Quality Inspection in India for French Importers

Key takeaways

France bought US$1,278 million of the consumer goods we inspect from India in 2025, led by apparel, footwear, bags and home textiles (UN Comtrade).
The Loi Toubon makes French compulsory for a product's designation, presentation, instructions and guarantee. A translation may sit alongside, but the French must be as legible.
Textiles, household linen, footwear and furniture sold to French households need the Triman logo and Info-tri sorting instructions on the product, its packaging or the documents supplied with it.
Your French EPR unique identifier (IDU) belongs in your own terms of sale, not on the factory's cartons. The factory's job is the Triman and Info-tri artwork you approve.

What France buys from India

India reported exports to France of US$1,278 million in 2025 across the consumer-goods categories Clear To Load inspects, up 7% on 2024. Home goods made up US$317 million of that. Clothing is the largest line, but France takes more home textiles and furniture from India than Spain or Italy does.

Source: UN Comtrade, India's reported exports to France, calendar year 2025, FOB.
Category (HS)	2025, US$ million
Woven apparel (62)	353
Knitted apparel (61)	290
Footwear (64)	126
Bags and cases (4202)	115
Home textiles (6301–6304), of which bed, table and kitchen linen 52 and furnishing articles 48	112
Furniture and lighting (9401, 9403–9405), of which furniture (9403) 53	99
Rugs and carpets (57)	45

For handicrafts, the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts reports US$118.75 million of exports to France in FY2024-25 (April 2024 to March 2025), 3.0% of India's handicraft exports and 6.26% lower than the year before. That figure excludes hand-knotted carpets.

Where those goods are made in India

French orders tend to mix categories, so one buying trip often covers several clusters. We name a town only for the product it is officially listed for.

Bed linen, cushions and throws: Panipat, Haryana, a Town of Export Excellence for carpets, other textile floor coverings and bed linen. See bed sheet and duvet cover inspection and cushion inspection.
Rugs: Bhadohi (Uttar Pradesh) and Panipat are Towns of Export Excellence for carpets; Mirzapur was added for handmade carpets and dari in the Foreign Trade Policy 2023. See dhurrie and kilim inspection.
Garments: Tirupur (hosiery), Gurgaon and Noida (apparel), and Faridabad (apparel, added in 2023). See garment inspection.
Leather shoes and bags: Agra, Kanpur and Ambur are Towns of Export Excellence for leather products. See leather shoe inspection and leather handbag inspection.
Furniture: Jodhpur, Jaipur, Saharanpur and Delhi NCR; see furniture inspection in India.

French on every label: the Loi Toubon check

Article 2 of the Loi Toubon (Law 94-665 of 4 August 1994) makes French compulsory in the designation, offer, presentation and instructions for use of a product, in the description of its guarantee, and on invoices. The French government's 1996 implementing circular allows one or more translations alongside, provided the French is at least as legible as the foreign-language text. EU rules point the same way: textile fibre labels must be in French for the French market (Regulation (EU) 1007/2011), and safety information must be in a language France sets under the GPSR.

At the factory this turns into concrete checks, made against the artwork you approved:

Sewn-in fibre and care labels carry French fibre names, such as coton or lin, not only English.
Assembly instructions and warnings in furniture cartons have a French version, in the box with the goods.
Hang tags, bellybands and retail boxes show the French product name, and any English text is not larger or clearer than the French.
Where an order is split between France and other markets, each lot carries the right label set. Mixed-up label sets are a common reason for a Hold.

Triman, Info-tri and EPR: what the factory must print

France has run extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes for many product groups for years. Under the AGEC law of 2020 (Environment Code, art. L541-9-3), products in those schemes and household packaging must carry the Triman logo together with Info-tri sorting instructions. The schemes that matter most for goods from India are furniture, and textiles, household linen and footwear; toys, sports and leisure goods, and DIY and garden goods have their own.

