To import jewellery to Germany, France, the Netherlands or Italy, you follow one set of EU rules for chemicals, product safety and customs, then add a few national points such as language and packaging registration. The EU rules are the same in all four countries.
Rules change, so confirm each point with your customs broker and the relevant national authority. We describe the principles here and avoid duty figures, which you check in the EU's TARIC database.
What is the EU rule-set for fashion jewellery?
Three chemical restrictions under REACH matter most. Nickel release from items in prolonged skin contact and from earring posts is limited, explained in EU nickel release limits. Lead is limited to 0.05% in any part of a jewellery article, in EU REACH lead limits. Cadmium is limited too, in EU cadmium limits.
The EU General Product Safety Regulation has applied since December 2024. It requires an EU-based economic operator responsible for the product. If you are an EU importer, that is usually you. Your name and address must appear on the product or its packaging, with traceability information.
Imitation jewellery falls under customs heading 7117. Duty and import VAT depend on the commodity code, the origin and the value, and your customs broker works them out.
The cadmium and nickel rules deserve one extra note. The nickel limits apply to the parts that touch skin, so a clasp, a post or a jump ring can fail a piece that is otherwise fine. Test the finished item as sold, with all its fittings. If you plan to sell children's jewellery, the EU treats it with extra care, and some materials are barred from it altogether. Confirm the current position with your national market surveillance authority. In practice, many importers choose nickel-free fittings across the whole range to avoid mixed batches.
What differs between the four countries?
Chemical limits do not differ. What differs is mostly practical:
- Language: product information and instructions usually need to be in the national language, such as German, French, Dutch or Italian.
- Packaging law: Germany, France, the Netherlands and Italy each run their own packaging registration or producer-responsibility scheme. Importers who place packaged goods on the market often have to register and pay into it.
- Consumer and marketplace habits: German buyers tend to expect detailed material information, and French buyers value design and finish.
- VAT registration and customs agents: you may need local VAT registration, depending on how and where you sell.
How do you reduce the risk of a failed test?
Nickel and lead failures are the commonest reasons imitation jewellery is stopped or recalled. See why imitation jewellery gets recalled. Ask the factory for the base metals and findings it will use, and have finished samples tested at an accredited laboratory.
Then check that the bulk lot matches the tested sample, as in matching the production lot to the tested sample.
Which document pack do you need?
You need an invoice, packing list, certificate of origin where useful, and test reports. A shipment without them is slow to clear. See the document pack your broker will ask for.
Next step
We source from Rajkot workshops, arrange testing, check production and supervise loading. You handle EU entry through your broker. Book a free sourcing review to start.