USA
France trade laneAmerican manufacturers sell imaging systems, analysers, surgical equipment and laboratory instruments into French hospitals, clinical laboratories, research institutes and biotech companies, usually through their EU subsidiaries or distributors. Alongside the sales flow, equipment moves for clinical investigations, demonstrations, trade fairs and laboratory relocations.
Customs is rarely what stops this cargo. Conformity is: a medical device can be sold or put into service in France only with CE marking under the EU Medical Device Regulation (MDR) or the In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation (IVDR), an EU authorised representative for a non-EU manufacturer, and an importer meeting its own obligations. Laboratory equipment that is not a medical device follows the general CE rules. AGF ships the freight from the US and coordinates French clearance and delivery through our WCA partner agents and a licensed customs representative; AGF has no office in France. The regulatory status is the manufacturer's — we ask about it before booking.
Last reviewed:
Shipping Medical & Laboratory Equipment from USA to France
Air suits analysers, instruments, probes and urgent spares. Ocean suits CT and MRI systems, laboratory furniture and large installations — crated, with shock and tilt indicators, to Le Havre or Marseille-Fos, roughly 9–16 days on the water from New York/New Jersey to Le Havre and four to five weeks from Los Angeles via Panama, confirmed per booking. MRI magnets often travel with liquid helium in the cryostat, which makes transit time and carrier acceptance part of the plan from the start.
Delivery is where this cargo is most often damaged. Sensitive equipment moves on air-ride trucks, and imaging systems frequently need rigging into basements or through narrow hospital access, timed with the manufacturer's installation engineers. Reagents and diagnostic kits may need 2–8 °C or frozen transport, and dry ice is itself a dangerous good.
- Air for analysers, instruments and urgent spares; ocean to Le Havre or Marseille-Fos for imaging systems and laboratory fit-outs
- Crating with shock and tilt indicators, and air-ride trucking for sensitive equipment
- Temperature-controlled and dry-ice shipments for reagents, declared as dangerous goods where required
- Delivery and rigging coordinated with the site and the installation team, through our French partners
What Drives the Cost
- Air or ocean, and the dimensions of imaging systems and their crates
- Handling: air-ride trucking, rigging and timed delivery at the site
- Temperature control and dry ice for reagents and kits
- Dangerous-goods elements — lithium batteries in portable devices, helium, and sealed radioactive sources in some analysers
- Where the equipment was built — US-origin goods pay 0% EU duty, others the standard EU rate for their line
- Regulatory readiness: equipment that arrives without CE status waits in a warehouse at your cost
HS Codes and Duty Notes
Classification guidance only — duty rates change and depend on your exact product. Codes are confirmed with the licensed customs representative at destination before you ship.
| HS Code | Products | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 9018 | Medical, surgical and dental instruments and appliances, including MRI (9018.13) and ultrasound | Duty on US-origin goods has been 0% since 1 July 2026; for other origins verify the 10-digit EU line at quoting. |
| 9022 | X-ray and CT apparatus and their tubes and parts | X-ray equipment also needs French radiation-protection authorisation for its use; that is the operator's process, but it shapes the installation date. |
| 9027 | Instruments for physical or chemical analysis — analysers, spectrometers, chromatographs | Some laboratory instruments, including certain mass spectrometers, carry Commerce Control List classifications. Confirm the ECCN with the manufacturer. |
| 8419 / 8421 | Sterilisers and laboratory autoclaves; centrifuges | Classification depends on the use; medical sterilisers and laboratory equipment sit in different lines. |
| 3822 | Diagnostic and laboratory reagents | In vitro diagnostic reagents fall under the IVDR; research-use-only products must not be marketed for diagnosis. |
Regulations and Compliance
EU MDR and IVDR — CE marking before the market
Medical devices are regulated in the EU by Regulation (EU) 2017/745 (MDR) and in vitro diagnostics by Regulation (EU) 2017/746 (IVDR). Above the lowest risk classes, conformity assessment involves a notified body, and devices still certified under the old directives benefit from extended transition periods running to 2027 or 2028, subject to conditions. The CE marking, the declaration of conformity and any certificate must exist before the device is placed on the market — check them before shipment, not at the hospital door.
Authorised representative, importer and French labelling
A US manufacturer must designate an EU authorised representative. The EU importer must verify the CE marking, registration and labelling, and add its own name and address to the device, its packaging or an accompanying document. In France, labels and instructions for use must be in French; the competent authority is the ANSM. These obligations start when the device enters the EU market, which in practice means at clearance.
Laboratory equipment that is not a medical device
Research instruments and general laboratory equipment follow the general EU product rules — low-voltage, electromagnetic compatibility and RoHS, and machinery rules where they apply (the new Machinery Regulation from 20 January 2027). Order the EU configuration: France runs on 230 V at 50 Hz, and a 120 V, 60 Hz US unit is not a compliant product. Research-use-only instruments must not be marketed for diagnosis.
Used and refurbished equipment
A used device bought in the US and placed on the EU market for the first time must meet the MDR as though it were new, and whoever fully refurbishes a device for the market takes on the obligations of a manufacturer. Moving your own equipment between your own sites is different from selling it. Confirm which situation applies before buying used equipment in the US for France.
US export controls and EEI
Most medical equipment is EAR99. Some laboratory items — certain mass spectrometers, biological processing equipment and related items — are on the Commerce Control List, and while most need no licence to France, the classification must be on file and every party screened. EEI is filed in AES for shipments above the value threshold or needing a licence.
Dangerous goods and radioactive sources
Lithium batteries in portable devices, dry ice with reagents and helium in MRI magnets all carry dangerous-goods rules. Some gas chromatograph detectors contain sealed radioactive sources, which ship as Class 7 and need authorisation from France's nuclear safety and radiation protection authority (ASNR) for the receiving site. Tell us at booking.
Door-to-Door Shipping Service
We start with the model, its regulatory status (CE certificate, authorised representative and French importer), the dimensions and weights, any dangerous-goods or temperature needs, and the site's address and installation date. We collect from the manufacturer or distributor, check crating, file the EEI, and book air or ocean.
In France our WCA partner agent and a licensed customs representative clear the shipment, with import VAT accounted for on the return by VAT-registered importers, and our partners deliver on air-ride trucks with rigging coordinated with the site and the installation engineers. AGF has no office in France.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I ship a medical device from the USA to France without CE marking?
How do I ship lab equipment from the USA to France?
Is there import duty on medical equipment in France?
Can I export used or refurbished medical equipment to France?
Medical & Laboratory Equipment is just one example. AGF ships whatever your business moves — on this lane and beyond. If your commodity isn't covered by one of our guides, tell us what you ship and we'll build the logistics around it.
China Office
DDC — Authorized Representative in Kazakhstan
Europe — Achot Baghdasarian