- ISPM 15 on imports
- Required
- Enforced since
- 2005
- Treatments
- HT, DH, SF accepted on imports; MB-marked WPM accepted if ISPM 15 compliant, but MB fumigation itself is no longer permitted inside the EU
- Plant protection authority
- Ministère de l'Agriculture – Direction générale de l'alimentation (DGAL), Sous-direction de la santé et de la protection des végétaux
- Common pallet sizes
- 1200 × 800 mm (EUR/EPAL)
1200 × 1000 mm
800 × 600 mm (half pallet) - Main ports
- Le Havre (HAROPA), Marseille-Fos, Dunkirk, Nantes-Saint-Nazaire
Overview
In France, ISPM 15 goes by its French name, NIMP 15. It is enforced through the EU plant health framework (Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072), which since March 2005 has required third-country wood packaging to be debarked, treated and marked. The Ministry of Agriculture's Directorate-General for Food (DGAL) acts as the national plant protection organisation. Its plant health sub-directorate issues the service instructions (notes de service) that set out how border staff inspect packaging and how French pallet makers obtain authorisation to apply the mark. Inspections at seaports and airports are carried out by SIVEP, the veterinary and phytosanitary border inspection service, at designated border control posts such as Le Havre, Marseille-Fos and Dunkirk. Packaging found without a valid mark, with bark or with live pests can be treated, destroyed or returned, and the importer pays the costs. As elsewhere in the EU, WPM carrying certain goods from China, India and Belarus is checked in at least 15% of consignments. France's pallet market centres on the 1200 × 800 mm EUR pallet, but it also has a strong rental culture. LPR (La Palette Rouge), the red-pallet pooling company, originated in France and serves fast-moving consumer goods flows into French and Iberian retail. CHEP's blue pallets compete in the same segment. The 1200 × 1000 mm format is used mainly in industrial and export flows. Within the EU, French-made pallets need no NIMP 15 mark, but exporters outside Europe must use authorised, marked packaging.
Key points
- Border inspections at designated entry points by the SIVEP border inspection service, under DGAL instructions
- ISPM 15 is called NIMP 15 in French; marking operators must be officially registered
- Intra-EU movements of WPM generally exempt from ISPM 15 marking (pinewood-nematode rules for Portuguese conifer WPM excepted)
- At least 15% of consignments of specified goods (e.g. stone, iron/steel) from China, India and Belarus have their WPM checked (Reg. (EU) 2024/288, valid to end-2026)
- France is the home market of the LPR (La Palette Rouge) rental pool
Frequently asked questions
Does France require ISPM 15 for wooden pallets?
Yes, for all wood packaging arriving from non-EU countries. In France the standard is called NIMP 15, and the packaging must be debarked, treated and marked.
Who checks wood packaging at French borders?
SIVEP, the border inspection service under the Ministry of Agriculture's DGAL, checks it at designated ports and airports.
Do pallets shipped from Germany or Spain into France need the NIMP 15 mark?
Generally no. Wood packaging that moves within the EU is exempt. The exception is conifer packaging from mainland Portugal, which must be treated and marked because of pinewood nematode.
Sources
- IPPC country page – France
- DGAL instruction on NIMP 15 wood packaging (BO-Agri)
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/288 on checks of wood packaging material (ECOLEX)
Import rules change. Confirm current requirements with the national plant protection organization or your importer before shipping. This page is general information, not legal advice.