Moving (household effects)

Transfer of domicile to Switzerland is the most important requirement in order to have your household goods and any collections, animals or your car imported into Switzerland duty-free. Further the imported articles must have been used by you personally for at least 6 months and they have to be continued to be used by you after importation.

Students

Household goods, personal effects and students' educational materials can be imported duty-free. This applies even if the domicile is not transferred to Switzerland.

Procedure in the case of importation

At the time of importation, present the completed application form (18.44 household effects) to the customs office of importation.

Form 18.44 household effects (PDF, 276 kB, 19.08.2022)

Immigrants from the EU states (EU-27, 01.02.2020) and from the EFTA states do not have to provide assurance of a residence permit. They provide proof of the transfer of domicile using other means (employment contract, lease, confirmation of notice of departure from the country of departure).

Additional information can be found in the instructions on the application form or in the FAQ. The customs office or the District Directorate of Customs responsible will gladly provide assistance.

Clearance of your household effects must occur during the opening hours of customs offices for merchandise (cf. Contact).

Preliminary examination of household effects

By sending us the relocation dossier in advance, customs clearance is faster when you actually cross the border. To this end, send your relocation dossier to the appropriate customs office at least 2 working days before you plan to cross the border. The dossier consists of the application form and the necessary accompanying documents. When you relocate, you must cross the border via the customs office that processed your dossier beforehand. Only the following customs offices offer this option:

Contact

Opening hours + addresses

Information office for customs regulations

Tel.
+41 58 467 15 15

Contact form

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