Several questions need to be answered before waste can be imported into France, and parties should therefore seek information in advance.

1. Seeking information in advance

The party wishing to import waste into France or to have such waste imported must first of all verify :

• That such movement is possible

Imports from countries which have not signed the Basel Convention are prohibited (except where an an alternative agreement has been reached, or in exceptional cases due to periods of emergency or conflict)

See : list of countries having signed the Basel Convention

• Which procedure will apply

Parties must determine whether they need to pursue an information or notification procedure based on the type of waste involved, the point of origin and the type of waste processing to be employed : Which procedure applies?

2. Submitting a notification file

Where notification is required, the notifier must compile a case file and “submit” this file to the TMW authority in the place of origin (location/country in which the waste was produced).

Parties should refer to these authorities to find out how to compile the notification case file.

The competent authority in the country in question will allocate a number to the file.

NB : these numbers always begin with a country code indicating the country of dispatch (where the waste is being transported from).
Examples : imports from Germany : file n° DE …… / Togo : file n° TG ….. / from the USA : file n° US……

Contact details for TMW authorities :

• in Europe
• outside Europe