A bag of rau răm in the suitcase, a Tết sausage for the family, mooncakes for the festival: when you come back from Vietnam, China or Thailand, you want to bring back the taste of home. Some products get through without any problem, others are seized at the airport. Here are the official rules, explained simply.
For information only, up to date on 31 October 2026. These rules apply to a private individual bringing back products for personal use (suitcase or personal parcel), from a country outside the European Union. If in doubt, declare your products to customs on arrival.
The table in 30 seconds
| Product | Rule for a private individual | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Meat and meat products | ❌ Prohibited, even vacuum-packed, dried or canned | giò lụa, lạp xưởng, dried beef, mu yong, Chinese sausages |
| Milk and dairy products | ❌ Prohibited | cheese, yoghurt, cakes or sweets made with milk or butter |
| Fish and fishery products | ✅ Up to 20 kg per person (or 1 fish of 20 kg at most) | fish sauce (nước mắm, nam pla), dried fish, dried shrimp |
| Honey, eggs and egg products (without meat or milk) | ✅ Up to 2 kg per person | mountain honey, salted duck eggs |
| Fruit, vegetables, fresh herbs, flowers, plants | ⚠️ Phytosanitary certificate required from the very first fruit, otherwise seized | lychee, rambutan, mangosteen, mango, rau răm, Thai basil, fresh chillies |
| 5 exempt fruits | ✅ Free, without a certificate and without a quantity limit | banana, coconut, durian, date, pineapple |
| Infant milk powder, medical foods | ✅ Up to 2 kg, branded packaging unopened | infant formula in a sealed tin |
The phytosanitary certificate is an official document from the country of departure certifying that the plant or fruit carries no disease or dangerous insect. A traveller rarely obtains one: in practice, without this paper, fruit and fresh herbs are seized.
Why the lychee is seized, and not the durian
The rule has nothing to do with taste or price: it protects European crops against insects and diseases from elsewhere. Only five fruits are considered risk-free and get through freely: banana, coconut, durian, date and pineapple. All the others, even a single lychee or a single mango, require a certificate. As for durian, still think of your neighbours on the plane: many airlines and hotels in Asia ban it because of its smell.
Fish sauce: yes. Tết sausage: no
This is the question many Vietnamese families ask themselves before Tết. Fish sauce is a fishery product: it is allowed up to 20 kg per person. Sausage, giò or dried beef contain meat: they are prohibited, even vacuum-packed. If you carry them without declaring them, they are confiscated and destroyed, and you risk a fine. For fish sauce, wrap the bottle well and check your airline's rules on liquids in the cabin.
Mooncakes: read the label
For the Mid-Autumn Festival, the mooncake is the gift par excellence. The rule depends on its recipe:
- with milk, butter, lard or meat (some savoury mooncakes contain ham or meat): prohibited;
- without milk or meat (bean paste, lotus seeds, salted egg yolk): it most probably falls within the 2 kg limit for products "containing neither meat nor milk". Hypothesis: no official text mentions the mooncake by name. Declare it to customs if in doubt.
Tea, coffee, dried spices, noodles
Dry products of plant origin, in their original sealed packaging (tea, coffee, dried spices, noodles without meat, rice paper), are generally accepted for personal use. Please note: we have not found an official list naming them one by one. Check on the customs website, especially for large quantities.
Fresh herbs: better to find them or grow them in France
Rau răm, ngò gai, tía tô, Thai basil, holy basil (kaphrao), makrut lime leaves: these are often what people miss most, and these are precisely what is seized on arrival. Citrus leaves such as makrut lime are among the most closely watched plants in Europe: do not put them in your suitcase.
Good news: several of these plants grow in France, in pots on a balcony in summer or at market gardeners'. French growers already produce Asian vegetables and herbs and sell them locally (franceinfo report in Blois). And if you really miss a product, tell us: it may be an opportunity for a company to produce it or to import it according to the rules.
And by parcel?
The rules are the same for a parcel sent by the family: no meat, no milk, no fresh fruit without a certificate. In addition, since 1 July 2026, small parcels from Asia pay a customs duty of €3 per product category. All the details are in our guide Small parcels from Asia: €3 customs duty, then €2 in fees.
For businesses: a different story
A grocery shop, a restaurant or an importer bringing in these products to sell them follows different rules: health checks on arrival, an establishment approved by the European Union for products of animal origin, official certificates. That is precisely where the Passerelle can help: finding a supplier checked in the official register of its country, and writing to it with confidence. All the steps are in our guide Importing food products from Asia to sell them in France.
The next festival
📅 Next major festival: Loy Krathong, on Tuesday 24 November 2026 — in 20 days. See the full calendar.
Remember to order early: before the big festivals, grocery shops and importers are sold out.
To go further
Are you a grocery shop, a restaurant or a producer looking for a supplier in Asia, checked in the official register of its country?
Publish a requestSources (consulted on 31 October 2026): European Union, "Your Europe" — Travelling with animal products, food or plants (europa.eu/youreurope, last checked by the EU on 21/10/2026); DRIAAF Île-de-France (French Ministry of Agriculture), « Importation non commerciale de végétaux, fruits et légumes — bagages ou colis personnels » (updated on 03/08/2026); European Commission, "Personal imports" (food.ec.europa.eu); Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2122; Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 (plant health); franceinfo, « Pak choï, navets japonais, choux chinois : à Blois, l'essor des légumes asiatiques en circuit court ». The French customs website (douane.gouv.fr) could not be consulted on the day of writing: to be checked. For information only: this information does not engage the responsibility of Passerelle France-Asie; only the authorities (customs, veterinary and plant health services) are authoritative.