Customs clearance fees
Overview of customs duties and fees for import parcels

Duties and fees are incurred for importing goods into Switzerland. Find an overview here of the service fees which are incurred in addition to any customs and VAT costs when importing consignments.

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Video: Import costs

Customs clearance fees
What do customs, VAT, customs clearance and value-added tax cost?

Swiss Post customs clearance includes import clearance of small goods, goods and EMS consignments arriving in Switzerland by mail or via the GLS or Hermes Europe networks. We take care of the customs formalities for you and offer appropriate value-added services.

Country of origin	Basic customs clearance fee
EU countries zone: countries in the European Union and their overseas territories	13.00
Rest of world zone: other countries	16.00
All prices in CHF, excl. VAT	-

We also charge

A goods value supplement of 3%
VAT on the basis of the value of the goods

The maximum price for customs clearance is CHF 70.00

Value-added services	Price
Inspection, value clarification and storage	20.00 ¹
Customs clearance of consignments that are subject to an order not prescribed by customs law	13.00
Import customs clearance preliminary agreement	13.00
Customs clearance of additional customs tariff numbers (ZTN) (> 5 ZTN; surcharge for each additional ZTN)	10.00
Transit clearance	50.00
Transshipment clearance	80.00
Special clearance (ATA Carnet etc.)	25.00
Registration of precious metals control (EMK)	50.00
Provision of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species	50.00
Provision of border veterinary examination (GTU)	50.00
Provision of plant protection	50.00

¹ This fee is not applicable for response times of up to three working days.

All prices in CHF, excl. VAT

The services are part of the basis for assessing the import tax (VAT) levied by the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (FOCBS). A calculation example can be found on the FOCBS website in the right-hand column.

The GLS incoterms govern the payment method between the sender and recipient for customs clearance and state levies (duty, VAT). With Incoterm 20, these costs are incurred by the importer. The sender always pays the transport costs.

Service	Price
Basic price for EU countries customs clearance (incl. overseas territories)¹	13.00
Basic price for rest of world customs clearance¹	16.00
Maximum customs clearance price	70.00
Import customs clearance preliminary agreement	13.00
Non-customs legislation/authorization	13.00
Notification	13.00
Customs[¹]/VAT charges	Depends on parcel contents

All prices in CHF excl. VAT, 3% surcharge on the value of goods

¹ ↑This customs clearance is conducted in Switzerland and is subject to VAT in accordance with VAT law 641.20 Art. 52 paragraph a.

The GLS incoterms govern the payment method between the sender and recipient for customs clearance and state levies (duty, VAT). With Incoterms 30 and 40, the exporter and importer share these costs. The sender always pays the transport costs.

Service	Price
Import administration¹ (administrative activities, telephone, shipping costs, papers, etc.)	18.00 per consignment
Customs¹/VAT charges	Depends on parcel contents

¹ ↑ This customs clearance is conducted in Switzerland and is subject to VAT in accordance with VAT law 641.20 Art. 52 paragraph a.

The GLS incoterms govern the payment method between the sender and recipient for customs clearance and state levies (duty, VAT). The sender always pays the transport costs.

Service	Price
General processing fee	25.00 per event
Transit costs for self customs clearance: Delivery of parcels with duty unpaid to a Swiss customs office and creation of the accompanying slip or any follow-up costs for any non-erased accompanying slip	50.00 per consignement
Reminders and tax receipts from second dunning level	30.00 pro Mahnung
Additional customs tariff number	For a consignment with more than five customs positions, 10.00 per additional position
Customs correction requests	CHF 40.00 per transfer
Customs clearance of consignments that are subject to an order not prescribed by customs law or an additional levy.¹	13.00
Inspection, value clarification and storage	20.00

All prices in CHF, excl. VAT

For questions on import customs clearance, visit our page “FAQ on imports/customs” page. Please send queries using our contact form.

Questions générales au sujet du dédouanement à l’importation

Swiss Post charges service fees for its customs clearance. These are made up as follows:

Consignments from countries in the European Union (EU) and their overseas territories: 13.00 francs for the customs clearance service + 3% goods value supplement
Consignments from other countries: 16.00 francs for the customs clearance service + 3% goods value supplement

Contact Swiss Post’s International Customer Service.

By phone: +41 848 48 48 47

Please note the deadlines for objections (under article 34 or 116 of the Customs Act) set by the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (FOCBS).

For change of procedure, address corrections or correction of customs duties (including customs tariff numbers / declaration of origin): 60 days from the issue date of the tax assessment decision
For incorrectly charged import taxes (e.g. value of goods / VAT rate): five years from the end of the calendar year in which the tax assessment decision was issued

Appeals outside of these deadlines cannot be dealt with (case will not be considered).

You can find more information on the FOCBS website.

Your contact options
How to contact us

Postal Customs Clearance (letters and parcels)

CHF 0.08/min. from landline phones within Switzerland

Monday to Friday
8 a.m.–5.30 p.m.
Please call +41 848 48 48 47 or write to us

Contact form

GLS (parcels)

CHF 0.08/min. from landline phones within Switzerland

Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. - 12 noon, 1.30 p.m. - 5.30 p.m.
Please call +41 848 48 48 47 or write to us

infogls@swisspost.ch

Our address

Post CH Ltd
Customer Service International
Peter Merian-Strasse 80
4002 Basel

Customs clearance fees Overview of customs duties and fees for import parcels

Rich Content Section

Video: Import costs

Customs clearance fees What do customs, VAT, customs clearance and value-added tax cost?

Prices for small goods, goods (Swiss Post, Swiss Post GLS and Hermes) and EMS import

Prices of value-added services

GLS import parcel prices based on Incoterm 20

GLS import parcel prices based on Incoterm 30/40

Surcharges and fees for all Incoterms

Questions générales au sujet du dédouanement à l’importation

What are the service charges for import customs clearance

On what information is an import declaration based?

I do not agree with the cost of the customs clearance. What can I do?