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The French EU Customs brochure (mirror) states:

Les bagages personnels sont ceux que le voyageur présente au service des douanes lors de son arrivée. Il s’agit aussi des bagages que le voyageur présente ultérieurement à ce service, sous réserve qu’il justifie qu’ils ont été enregistrés comme bagages, au moment du départ, par la compagnie qui a assuré son transport.

Gtranslation:

Personal luggage is that which the traveler presents to the customs service upon arrival. This also applies to baggage that the traveler subsequently presents to this service, provided that they prove that it was checked in as baggage, at the time of departure, by the company that provided their transport.

What is non-personal luggage in the eyes of EU customs? I thought passengers would present all their luggage to customs, and that subsequently all luggage would be regarded as personal luggage in the eyes of EU customs

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    I suspect this policy is to prevent a traveler sending additional packages separately via international shipper (DHL or something), and trying to claim them later as "personal luggage". However, there is a clause in there so any bags which are delayed in transit can still be claimed as "personal luggage" when they eventually arive.
    – Greg Hewgill
    May 20, 2022 at 1:53
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    That's more-or-less what the definition says but what if the baggage is delayed? That's what the second sentence is about, while still excluding stuff you get shipped to you by other means. What's your question here really? How did you understand the definition and why does it matter? Can you describe a scenario where you would be worried your luggage is not considered personal luggage and why? Or are you just mining customs documentation for potential questions?
    – Relaxed
    May 20, 2022 at 5:54
  • @Relaxed travel.stackexchange.com/questions/173720/…
    – Franck Dernoncourt
    May 20, 2022 at 6:44
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    I suspect that a non personal luggage is one without any traveller attached to it. I.e., goods that cross boundaries in other contexts than travel.
    – mouviciel
    May 20, 2022 at 8:01
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    What makes you think that there is something called non-personal luggage? The section you are quoting only clarifies what exactly is ment with the term 'bagages personnels' as used elsewhere in the brochure and does not try to explain the difference between personal and non-personal luggage.
    – Tor-Einar Jarnbjo
    May 20, 2022 at 11:21

2 Answers 2

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"Personal luggage" does not seem to be defined in EU customs law. Therefore, we may conclude that the dictionary definition applies.

An article shipped separately isn't personal luggage because it's not luggage. Luggage refers to goods accompanying a traveler. Non-personal luggage, we can conclude, is luggage that accompanies a traveler but is for some reason not "personal" to the traveler. This could be, for example, a package transported by a courier on behalf of someone else, or to luggage belonging to a company or other organization that is carried by an officer or an employee of that organization.

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  • It may also apply luggage that recieved from some else during the trip (after checkin) where they ask you to bring it through customs for them. This is a typical scam by smugglers. If you don't know what is inside, you can't declare to customs the 1000 cigarettes that may be inside before customs opens it to check.
    – Mark Johnson
    May 23, 2022 at 11:47
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I'll summarize the answers the question received in the comment section. The non-personal luggage likely refers to luggage/packages shipped separately via international shipper (e.g., DHL).

Comments:

  • I suspect this policy is to prevent a traveler sending additional packages separately via international shipper (DHL or something), and trying to claim them later as "personal luggage". However, there is a clause in there so any bags which are delayed in transit can still be claimed as "personal luggage" when they eventually arrive. Greg Hewgill 2 days ago
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    But a shipment carried by a shipper isn't non-personal luggage; it's a personal shipment. In other words, it's personal non-luggage.
    – phoog
    May 23, 2022 at 9:48
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    @phoog is correct: luggage means something you transport yourself (it comes from the English word "lug", meaning to carry, especially something heavy). If you ship it by courier it is, by definition, not luggage but a shipment. If you carry it with you, it is your luggage. If it is your luggage, it is your personal luggage. If you carry it for someone else, legally it is still your personal luggage (try explaining illicit goods in a suitcase you're carrying by claiming it's not your luggage). I suspect "personal" in this context is unnecessary verbiage; carry it and it's personal.
    – Spratty
    May 23, 2022 at 9:59
  • @phoog thanks, that was my understanding too
    – Franck Dernoncourt
    May 23, 2022 at 11:03

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