Topic: In this article, we explain why you may receive a surcharge and what you should pay attention to when shipping with Chronopost.
All Chronopost rates exclude fuel surcharges.
Related articles
→ Chronopost shipping conditions (France)
Surcharges
Chronopost Shop2Shop
Delivery to Corsica - 5.40€/Package
Non standard parcels - 70.20€/Package
This surcharge applies in the event of assumption of responsibility for bulky, cumbersome parcels not respecting the conditions of admission of the standard parcels conditions of admission of standard parcels as defined in article 2.1 of the General Terms of Sale.
Difficult to access areas (islands, mountains...) - 5.20€/Package
This surcharge is to be added to the price of transport for any parcel to be sent to a difficult to access area. See more information on Difficult to Access Areas.
Incomplete information - 1.10€/Package
This surcharge applies in case of absence or delay of transmission of the compulsory additional mentions (cell phone number of the addressee and/or his e-mail address) or communication of compulsory mentions not allowing the geo-localization of the geographical address.
Fuel Surcharge
Shop2Shop rates are subject to a fuel surcharge. This surcharge is based on the Comité National Routier's index. The fuel surcharge varies per month. The relevant fuel surcharge percentage will be updated monthly in the Sendcloud panel. You can see it in the summary of an order, before creating the label.
Chronopost Express/Relais/Classic
Incomplete announcement - 1.10€/Package
This surcharge applies in case of absence or delay of transmission of the mandatory additional information (cell phone number of the recipient and/or his address) or communication of compulsory information that does not allow not allowing the geolocation of the geographical address.
Empty collection - 7.40€/Shipping
This surcharge applies in the event that no parcel is taken in charge during the scheduled collection
Address correction - 6.20€/ Package
This surcharge applies in case of additional operational treatment of address correction following incorrect information transmitted by the sender.
Incorrect label - 2.20€/Package
This surcharge applies to any package that is mislabeled or whose label is incorrectly positioned, illegible, partially obscured, soiled, or does not allow the bar code to be read
Non-standard - 70.20€/Package
This surcharge applies in the event of taking charge of bulky, cumbersome packages that do not comply with the conditions of admission of standard packages as defined in Article 2.1 of the General Terms of Sale.
Delivery in Corsica Chrono 18 - 22.80€/Package
This price is to be added to the transport price for any package in Chrono 18 to Corsica.
Delivery in Corsica - 25.80€/Package
This price is to be added to the price of transport for any package to Corsica.
Saturday delivery - 6.20€/Shipping
This price is to be added to the transport price for any shipment subject to a subscription to the "Saturday delivery" option.
Handling - 6.20€/Package
This surcharge applies in the event of taking charge of packages requiring manual handling as defined in the conditions defined in article 2.2 of the General Terms of Sale
Return Sender - 9.20€/ Package
This surcharge applies for any package giving rise to a return sender for any reason whatsoever.
Customs surcharge GB - 5.20€/Shipping
This surcharge applies to Classic shipments to zone 2 countries outside the European Union.
GB Express Merchandise Surcharge - 5.20€ Shipping
This surcharge applies to Express shipments to non-European Union countries in Zone 2.
Additional after-sales service processing - 16.20€/Shipping
This applies to all shipments blocked in France or at destination requiring processing to bring the invoice back into conformity or any other document required for customs clearance that is missing or incorrect. (Applicable only for Express methods & GB)
Chrono Classic international remote area - 9.20€/Package
This price is to be added to the transport price for any Chrono Classic package to a remote international area.
Chrono Express international remote area - 17.20€/Package
This price is to be added to the transport price for any Chrono Express package to an international remote zone.
Chrono Relais Europe remote international area - 9.20€/Package
This price is to be added to the transport price for any Chrono Relais Europe package to a remote international zone.
Difficult to access areas in France - 5.20€/Package
This price is to be added to the price of transport for any package to a difficult-to-access area. See information on Difficult to Access Areas.
Customs clearance services
Price of customs clearance services, in the event that customs formalities are carried out, is applicable in addition to the applicable duties and taxes. They will be invoiced according to the tariffs in force depending on the country of destination and the incoterm.
- 21.20€ including VAT per customs declaration in Metropolitan France
- 21.20€ including VAT per customs declaration in the DOM
- 29.20€ including VAT for customs declarations in the DOM with a declared value strictly above €1,000
From the DOM to all destinations, including metropolitan France; from all origins, including metropolitan France to the DOM; from metropolitan France to a country outside the European Union, customs clearance fees may apply (VAT, customs duties, sea grants, other taxes, customs clearance services).
Customs clearance for Norway
For shipments to Norway, Chronopost requires a PID number (an 11-character personal identification number) for customs clearance. This number is mandatory and must be included on the invoice, regardless of the shipment’s value. If the PID is missing, the package will be returned to the sender, and additional fees will be applied.
Customs surcharge for Zone C2 - 5.40€/Package
This surcharge applies to parcels shipped to the United Kingdom.
Customs surcharge for Zone C4 - 20.20€/Package
This surcharge applies to all the countries in this list.
