French excise refund: a brief delay, a major improvement

International transport operators are familiar with excise refund schemes across Europe. France is among the countries where professional carriers can reclaim part of the fuel excise duty paid.

At Easytrip Transport Services, we have been handling these refunds for years, efficiently, accurately, and in full compliance with the authorities’ requirements. In 2025, however, the French system underwent an important change that is worth noting.

What has changed

Until the end of 2024, excise refund claims were managed by the French Customs Administration, a process that had long proven to be fast and reliable.
As of 1 January 2025, responsibility has been transferred to the French Tax Authority (Direction Générale des Finances Publiques – DGFiP).

This transition required a period of adjustment: internal systems had to be updated, and administrative procedures redefined. While this temporarily caused some delays, it also lays the groundwork for a more transparent and better integrated process in the long term.

Refund amounts for 2025

The excise refund rates applicable from 2025 are:

• Heavy goods vehicles (freight transport): €0.1575 per litre
• Buses and coaches (passenger transport): €0.2175 per litre

Submitting your claim

In theory, transport companies may submit refund claims directly through the French Tax Authority’s website (impots.gouv.fr).

In practice, this process is complex and time-consuming:

• Forms and documentation are available only in French
• File uploads must meet specific technical formats
• Each claim must include precise fuel volumes, invoices, and refuelling data

To simplify this, Easytrip has fully automated and standardised the entire refund workflow, ensuring compliance with the DGFiP’s requirements and faster reimbursement for our clients.

How Easytrip supports you

The renewed excise refund procedure has now been successfully implemented.
Where previously individual files had to be uploaded manually via Sidecar, this step is no longer necessary. Thanks to automation and system integration, submissions are now faster, more consistent, and virtually error-free.

This improvement benefits both our clients and the French authorities, enabling quicker processing and reduced administrative workload.

Current status and outlook

The DGFiP has confirmed its intention to process excise refund applications in the same manner as VAT refunds, with a target processing time of approximately four months.

Encouragingly, the first refund cases have already been successfully validated under the new procedure. The transition period is now largely complete, and the system is operating smoothly, allowing companies to recover their refunds faster and with full reliability.

Learn more

Would you like to know how Easytrip can manage your French excise refund efficiently and on time?
Read more on our website

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