9Importing a car from Italy to Switzerland: costs, process, papers
The calculator is set up for cars from Italy: enter the price and the estimate until Swiss plates appears — with source and date.
Your details
For a dealer who can show VAT, the gross price.
Only needed if no rate is on file for the country.
Month and year, e.g. 03/2025.
The calculation
Estimate until registration in Switzerland
roughly CHF 22’200–28’200
about 23.800–30.300 €
Estimate of 24 Oct 2026 · Rate: 1 EUR = CHF 0.9309 (ECB reference rate of 7 Oct 2026) (stored) · European Central Bank — euro reference rates. Customs uses its own daily rate.
Where the values come from: official ratetypical value, as a range
- Purchase price without foreign VAT
- CHF 19’07620.492 €
- official rate: Foreign VAT that stays with you22 %
- CHF 0–4’1970–4.508 €
- typical value, as a range: Transport to the destination
- CHF 500–1’000537–1.074 €
- official rate: Customs duty
- CHF 00 €
- official rate: Vehicle tax (Automobilsteuer)4 %
- CHF 783–971841–1.043 €
- official rate: Import VAT8.1 %
- CHF 1’649–2’0451.771–2.196 €
- official rate: Test report form 13.20 A
- CHF 2021 €
- typical value, as a range: Customs agent
- CHF 50–20054–215 €
- typical value, as a range: MFK inspection and preparation
- CHF 60–40064–430 €
- typical value, as a range: Registration and plates
- CHF 100–250107–269 €
Three examples from Italy
Worked out with the same calculator as above, without first registration or mileage. Every cell is a range for everything together, purchase price included: from the cheapest route (drive yourself, declare yourself) to the dearest (transporter, customs agent), distance 300–700 km.
15.000 €Advertised price (gross)
- Dealer showing VAT: sold net for export, without the 22 %
- CHF 13’300–14’900
- Private or margin scheme
- CHF 16’100–17’700
30.000 €Advertised price (gross)
- Dealer showing VAT: sold net for export, without the 22 %
- CHF 26’100–27’800
- Private or margin scheme
- CHF 31’800–33’400
60.000 €Advertised price (gross)
- Dealer showing VAT: sold net for export, without the 22 %
- CHF 51’900–53’500
- Private or margin scheme
- CHF 63’200–64’800
Estimate of 24 Oct 2026. Rate: 1 EUR = CHF 0.9309 (ECB reference rate of 7 Oct 2026) (stored). Not included: CO₂ sanction, insurance, vignette and cantonal tax. Not a quote.
The latest cars from across Europe
9
8
9Porsche Cayenne
3.0 V6 Diesel Tiptronic S
01/2013 · 85.000 km · Petrol · 300 hp · Automatic
23.000 €
CorkIE
Exporting from Italy: what matters
VAT on export
With a dealer who can show VAT, a sale for export is VAT-free once the export is proven: it is declared electronically in Italy, and the exit endorsement at a staffed crossing is the proof. Some dealers then sell net against a deposit, others charge gross and refund after proof, some not at all — the money comes from the dealer, not from the state. In a private sale or under the margin scheme there is nothing to refund. Swiss import VAT is due in every case.
Standard rate in Italy: 22 % · European Commission — VAT rates of the member states · read on 8 Oct 2026
The purchase contract should state: export to Switzerland, who declares the export, which amount is refunded or released, within what period and to which account.
Deregistration and plates
In Italy registration and ownership sit in two registers: the Motorizzazione Civile handles registration, the PRA — run by the ACI — ownership. Who deregisters the car and when the papers change hands belongs in the purchase contract.
A deregistered car needs the selling country's temporary or export plates with valid insurance for the trip — otherwise only a transporter or trailer remains. The insurance confirmation lists the countries it covers; Switzerland has to be among them.
Typical pitfalls
- Papers with the lender. If the car is financed, the papers may be held by the bank. Settle that before the transfer, not after.
- The recent revisione. A valid Italian test does not replace the Swiss MFK.
- The unstaffed customs post. Crossing an unstaffed border in the evening or at the weekend means no declaration and no exit endorsement — without the endorsement no refund of the foreign VAT, without the declaration no test report 13.20 A for the road-traffic office.
