Guides

It is the great fear of every small business trading abroad: paying and receiving nothing. Here are the checks to make before every payment. They take a few minutes and prevent most scams.

Before paying: 8 checks

1. The company exists in the official register of its country, and it is active (our country-by-country guide).
2. The bank account is in the exact name of this company. Never a personal account, never the account of another company.
3. The same name everywhere: register, contract, invoice, bank details (and, in China, the official seal).
4. A change of bank details announced by e-mail? Always check by phone, on the number you already knew, never the one written in the e-mail.
5. A reasonable deposit, and the balance on a written date. For a first deal, start with samples or a small order.
6. A written contract: product, quantity, price, delivery time, Incoterm, and the language that prevails.
7. Compare the price of the item and the total before confirming, and keep a screenshot (the reflex before paying).
8. Urgency, secrecy, a new account, a price that is too low: these are the usual signs of a scam (protecting yourself from scams).

Beware of small amounts

Many scams start small:

• A first order that goes well, to win your trust… then a large order paid in advance that never arrives. Make the checks for every payment, even with a supplier who has already delivered to you.
• A small unknown debit (1 or 2 €) on your account: it is often a test to check that the card works. Report it to your bank straight away, without waiting for a bigger debit.
• "Small fees" requested to release a parcel, a payment or a file: a real service does not ask for money through a link received in a message.

For a large order

Ask your bank about a documentary credit: the buyer’s bank pays only if the documents provided for in the contract (invoice, transport documents…) are presented. It has a cost, but it protects both sides.

Good to know: paying a company in Vietnam

The European Union keeps a list of “high-risk third countries”: countries whose system for fighting money laundering and terrorist financing has significant weaknesses. Vietnam has been on it since 18 October 2023. China and Thailand are not on it (list checked on 2 November 2026).

This is not a ban on trade. However, European banks must carry out enhanced checks on these payments. Your bank may therefore:

• ask you more questions: about your company, the reason for the payment and where the money comes from;
• in some cases, limit these payments: the European rules also provide for this.

Our advice: before a first payment, ask your bank what it will want to see. Keep the contract and the invoice at hand, and allow some extra time in your schedule.

See also our Vietnam page.

For information only, up to date on 2 November 2026: this information does not engage the liability of Passerelle France-Asie and does not replace your bank’s advice; only the official texts are authoritative. Sources: European Commission, list of high-risk third countries; Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2070 (addition of Viet Nam); Directive (EU) 2018/843, Article 18a (enhanced checks).

If you have already paid and have a doubt

• Call your bank at once: the faster you are, the better the chance of stopping the transfer.
• Keep all the evidence: e-mails, invoices, screenshots.
• In France, get help from 17Cyber, the public service for victims of cyber-malice, then file a complaint; elsewhere, contact your bank and your country’s police.

A login code is never given out, even to “unblock” or “confirm” a payment: see the right habits in our prevention guide (Site security, part 4).

Read also

A clear photo makes people want to buy. No need for an expensive camera: your phone is enough. And if you do not have a photo yet, your profile can be published without one: you will add them later.

The 3 photos to take

• 📦 Your whole product: from the front, the whole product in the picture.
• ✋ Your product with a hand: its size is clear at once.
• 🏡 Your workplace: your workshop, your field, your tools, your hands at work.

4 simple steps

• ☀️ Daylight: near a window or outside in the shade. Not in full sun, no flash.
• ⬜ A plain background: a light wall, a clean table, a plain cloth. Nothing else behind the product.
• 📱 Keep still: hold the phone with both hands, wait one second, then press the button.
• 🔍 Check: zoom into the photo with two fingers. If it is blurry or too dark, take it again.

Avoid

• ❌ A blurry or too dark photo.
• ❌ A photo taken from the Internet: show YOUR product.
• ❌ Recognisable people without their consent.

Sending your photos

Once your profile is published: in “My space”, part “Edit my presentation or my photos”, choose your photos and send them. A photo from your phone is fine as it is: we resize it. When you choose a photo, the site tells you at once if it looks too dark or blurry. We check everything before publishing it.

Need help? Write to us through the Contact page. If someone helps you (a child, a neighbour, an association), they can take the photos for you.

A website can make mistakes: a total higher than the items, a basket that keeps an old purchase, an option added without telling you. These five steps take one minute.

1. Compare the price of each item with the total. They must match to the cent.
2. At the slightest difference, stop. Do not confirm thinking “we'll see later”: getting a refund takes time.
3. Take a screenshot of the basket with the total. It is your proof.
4. Check the amount in your bank's app when you confirm the payment: it has the last word. If it is wrong, refuse.
5. Write to customer service with the screenshot and ask for a written answer.

