Swiss car customs
Importing a car to Switzerland incurs several taxes and levies. We explain what costs arise, what you can reclaim – and handle the entire customs clearance process for you.
Which taxes apply when importing a car?
When importing a passenger vehicle to Switzerland on a standard basis, three main charges apply: 1. Automobile tax (4%): This tax is levied on the vehicle value and payable directly to Swiss customs. 2. Swiss VAT (8.1%): VAT applies to the total value of the vehicle including transport costs. 3. CO₂ levy: For new vehicles a CO₂ levy may apply, depending on the vehicle's CO₂ emissions. We explore every option to reduce this. If the vehicle meets the conditions for personal moving goods (e.g. when relocating to Switzerland), the import may be duty-free under certain conditions.
Reclaiming foreign VAT
When you buy a car from a VAT-registered dealer in another EU country, you initially pay the local VAT (which varies by country, typically between 17% and 27%). After exporting the vehicle from the source country, you can reclaim this tax in full from the foreign dealer. To do this, you need a correct export declaration. We handle the entire export customs clearance – including all documents needed for the VAT reclaim – for vehicles from Germany, Benelux, France, Austria, Spain and other European countries.
Required documents
For Swiss import customs clearance we need the following documents: • Purchase contract or invoice • CoC (Certificate of Conformity) • Certificate of origin • Export declaration from the country of origin We obtain all necessary documents from your seller and handle both the export and import customs clearance in full. Processing time for customs documents is normally 1 to 2 working days.
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