Sources: Code de l'environnement, art. L541-9-3; Decree 2021-835; textile and furniture eco-organisme guidance (see sources below).
Goods	What has to appear	Where it can go
Clothing, household linen, footwear	Triman logo and the textile sector's Info-tri block, as one unit	Composition label, a printed or embroidered mark, hang tag, box, pouch or sticker
Furniture	Triman logo and the furniture sector's Info-tri	On the product, its packaging or the documents supplied with it; a website alone is not enough
Household packaging around any product	A separate Triman and Info-tri for the packaging itself	On the packaging

A packed duvet cover can therefore carry two Triman marks: one for the textile, one for its packaging. We check that both are present, printed from your approved files, and placed where you specified.

Each importer placing EPR products on the French market registers with ADEME and receives a unique identifier (IDU) for each scheme (art. L541-10-13). The IDU goes in your terms of sale and on your website. It does not need to be on the factory's cartons, so do not put it in the factory's artwork brief unless you want it there.

Rules that apply

The EU-level rules for importing from India into France (EORI, TARIC, the GPSR responsible person, the EUDR for wooden furniture from 30 December 2026, REACH and ISPM 15) are set out on our EU import compliance checklist. For the details behind the French checks above, see EU textile labelling, the GPSR, EN 12520 and EN 1728 furniture testing and the EUDR for wood furniture.

Trade agreement. The EU and India concluded their free trade agreement on 27 January 2026, and the European Commission sent its signing and conclusion proposals to the Council on 11 September 2026. As of 14 October 2026 it was not signed or in force, so normal EU duty rates apply. Duty rates are for your customs broker; we do not quote them.

Time difference, reports and booking

India Standard Time is UTC+5:30 and does not change for summer time. India is 4:30 ahead of Paris in winter (CET) and 3:30 ahead in summer (CEST). Our office hours, 9:30 am to 6:30 pm IST, Monday to Saturday, cover the whole French morning, so a question sent at 9 am in Paris reaches us in the early afternoon in India, the same day.

The report follows within 24 hours of the inspection, after supervisor review, with a verdict of Cleared to load, Hold or Not cleared. A lot inspected on a Tuesday is reported by Wednesday afternoon in Paris at the latest, which leaves time to release or hold the balance payment before the container is booked.

A pre-shipment inspection costs US$249 per man-day. Travel is free in Jodhpur, US$99 per man-day from Jaipur, Saharanpur, Moradabad, Delhi NCR and Kolkata, and charged at actual cost elsewhere, such as Panipat, Bhadohi or Agra. See pricing or book an inspection, and tell us the goods are for France so the French label and Triman checks go on the checklist.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

Can labels for France be in English and French?

Yes. The Loi Toubon requires French but does not ban other languages. The 1996 circular that applies it says a translation may accompany the French, as long as the French is at least as legible. We check the French text against your approved artwork.

Does the factory in India need to register for French EPR?

Usually not. The obligation sits with whoever first places the goods on the French market, normally the importer, who joins the eco-organisme and receives the unique identifier (IDU). The factory prints the Triman and Info-tri artwork you supply.

Where should the Triman logo go on bed linen from India?

For textiles, household linen and footwear, the Triman logo and its Info-tri block can go on the composition label, a hang tag, the box, the pouch or a sticker. If the item is packed for retail, the packaging needs its own Triman and Info-tri as well.

Is the EU–India trade agreement in force for French imports?

No. It was concluded on 27 January 2026 but, as of 14 October 2026, it had not been signed or entered into force. Normal EU duty rates apply. Ask your customs broker for the rate on your goods.

Can you check French assembly instructions in furniture cartons?

Yes. The inspector opens sample cartons and checks that the French instructions, warnings and any Triman and Info-tri leaflet are inside and match your approved version. Missing French instructions are recorded as a labelling finding, which puts the report on Hold for your decision.

Know before it ships

Tell us the product, the factory's city and your ready date. We confirm the inspector, the notice time and the price before you book.

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Quality inspection in India for importers in France