Guide #67 Foreign Embassies / Consulates: embassypages.com/guadeloupe *(WAF-protected; accessible in browser)* Consular Services Abroad: Guadeloupe has no independent foreign representation. Consular services are provided through French embassies and consulates worldwide.
TERRITORY NOTE: Guadeloupe is a French overseas department (département d'outre-mer) and an outermost region of the European Union. EU law applies in full, including EU customs regulations and the EU pet travel framework. However, Guadeloupe is outside the EU VAT area and outside the EU excise duty area. It levies its own local consumption tax, the Octroi de Mer, in addition to local VAT. The euro is the official currency.
IAM Baseline Notice: The IAM guide was last updated November 2016. Pets and restricted items were deferred to the local agent. This guide substantially expands those sections using the EU pet framework via PetTravel.com and French customs guidance from douane.gouv.fr. Note also: the guide references Saint-Barthélemy (Saint Barths), which has a separate customs regime as a French overseas collectivity -- goods destined for Saint-Barthélemy are taxed at 6% on the valued inventory plus freight invoice.
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Household Goods
Documents
Documents required for importing used household goods, personal effects, and related shipments.
- Packing list
- Copy of valid passport
- Original bill of lading (OBL; no express/telex release accepted) or air waybill (AWB)
- Original inventory in French, dated, valued, and signed by the owner of the goods
- Invoices for all electrical, hi-fi, and computer equipment (these items must be declared)
- Certificate of change of residence or certificate of transfer (civil servants and military)
- Non-sale certificate
- Letter of attorney for customs clearance
Specific Information
Octroi de Mer. The Octroi de Mer is a local import and production tax levied in France's overseas departments. Rates vary by product category. Contact the destination agent for current rates applicable to household goods.
Electrical, hi-fi, and computer equipment must be declared and itemised separately on the inventory regardless of age or value.
Saint-Barthélemy note. If the final destination is Saint-Barthélemy (Saint Barths), a different regime applies: a flat tax of 6% on the valued inventory plus freight invoice. Saint-Barthélemy is a French overseas collectivity with its own customs rules separate from Guadeloupe.
Intra-EU movements. Goods moving from metropolitan France or another EU member state to Guadeloupe are subject to customs controls at the port of entry in Guadeloupe, as Guadeloupe is outside the EU VAT and excise area despite being within the EU customs territory.
Language. All inventories must be in French and valued in euros.
ISPM 15. All wood packaging materials must comply with ISPM 15 and bear the appropriate treatment mark.
Duties & Taxes
Duty-free exemption. To be exempted from taxes, the importer must provide a certificate of change of residence (or certificate of transfer for civil servants and soldiers) plus a non-sale certificate and letter of attorney for customs clearance. Without these documents, the following taxes apply on the declared CIF value: VAT + Octroi de Mer + customs duties.
Prohibited & Restricted Items
Prohibited Items
- Narcotics and controlled substances
- Firearms and ammunition without prior authorisation from the territorial administration
- Prohibited dog breeds (see Section 3)
- Species protected under CITES without valid permits
- Wolf hybrids and Savannah/Bengal cats (unless 5th generation or more removed from wild ancestor)
- Pornographic materials involving minors
- Goods subject to EU sanctions regimes
Restricted / Dutiable Items
Guadeloupe is within the EU customs territory but outside the EU VAT and excise areas. All goods entering Guadeloupe are subject to local Octroi de Mer regardless of origin. Additional items of note:
- Firearms and ammunition: require prior authorisation from the territorial administration; authorisation is difficult to obtain
- Alcohol: subject to local excise duties; quantities above personal-use thresholds are dutiable; excluded from standard duty-free transfer-of-residence treatment
- Tobacco: subject to local excise duties
- New and unused goods: dutiable; invoices required; must be separately inventoried
- Electrical, hi-fi, and computer equipment: must be declared; subject to Octroi de Mer
- Medications: personal-use quantities permitted with documentation; controlled substances require additional authorisation
- Plant material: subject to EU phytosanitary controls
Contact the destination agent or the Direction des Douanes (douane.gouv.fr) for current Octroi de Mer rates by commodity.
Importing a Used Personal Vehicle
Required Documents
- Original registration card
- Certificate of insurance
- Copy of owner's driving licence
- Title certificate / certificate of non-pledge (certificat de non-gage)
- Registration sticker
Specific Information
Without a certificate of change of residence or certificate of transfer, the Octroi de Mer (22% of CIF value) must be paid before the vehicle is released from customs.
Vehicles must comply with French roadworthiness standards. EU type-approved vehicles from other member states can be registered in Guadeloupe without additional technical certification. Vehicles originating from outside the EU may require compliance verification.
Contact the destination agent for current vehicle duty rates and registration procedures, which are administered locally through the Prefecture de Guadeloupe.