And in business

• Never pay to new bank details received by e-mail without confirming them by phone, on a number you already know.
• Put the price, quantity, deadline and payment method in writing before any order.

Fake bank adviser, fake e-mails, hacked accounts: the scams that affect small businesses, and the right reflexes, according to Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr (the French government's cyber-assistance service).

The fake bank adviser

Someone calls, introducing themselves as your bank, knows your name or your account number, and asks you to "validate" a transaction or to give a code received by SMS. Your bank never asks for that. Hang up, and call your bank back on the number written on your card.

Official source: Fake bank adviser fraud (in French)

The fake e-mail (phishing)

An e-mail or an SMS imitates a well-known organisation (bank, carrier, administration) and pushes you to click quickly. Do not click: type the address of the official website yourself.

Official source: What to do in case of phishing (in French)

The hacked account

One of your accounts is sending messages you did not write, or your password no longer works. Change the password from a safe device and turn on two-step verification.

Official source: Account hacking (in French)

The fake "mandatory notices" letter

A real example received in October 2026 by a small business: an e-mail signed by a "national centre" with a very official-sounding name, with a list of legal articles, a threat of a fine "of up to €10,000 per employee" and a link to "become compliant". At the bottom of the message, in small print: this "centre" is a trade name of a private company that sells posters.

• The signs: a name that imitates the administration, a sender address that does not end in ".gouv.fr", fear of the fine, urgency, a link to pay.
• What is true: a company that has employees does have information to display (labour inspectorate, safety instructions, equality, harassment…). But the templates and explanations are free on the official websites (service-public.fr, French Ministry of Labour).
• The right reflex: do not click on any link, not even "unsubscribe"; mark the message as spam; pay nothing. If in doubt, check for yourself on service-public.fr.

Change of bank details: never pay to new bank details received by e-mail without confirming them by phone, on a number you already know.

Scams also target small businesses, in France as in Asia. Almost all of them look alike: urgency, secrecy, a new bank account. Here is how to spot them, and what to do if it happens to you.

1. The five most common scams

2. Warning signs

• You are rushed: “you must pay today”.
• You are asked for secrecy: “don't tell anyone”.
• The bank account changes, or is in a different country from the company's.
• Payment is requested to a person's account, not the company's.
• The e-mail address looks like the real one, with one letter different.
• Spelling mistakes, a poor-quality logo, an unusual tone.

3. Good habits

• Double check: any change of bank details is confirmed by calling the usual number.
• Two people approve large transfers, when possible.
• A written contract: price, quantities, deadlines, delivery, payment.
• Traceable payment, in the company's name, never in cash or by money order.
• Keep everything: e-mails, invoices, conversations. They will be your evidence.
• Protect your accounts: a login code (received by SMS, by e-mail or given by your app) is never given to anyone. All the good habits are in our prevention guide: Website security, part 4 "Good habits to protect your accounts".

4. Counterfeits are costly, even for the buyer

If French customs find counterfeit goods, they can confiscate the goods and the means of transport, impose a fine of up to twice the value of the goods, and the penalty can go up to three years in prison (French Customs Code). Questions: Infos Douane Service, 0 800 94 40 40 (free, Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 18:00; from abroad: +33 1 72 40 78 50).

5. If you are a victim

1. Call your bank immediately and ask for the transfer to be recalled: the faster you act, the better your chances of getting the money back.
2. 17cyber.gouv.fr: the French one-stop service of the police, gendarmerie and Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr, open 24/7, businesses included.
3. File a complaint with the police, with all your evidence. Outside France, contact the police of your country.
4. Info Escroqueries (France): 0 805 805 817 (free call, Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 18:30).
5. Misleading sales calls between businesses in France: report them to the DGCCRF (www.economie.gouv.fr/contact/contacter-la-dgccrf).

6. What Passerelle France-Asie will never do

• Ask you for money by e-mail, or to a person's account.
• Ask for a password or a code received by text message.
• Ask for your bank details by e-mail or by phone. For a refund, you request it yourself in My area.
• Change its contact details without announcing it on this website.

A message claiming to come from us that does any of these things is a scam attempt: do not reply, and write to us through the contact form on this website.

Sources: 17Cyber (French police, gendarmerie, Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr); French Public Finances Directorate (fake transfer order fraud); DGCCRF; service-public.fr (counterfeits); French customs; French Ministry of the Interior (Info Escroqueries). Checked on 13 October 2026.

Before signing or paying anything, check that the company exists, that it is active, and that the person writing to you really represents it. It is free and takes ten minutes.

