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Ordering from IEyes outside France: delivery, import taxes and relief

Information sheet from IEyes SAS, Bordeaux, France. Version 1, November 2026. General information, not tax or legal advice. Customs and tax rules are set by each country and can change.

1. Where this applies

This sheet is for orders delivered outside France. It explains who pays what, and what we can and cannot do for you. Our terms of sale are at https://ieyes.eu/terms.

2. Delivery inside the European Union

If we deliver to another country of the European Union, there is no customs clearance and no import duty. The price shown to consumers includes VAT, at the rate stated at checkout. Businesses with an EU VAT number that is valid in the VIES system are invoiced without French VAT as an intra-Community supply; you then account for the VAT in your own country. The goods must be shipped by us from France to your EU country.

Some territories of EU countries are outside the EU customs or VAT area (for example the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla, and the Åland Islands). For deliveries there, section 3 applies instead.

3. Delivery outside the European Union

What our price includes. Our price is in euros, without French VAT (exports are exempt) and without any import charges in your country.

Who pays the import charges. We deliver on a “DAP” basis (Delivered at Place, Incoterms 2020). In plain words: you are the importer, and you pay the import duty, import VAT or sales tax, and any customs handling fee charged by the courier, when the parcel arrives in your country. Our invoice says so.

How much. We cannot tell you the exact amount, because it depends on your country’s rules and on the declared value on the day of import. As a guide, import charges are usually worked out on the value of the goods plus delivery. Before you order, you can ask your customs authority or your courier for an estimate. Give them our product description and commodity (customs) code:

  • Description: assistive aid for blind and visually impaired people (electronic obstacle-detection device for white canes).
  • Commodity code (Harmonized System): 9021 90 (first six digits); the full code may have more digits in your country.
  • Country of origin: France.

The courier usually contacts you to pay the charges online before delivery. In some countries the courier charges a fixed handling fee even when no duty or tax is due, and some countries tax the delivery cost as well as the goods. The annex lists only the countries we have checked.

4. Relief for goods for blind and disabled people

Many countries reduce or remove import charges on goods designed for blind and disabled people. The rules, conditions and forms are different in each country, and we do not know all of them. In our opinion the ICane is the kind of product such reliefs are meant for, but we cannot promise that any relief will be granted. That decision belongs to your authorities.

  • Ask your customs authority, before you order, whether a relief exists and what you must do. Some countries ask you to get approval in advance, and approval can take time.
  • If you have a certificate or reference number, send it to us before we ship so we can show it on the documents.
  • The relief is usually for the person’s own use, not for goods bought to resell.

5. If you are a business

If you buy for your own use or to resell, import taxes normally apply. Many countries let a registered business recover import VAT through its tax return; ask your adviser. Please give us your company’s tax number and, where your country uses one, your customs identification number when you order.

6. What we provide

  • A commercial invoice in English showing the true value, a clear description of the goods, the commodity code, the country of origin (France), and our EORI number FR92951023800017.
  • The courier’s tracking number.
  • On request, a short description of what the product is for, which you can show to the authorities.

7. What we need from you

  • A complete delivery address, a telephone number and an email address, for the courier.
  • Someone to receive the parcel and pay any charges due. If charges are not paid, the parcel may be returned to us; our terms of sale explain how this is handled.

8. Returns, faults and your rights

Our terms of sale explain your right to cancel and your rights if the product is faulty, and say who pays for returns: https://ieyes.eu/terms

Import charges you paid to your own country’s authorities are not refunded by IEyes. You may be able to ask those authorities whether they can be repaid when the goods are sent back. Ask your courier or your authority how.

9. Questions

Write to or call +33 6 52 05 41 64. You can write to us in English.

Annex: country notes

We add a country here only when we have checked its rules. Rules change: always check with your authority.

United Kingdom (Great Britain: England, Scotland and Wales)

  • Northern Ireland: different rules apply to goods sent from the EU to Northern Ireland. The notes below do not apply there. Please contact us before ordering.
  • Parcels worth £135 or less: UK rules require the seller to charge UK VAT at the time of sale on low-value parcels sent to Great Britain. We do not currently ship parcels worth £135 or less to Great Britain.
  • Customs duty: 0 % for our product’s commodity (customs) code (9021 90 90 00) in the UK tariff.
  • VAT: 20 % at import, calculated on the value of the goods plus delivery and insurance costs, unless relief applies.
  • VAT relief for disabled people: UK law allows relief from import VAT on certain goods for disabled people imported by a disabled person, or their nominated carer, for that person’s own use; approved organisations and charities may also qualify under other conditions. For blind and partially sighted people, HMRC’s guidance lists white canes “and similar items used for mobility assistance”, teaching aids, braille equipment and electronic reading machines. In our opinion the ICane falls within this description, but whether it qualifies is decided by HMRC, not by us.
  • How it works: relief is claimed on the import declaration. We ship by courier (not by post). Our understanding is that HMRC treats courier shipments like freight, so you need approval in advance from HMRC’s National Imports Reliefs Unit (NIRU): they send you a form, then a certificate whose number must be entered on the import declaration. Tell your courier about the relief and give them the certificate before the parcel arrives; otherwise the courier will normally pay the VAT and bill you, and you would have to seek a repayment yourself. If you prefer, give us the certificate number before we ship and we will show it on the invoice. The postal marking “goods for people with a disability: relief claimed” applies only to parcels sent by post.
  • Official guidance: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pay-no-customs-duty-or-vat-on-goods-for-disabled-people
  • UK businesses: if you are VAT-registered, ask your customs agent, in writing, to use postponed VAT accounting, and give us your UK VAT number and GB EORI number.