French word

douane

Pronunciation

IPA/dwan/

Meaning

  • feminine nouncustoms

Example

J'ai déclaré mes achats à la douane.

I declared my purchases at customs.

Illustration for douane (customs)

More examples

La douane a contrôlé mes valises.

Customs inspected my suitcases.

Core concept

A border authority and its procedures for declaring and examining people and goods.

Common phrases

  • passer la douane

    pass through customs

  • déclarer à la douane

    declare at customs

  • droits de douane

    customs duties

Similar words

formalités douanières: The procedures for declaring imports and submitting required documents.
douanier: A customs officer who checks declarations and conducts inspections.
bureau de douane: A customs office responsible for inspecting goods and processing declarations.
droit de douane: A tax charged on imported goods.

Definition in French

Ensemble des formalités et contrôles appliqués aux biens et aux personnes au passage des frontières, notamment la déclaration et l'inspection.

Word origin

Douane entered French through Italian dogana, ultimately related to Arabic diwan for an administrative office or register.

Usage tips

  • Droits de douane means customs duties, whereas formalités douanières refers to the customs procedures themselves.

Related words

  • douaniercustoms officernoun

Word lists with this word