1. Ask for the right information

• The full official name. For a Chinese or Thai company, ask for the name in Chinese or Thai: an English name is not the official name.
• The registration number (see the table below).
• The registered address and the name of the legal representative.
• A copy of the registration certificate (in China: the business licence, 营业执照).

2. Check the country's official register

3. Compare, line by line

The name, address and representative given by your contact must match the register exactly. A single difference is a good reason to ask questions before going further.

4. Warning signs

• Payment requested to a private person's account, or in a country other than the company's.
• A sudden change of bank details, “following an audit”.
• A large company writing from a free e-mail address.
• Urgency, a price far below the market, a large deposit before any contract.
• Refusal of a video call or a visit.

5. If in doubt

• Do not pay anything and ask for a written contract.
• In France: Info Escroqueries 0 805 805 817 (free call, Monday to Friday, 9 am to 6.30 pm) and www.internet-signalement.gouv.fr.
• French chambers of commerce abroad (see the Countries pages).
• Write to us: checking before introducing is our job.

Sources: official websites of the registers listed; French Ministry of the Interior (Info Escroqueries). Checked on 13 October 2026.

A small parcel from China, Thailand or Vietnam now costs more when it arrives in France: €3 customs duty per product category since 1 July 2026, and a €2 handling fee from 1 November 2026. Here is what changes for a small business that sells, buys or orders samples.

For information only, up to date on 31 October 2026. These rules are new and may still change: always check the customs website before sending or ordering.

What has changed

Example: a €120 parcel containing tea, spices and a scarf (3 different categories) pays 3 × €3 = €9 customs duty, plus the handling fee, plus VAT, which does not change.

Note: the sources do not all say the same thing about the €2 fee: French customs present it per product category; other texts speak of an amount per consignment. Ask your carrier for details, or check the customs website.

What it means for a small business

• You sell online to customers in France from China, Thailand or Vietnam: the seller or the importer declares and pays this duty. Show your customers an "all-inclusive" price, otherwise they will get a bad surprise.
• You group your shipments: one large consignment declared normally can cost less than many small parcels. Do the calculation with your carrier.
• You receive samples from a future supplier: plan these few euros in your budget, and keep the invoice and the tracking number.
• Fewer categories = lower costs: a parcel with a single type of product pays a single flat rate.

What does not change

• VAT is still due, as before.
• Product safety rules remain the same: CE marking, label in French.
• Some products remain prohibited or strictly controlled (products of animal origin, fresh plants and fruit, medicines, counterfeits): find out before placing any order.

To go further

Sources (consulted on 31 October 2026): Council Regulation (EU) 2026/382 (€3 flat-rate duty); Council of the European Union, press release of 12 December 2025; French customs, page « Petits colis : ce qui change pour vos achats en ligne » (www.douane.gouv.fr); French law no. 2026-103 of 19 February 2026, article 82 (former French tax). For information only: this information does not engage the liability of Passerelle France-Asie; only customs information is authoritative.

Since 13 December 2024, every consumer product sold in the European Union, in a shop or online, must be safe and have a person responsible established in the Union. This is Regulation (EU) 2023/988 on general product safety ("GPSR").

Who is affected

• All operators selling products to consumers in the Union: manufacturer, importer, distributor, online seller. They place "only safe products" on the market (Article 5).
• The point that affects Asia: a product may be placed on the European market only if there is an operator established in the Union responsible for it (Article 16). A manufacturer based in China, Thailand or Vietnam therefore needs an importer, an authorised representative or another responsible person in Europe.
• Online marketplaces have their own obligations: a contact point for authorities and consumers, registration on the Safety Gate portal (Article 22).

What to do

1. Importer (Article 11): before selling, check that the product is safe and that the manufacturer has done its part; put its name, postal address and e-mail address on the product (or the packaging, or an accompanying document); do not hide the manufacturer's label.
2. Online or distance selling (Article 19): the listing must clearly show: the manufacturer's name and addresses; if the manufacturer is not established in the Union, the name and addresses of the European responsible person; a picture and the product identifier; the safety warnings, in the language of the buyer's country.
3. Dangerous product: do not sell it; inform the manufacturer and the authorities through the "Safety Business Gateway" portal (Article 11(2)).

Dates

• Applicable since 13 December 2024 (Article 52).

Official source (consolidated version of 29/05/2026, read on 01/11/2026) : Regulation (EU) 2023/988 of 10 May 2023 on general product safety — EUR-Lex

General information, not legal advice. Check the official source before you decide.