Pets
- ISO 11784/11785-compliant 15-digit microchip (or tattoo applied before July 3, 2011) **From EU member states (non-commercial, resident pets):**
- Current rabies vaccination administered after microchipping, at least 21 days before travel (primary vaccination) **From EU member states (non-commercial, resident pets):**
- EU Pet Passport updated by a licensed veterinarian **From EU member states (non-commercial, resident pets):**
- No import permit required **From EU member states (non-commercial, resident pets):**
- ISO 11784/11785-compliant 15-digit microchip **From Part 1 or Part 2 listed third countries (non-commercial):**
- Current rabies vaccination administered after microchipping, at least 21 days before travel **From Part 1 or Part 2 listed third countries (non-commercial):**
- Rabies titer test (for unlisted/high-rabies countries): administered at an approved laboratory no sooner than 30 days after rabies vaccination; pet may enter no sooner than 3 calendar months after blood draw date **From Part 1 or Part 2 listed third countries (non-commercial):**
- Non-commercial EU Health Certificate issued by a licensed veterinarian, endorsed by a government veterinarian; valid for 4 months of EU travel **From Part 1 or Part 2 listed third countries (non-commercial):**
- Signed Declaration of Non-Commercial Transport **From Part 1 or Part 2 listed third countries (non-commercial):**
- No import permit required **From Part 1 or Part 2 listed third countries (non-commercial):**
- All above documentation plus commercial EU Health Certificate endorsed within 48 hours of entry **Commercial transport (any origin):**
- Pet must enter via an approved Border Inspection Post (BIP) at Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport **Commercial transport (any origin):**
- 24 hours advance notice required **Commercial transport (any origin):**
- All dogs must be vaccinated against distemper **Commercial transport (any origin):**
No quarantine if compliant. Pets meeting all requirements are not subject to quarantine. Non-compliant pets face quarantine (if facilities available), return to origin, or euthanasia at the importer's expense.
Microchip before vaccination. The microchip must be implanted before or at the same time as the rabies vaccination. All documentation must reflect the microchip number.
21-day wait. After a primary rabies vaccination, pets must wait 21 days before travel. This wait is not required for subsequent visits provided boosters are kept current.
Three-year rabies vaccination. Guadeloupe honours the three-year rabies vaccination for dogs, cats, and ferrets when administered as a booster.
Titer test. Required only for pets entering from high-rabies (unlisted) countries. The test must be administered more than 30 days after the rabies vaccination. The 3-month waiting period after the blood draw applies.
Port of entry. Pets entering by air must arrive at Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport (PTP). Pets may travel in cabin, as checked baggage, or as air cargo in IATA-compliant carriers, subject to airline policies.
Non-commercial limit. Up to five pets per owner may travel under non-commercial regulations. Six or more pets require commercial regulations unless they are over six months of age and attending a competition, show, or sporting event.
Prohibited breeds. The following breeds and crosses are not permitted: American Staffordshire Terrier/Pit Bulls, Boerboel/Mastiffs, and Japanese Tosa. Pedigree American Staffordshire Terriers, pedigree Tosas, and Rottweilers (pedigree or not) may enter under restrictions per French law.
Other animals. Birds, reptiles, amphibians, rodents, and rabbits are not subject to rabies requirements but may need an import permit and health certificate. CITES-protected species require additional permits.
Consignment Instructions
Recommended: Contact the destination agent to ensure all requirements have been met prior to import, especially for differences regarding air and sea shipments.
Guadeloupe is served by sea through the port of Pointe-à-Pitre and by air via Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport (PTP). Most household goods shipments arrive by sea. The port handles significant commercial traffic; allow adequate lead time and confirm current port conditions and storage costs with the destination agent before booking.
All inventories must be in French and valued in euros. Electrical, hi-fi, and computer equipment must be declared and listed separately from other household goods regardless of age.
The certificate of change of residence or certificate of transfer is the critical document for duty-free entry. Shipments arriving without it will be assessed VAT, Octroi de Mer, and customs duties on the full CIF value. This document must be obtained before the shipment departs origin.
If any goods are destined for Saint-Barthélemy rather than Guadeloupe proper, notify the destination agent before booking -- a different customs regime applies and the logistics routing differs.
Cultural & Other Information
- OpenFactBook -- Guadeloupe
- Wikipedia -- Guadeloupe
- French Customs Authority -- douane.gouv.fr *(primary customs reference; French language)*
- French Ministry of Agriculture -- agriculture.gouv.fr *(DGAL; pet and plant import regulations)*
- French Ministry of Foreign Affairs -- diplomatie.gouv.fr
- PetTravel.com -- Guadeloupe Pet Import Requirements
- embassypages.com/guadeloupe *(WAF-protected; accessible in browser)*
- IAM Baseline PDF -- Guadeloupe (November 2016)
Guadeloupe is an archipelago in the Caribbean Sea comprising two main islands -- Basse-Terre and Grande-Terre -- connected by a bridge, plus several smaller dependencies. The population is approximately 400,000. The capital is Basse-Terre; Pointe-à-Pitre is the main commercial city. French is the official language; Antillean Creole is widely spoken. The economy is based on tourism, agriculture (bananas, sugarcane, rum), and public-sector employment. As an EU outermost region, Guadeloupe receives EU structural funds and EU law applies, but local tax arrangements differ from metropolitan France. Note that Saint-Barthélemy and the French part of Saint-Martin, though geographically nearby, are separate French collectivities with their own distinct customs regimes.
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