Fuel Surcharge
This surcharge is based on the Comité National Routier's index. The fuel surcharge vary per month. The relevant fuel surcharge percentage will be updated monthly in the Sendcloud panel. You can see it in the summary of an order, before creating the label. More general information about this surcharge here: Fuel surcharges.
Return to sender (international) - 20.20€ to 45.20€/Package
This surcharge applies for any package giving rise to a return sender for any reason whatsoever, when the package has been shipped to an international zone. The amount of the surcharge depends on the shipping methods:
- Chrono Express, Chrono 10, Chrono 13, Chrono Relais, Chrono Relais Europe: 45.20€/package
- Chrono Classic: 20.20€/Package
Chronopost 2Shop Retour/Europe/Retour Europe
Incomplete information - 1.10 €/Package
This surcharge applies if the mandatory information (recipient's phone number and/or email address) are missing or if the communication of the said information prevents the carrier from finding the recipient address.
Address correction - 6.20 €/Package
This surcharge applies in case of additional operational treatment of address correction following incorrect information transmitted by the sender.
Non-Standard - 50.20 €/Package
This surcharge applies in the event of taking charge of bulky, cumbersome packages that do not comply with the conditions of admission of standard packages as defined in Article 2.1 of the General Terms of Sale.
Delivery in Corsica- 5.20€/Package
This price is to be added to the shipping costs for any package to Corsica.
Handling - 6.20 €/Package
This surcharge applies to packages requiring manual handling as defined in the conditions defined in article 2.2 of the General Terms of Sale
Return to sender - 8.20 €/Package
This surcharge applies to any package returned to the send for any reason. The parcel is kept in a Pudo service point for 7 days (including the days of drop-off and pick-up, as well as weekends).
Difficult to access areas in France - 5.20€/Package
This price is to be added to the price of transport for any package to a difficult to access area. See information on Difficult to Access Areas.
Empty collection - 7.20€/Package
Non standard label - 2.20€/Package
Fuel surcharge
2Shop Methods are subject to a fuel surcharge. This surcharge is based on the Comité National Routier's index. The fuel surcharge vary per month. The relevant fuel surcharge percentage will be updated monthly in the Sendcloud panel. You can see it in the summary of an order, before creating the label.
Volumetric weight
Chronopost reserves the right to invoice any parcel by volumetric weight (L x W x H / 5000 = Volumetric weight). This does not apply to parcels shipped with Chronopost Shop2Shop and Chronopost 2Shop.
Read our dedicated article here to learn more about how to calculate volumetric weight.
Billing of Surcharges for Exceeding Weight Limits
When the actual or volumetric weight of a parcel exceeds the limit allowed by the selected shipping method, the carrier applies additional charges.
How do French carriers apply these surcharges?
-
Initial label billing
- When a user creates a shipping label, the rate is based on the selected weight range.
- Example: Method X 0-1 kg for a 0.5 kg parcel.
-
Carrier weight verification
- Upon pickup, the carrier weighs the parcel or applies volumetric weight calculation (L x W x H / 5000).
-
Billing adjustment if the weight is higher
- If the actual or volumetric weight exceeds the selected range, an additional charge is applied.
- Example: If the parcel weighs 1.5 kg (or if its volumetric weight is 1.5 kg), the billing is adjusted to the next weight bracket (Method X 1-2 kg).
- Impact on fuel surcharge
-
- In some cases, the recalculated weight also affects the fuel surcharge, which is adjusted accordingly.
Why do users see two charges?
This process may appear as a double charge, but it consists of two separate steps:
✅ First charge: Based on the declared weight when creating the shipping label.
✅ Second charge: Adjustment based on the actual or volumetric weight of the parcel.
The carrier does not charge twice for the same label but applies a correction to reflect the final weight.
Package content restrictions
In general, the following cannot be covered:
- All goods covered by national and international regulations on dangerous products such as, ammunition, gases, flammable, radioactive, toxic, infectious or corrosive materials, as well as all objects which, due to their nature or packaging, may present a danger to driving or handling personnel, to the environment, to the safety of the transport vehicles, or to damage other packages being transported, vehicles or third parties;
- Jewelry, watches, precious stones and metals, coins, currencies, banknotes, securities, or means of payment, debt securities or bills of exchange, gift vouchers, telephone cards or equivalents, as well as in general any paper document or other medium allowing to make a fungible payment and/or subject to the legality of the transport of funds;
- Alive or dead animals or beings, plants, temperature-controlled goods or perishable goods;
- Firearms, loaded or unloaded weapons, narcotics, psychotropic drugs, works of art, antiques, publications or audiovisual materials prohibited by any applicable law or regulation;
- Pre-qualification files for the awarding of contracts and examination papers,
For international shipment, the above restrictions apply, as well as furs and items that are not allowed to be imported into the country of destination.
More information on securing your shipments here (in French).
Please read the shipping conditions carefully to avoid the additional charges listed above. Make sure that you respect the allowed dimensions and that the packaging meets the criteria.