from urban wastes, agricultural runoff.
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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Geography - Note: |
Largest West European nation
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