Switzerland
Importing a car into Switzerland
Switzerland is not an EU member. Every car arriving from the single market is therefore an import — declared at the border, assessed for duties, and inspected before it gets a plate. The process is manageable, but its order is fixed, and reversing it means waiting.
- Registration authority
- Kantonales Strassenverkehrsamt
- Customs
- Bundesamt für Zoll und Grenzsicherheit (BAZG)
- Technical inspection
- Motorfahrzeugkontrolle (MFK)
- Last reviewed
Where the car comes from decides the effort
From an EU state
From an EU state into Switzerland is always an import, even if the drive takes two hours. The car is declared at the border; without that declaration registration is impossible later, and clearing it retrospectively costs more time than the detour to a staffed crossing.
From a third country
From outside the single market, type approval is added to the question: a car never built for the European market needs an individual assessment, and whether it gets one turns on emissions, lighting and noise figures — not on condition.
The process, in order
The order is not arbitrary. Pull a step forward and you usually end up repeating it.
01Before buying: check the papers
The European certificate of conformity (COC) and the foreign registration document decide whether registration is a form or an expert report. A missing COC is not a deal-breaker, but it is a cost that should be known before the purchase rather than after.
02At the border: declare the import
The declaration happens at a staffed customs post. Purchase contract or invoice, the vehicle document and the importer's ID are presented. Customs issues the assessment decision; it is the document without which nothing proceeds later.
Handled by: BAZG, staffed customs post
03Pay the duties
Customs duty, vehicle tax and import VAT fall due. The rates are set federally and do change; the basis of assessment stays the same and is listed under costs below.
04Prove emissions and noise compliance
For cars with European type approval the COC is normally proof enough. Without it the road-traffic office requires its own test, which costs an appointment and a fee.
05Inspection and registration
The road-traffic office inspects the car and enters it in the register. Only then are plates issued. Third-party insurance must already be in place — the confirmation reaches the office electronically.
Handled by: Cantonal road-traffic office
What gets added
Without amounts, and deliberately so: official rates change, and a stale figure is worse than none. What is here is the basis of assessment — enough to calculate with, once the current rate is known.
- Customs duty
- Assessed on: By the weight of the car, not its value — a heavy estate pays more than an expensive city car.
- Vehicle tax
- Assessed on: A percentage of the vehicle value, levied on import.
- Does not apply: Does not apply to relocation goods under the conditions set for them.
- Import VAT
- Assessed on: On the vehicle value plus customs duty, vehicle tax and transport costs to the border — so the tax is assessed on a sum that already contains the other items.
- Inspection and registration
- Assessed on: Cantonal fees, differing by canton; plus the plates themselves.
- Individual assessment
- Assessed on: Only where no European type approval exists. Where it applies, the largest single item after the duties.
- Does not apply: Not required where a COC exists.
The papers
Miss one of these and the appointment is wasted.
- Purchase contract or invoice showing the price.
- Foreign registration document, or registration certificate parts I and II.
- Certificate of conformity (COC), where one exists.
- Customs assessment decision (form 13.20A).
- Proof of third-party insurance.
Where the sum tips
- The unstaffed crossing. Driving over an unstaffed border at night or on a weekend means no declaration — and clearing it afterwards is exactly the detour that was being avoided.
- Import VAT on the total. It is assessed not on the purchase price but on purchase price plus duty, plus vehicle tax, plus transport. Anyone calculating on the purchase price alone underestimates it.
- The car without a COC. The price advantage of an overseas import regularly dissolves entirely in the individual assessment.
- The deadline. There is a period between import and registration; miss it and the car is no longer legally on Swiss roads.
How long it takes
As an order of magnitude: clearance in a day, an appointment at the road-traffic office in one to four weeks depending on canton and season. With an individual assessment, rather two to three months.
The technical inspection
Motorfahrzeugkontrolle (MFK)
Every imported car is presented for inspection, however recent the foreign test may be. A valid German roadworthiness test does not replace the MFK.
Common questions
Is importing into Switzerland worth it at all?
Sometimes — but never on the advertised price alone. The sum works when the price gap is larger than duty, vehicle tax, import VAT, transport and registration combined. For young models in demand in Switzerland that is rare; for older cars with large engines it is more common.
Can I drive into Switzerland on the foreign plates?
For the transfer yes, using the exporting country's temporary or export plates and with valid insurance. Permanently no: anyone resident in Switzerland must register the car here.
What about VAT in the country of sale?
Buying from a dealer with proof of export, the local VAT is normally not charged or is refunded — Swiss import VAT applies instead. In a private purchase there is nothing to refund, because no VAT is shown in the price.
This overview is not a substitute for information from the competent authority. Rates, fees and deadlines change; the office that registers the car is always the binding source.