- The flat mark-up. Import VAT is charged on the price plus transport plus vehicle tax, not on the price alone. Anyone using a mark-up instead of working line by line underestimates exactly this item.
- The missing COC. Without a certificate of conformity the MFK needs a data sheet or expert report — typically CHF 100–300, not in the sum. Ask for a photo of the COC before viewing the car.
What to watch
- Without a first registration date the CO₂ rule cannot be applied. A car first registered abroad less than six months ago (or less than twelve months ago with under 5,000 km) falls under the CO₂ rules.
- The exchange rate is from 7 Oct 2026 — today's may differ.
- Refunds only follow proof of export: the electronic export declaration with exit endorsement. Put in the contract who declares the export and by when the refund is paid.
- Without a COC (certificate of conformity) a data sheet or expert report is needed: typical range CHF 100–300, not in the sum.
The papers you need
- COC or eCOC (certificate of conformity)
- Registration document, or registration certificate parts I and II
- Purchase contract
- Invoice — from a dealer with VAT shown, or as a VAT-free export supply
- Export declaration with exit endorsement — the proof for refunding the foreign VAT
- Test report form 13.20 A — issued by the customs office
- CO₂ certificate from ASTRA (if the car is covered)
- Proof of Swiss third-party insurance
- ID and proof of residence for the road-traffic office
Not in the sum
- Cantonal motor vehicle tax (annual)
- Insurance premium
- Motorway vignette
- Repairs or adjustments the MFK requires
- Data sheet or expert report if the COC is missing
- Any CO₂ sanction
- Differences from the customs daily rate
- Fees for paying abroad
- A deposit the dealer holds until proof of export
The process
1. Buy
Settle before signing: is VAT shown on the invoice, does the dealer sell net for export or refund after proof? Are the COC and registration papers there? The contract should state the price, the VAT case, the refund deadline and who declares the export.
2. Export and VAT
In the country of sale the export is declared electronically. The exit endorsement at the border is the proof against which a dealer refunds the tax or releases a deposit. Without it, the tax stays with the buyer.
3. Transport
Drive it yourself on export or transfer plates with insurance, or use a car transporter. For the Swiss taxes, costs up to the destination in Switzerland count towards the basis.
4. Swiss customs declaration
Declare the import yourself at a staffed customs post, or a customs agent files it electronically with the BAZG. Vehicle tax and import VAT fall due; there has been no customs duty on cars since 2024. Customs issues test report form 13.20 A — without it the road-traffic office will not accept the car.
5. MFK inspection
The cantonal road-traffic office inspects the car, however recent the foreign test. With a COC this is one appointment; without one, a data sheet or expert report is needed. If the car falls under the CO₂ rules, the ASTRA CO₂ certificate comes first.
6. Registration
The insurer sends proof of insurance to the office electronically. After that you get the registration document and plates.
Frequently asked questions
What does it cost to import a car from Italy into Switzerland?
On top of the purchase price come vehicle tax on the car's value and transport, import VAT on value, transport and vehicle tax, the transport itself, the customs test report, the MFK inspection and registration. There has been no customs duty since 1 January 2024. For a car a dealer advertises at EUR 30,000 including 22 % VAT and sells net for export, the calculator estimates roughly CHF 26’100–27’800 in total until Swiss plates on 24 Oct 2026, including the purchase price net of that VAT — a range, not a quote.
Do I get the VAT paid in Italy back?
Only from a dealer who shows the tax, and only with proof of export: the sale for export is then VAT-free, and the dealer sells net or refunds after proof — if willing to. In a private sale or under the margin scheme there is nothing to refund. Swiss import VAT is due anyway. The standard rate in Italy is 22 % (read on 8 Oct 2026).
Which plates do I need to drive the car from Italy to Switzerland?
A deregistered car needs the selling country's temporary or export plates with valid insurance for the trip — otherwise only a transporter or trailer remains. The insurance confirmation lists the countries it covers; Switzerland has to be among them.
What if a car from Italy has no COC?
Then the road-traffic office needs a data sheet or expert report for the MFK instead of the COC figures. As a typical value that costs CHF 100–300; it is not in the calculator's sum. Ask about the COC before viewing the car and have a photo sent.
Not organising the import alone
Settling the VAT with the seller, arranging transport and a customs agent, preparing the MFK: import assistance works through it with you. Price after clarification — you get a quote before anything costs money.