This is a FRENCH reform (not a European rule): between companies established in France and subject to VAT, invoices become electronic and go through an approved platform.

Who is concerned

• All companies established in France and subject to VAT, including micro-entrepreneurs under the VAT exemption scheme: "Yes, you are concerned", answers the French tax administration, at least for receiving electronic invoices.
• A company in Asia with no establishment in France does not have to issue or receive French electronic invoices. But it must send certain data to the tax administration ("e-reporting") when it is itself liable for French VAT: for example a sale in France to a company that has no French VAT number, or sales to private individuals subject to French VAT (unless it is registered with a European VAT one-stop shop).
• When the customer is a company identified for VAT in France, it is this customer who pays the VAT instead of the foreign seller (reverse charge) and who does the e-reporting.
• Imports of goods and exports are not covered by e-reporting.

What to do

1. Company established in France: choose an approved platform to receive (already mandatory) and then to issue its invoices.
2. Take the official 4-question test on impots.gouv.fr ("La facturation électronique, qu'est-ce que ça change pour moi ?") to find out your own obligations.
3. Supplier in Asia: check with your French customer who must do the e-reporting, and give it your VAT number or, failing that, an identification number from your country.

Dates

• 1 September 2026: all companies established in France must be able to receive electronic invoices; large companies and intermediate-sized companies (ETI) must issue them and send their data.
• 1 September 2027: SMEs and micro-enterprises must in turn issue them and send their data.
• Foreign companies (e-reporting): 1 September 2026 for large companies and ETIs that sell; 1 September 2027 for SMEs, very small companies and micro-enterprises that sell, and for all companies that buy under the reverse-charge scheme.

Official sources (read on 01/11/2026): impots.gouv.fr — From when am I concerned? · impots.gouv.fr — VAT exemption scheme, micro-entrepreneur: am I concerned? · impots.gouv.fr — E-reporting for foreign companies · French General Tax Code, articles 289 bis and 290.

General information, not legal advice. Check with the official source before deciding.

Before arriving in the European Union, every shipment must be declared (entry summary declaration, "ENS").

Read more: Safety declaration before arrival (ICS2)

Since 28 June 2025, some products and services sold to European consumers must be usable by people with disabilities.

Read more: Accessibility of products and services (EAA)

Regulation (EU) 2025/40 reforms packaging; most of it has applied since 12 August 2026.

Who is concerned

• Any company that places packaging on the European market: manufacturer, importer, online seller. Packaging also means the box, the bag, the film, the shipping carton.
• The point that affects Asia: a seller who sells at a distance to private individuals in a European country must be registered as a packaging "producer" in the buyer's country (article 44), and have an authorised representative appointed in writing there (article 45, § 3).
• Online marketplaces must obtain, before accepting the seller, its registration number in the buyer's country and a statement that it meets its obligations, then check that this is complete and reliable (article 45, § 4 and § 6). Without this information, no more sales.
• Logistics companies that prepare orders must receive the same information (article 45, § 7).

What to do now

1. List the countries where you sell to private individuals.
2. Register in each one (national register of producers), directly or through an authorised representative. The registers are being set up country by country: ask the body in each country.
3. Food packaging (tableware, boxes, bags): since 12 August 2026, it must not exceed the limits for PFAS ("forever chemicals"): 25 ppb for one PFAS, 250 ppb for the sum, 50 ppm for all PFAS, polymers included (article 5, § 5). Ask your supplier for the test reports.
4. Heavy metals (lead, cadmium, mercury, chromium VI): 100 mg/kg at most, all together (article 5, § 4).
5. Keep the evidence: registration numbers, mandates, test reports.

What comes next

• 12 August 2028 (at the latest, or 24 months after the implementing act if it comes later): a harmonised label with pictograms shows the packaging materials, to help sorting (article 12).
• 1 January 2030 (at the latest, or 3 years after the implementing act): no more than 50% empty space in grouped, transport and e-commerce packaging (article 24).
• 2030: target of recyclable packaging across the whole European market.

The traps

• Believing that a single registration is enough for the whole of Europe: it is one registration per country where you sell to private individuals.
• Forgetting the shipping carton and the padding: they are packaging too.
• Buying tableware or food boxes in Asia without a test report (see tableware and food contact).

Dates

• In force since 11 February 2025.
• General application: since 12 August 2026.

See also

Official source (consulted on 01/11/2026): Regulation (EU) 2025/40 — EUR-Lex (articles 5, 12, 24, 44, 45 and 71); European Commission Packaging page.

For information only: general information, not legal advice; it does not engage the liability of the Passerelle. Check with the official source, the body in your country or your adviser before deciding.