{"id":102,"date":"2026-10-15T14:38:38","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T12:38:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.spedimar.ch\/news\/?p=102"},"modified":"2026-10-15T14:38:39","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T12:38:39","slug":"swiss-customs-declaration-how-it-works","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spedimar.ch\/news\/en\/swiss-customs-declaration-how-it-works\/","title":{"rendered":"Swiss Customs Declaration: What You Need and How It Works"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every company that imports goods into or exports goods from Switzerland has to deal with the <strong>customs declaration<\/strong>. It is a mandatory step, regulated by the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (FOCBS), which determines duties, import VAT and the compliance of the shipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Getting the customs declaration wrong often means goods held at the border, penalties and unexpected costs. In this guide we explain what it is, which documents you need and how the procedure works, drawing on the hands-on experience of a team that handles customs clearance at the Chiasso border every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is a customs declaration?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The customs declaration is the official document through which a company informs the Swiss customs authorities of the nature, origin, value and destination of goods crossing the border. It is the basis on which <strong>customs duties<\/strong>, <strong>import VAT<\/strong> and any monopoly charges are calculated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Switzerland the declaration is submitted through the electronic system <strong>eDec Import<\/strong> (for imports) and <strong>eDec Export<\/strong> (for exports), operated directly by the FOCBS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Documents required for the customs declaration<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To prepare a correct customs declaration you need the following documents:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Commercial invoice<\/strong> with a detailed description of the goods, value, currency and Incoterms<\/li><li><strong>Packing list<\/strong> (list of packages with gross and net weight)<\/li><li><strong>Transport document<\/strong> (CMR for road transport, bill of lading for sea freight, AWB for air freight)<\/li><li><strong>Certificate of origin<\/strong> (EUR.1, ATR, non-preferential certificate of origin)<\/li><li>The correct <strong>customs tariff code (HS code)<\/strong> for each item<\/li><li><strong>Special licences or permits<\/strong> for restricted goods (food, pharmaceuticals, ADR, labelled textile products)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A common mistake is the <strong>incorrect customs classification<\/strong> of the HS code: it changes the applicable duty and can lead to disputes even years later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How the procedure works in practice<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The operational workflow of an import customs declaration in Switzerland involves four stages:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Receipt of documents<\/strong> from the supplier or carrier<\/li><li><strong>Checking and classification<\/strong> of the goods (HS code, origin, value, customs procedure)<\/li><li><strong>Preparation and submission<\/strong> of the declaration via eDec<\/li><li><strong>Release of the goods<\/strong> after payment of duties and VAT<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If the documents are complete and correct, a standard declaration is processed within a few hours. In the event of a physical or documentary inspection, this can extend to 1-2 working days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How much does a customs declaration cost?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Costs fall into two categories:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Direct costs<\/strong>: customs duties (depending on the goods and their origin), import VAT (8.1% standard rate, 2.6% reduced rate), statistical fees<\/li><li><strong>Service costs<\/strong>: the fee the freight forwarder charges for handling the customs formalities<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Working with an experienced customs broker means avoiding far higher hidden costs: miscalculated duties, goods held at the border, administrative penalties and lost preferential treatment due to incomplete certificates of origin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why it pays to entrust your customs declaration to a forwarder<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Handling customs formalities in-house requires ongoing training, access to FOCBS systems, knowledge of international agreements (EU, EFTA, preferential agreements) and constant monitoring of regulatory changes. For most companies importing into and exporting from Switzerland, <strong>working with a certified customs broker is the most efficient choice<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Spedimar SAGL has operated at the Chiasso border, one of the main customs crossings between Switzerland and Italy, since 1993. Every day we handle eDec customs declarations, certificates of origin, T1\/T2 and T-CH transit procedures, and formalities for special goods (ADR, food, textiles).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Do you have a shipment to clear through Swiss customs?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Contact us for a <strong>free, no-obligation quote<\/strong>. Our customs team in Chiasso supports you from document preparation right through to the release of your goods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udc49 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spedimar.ch\/en\/contact_us\"><strong>Request a quote<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udcde +41 91 682 95 79 \ud83d\udce7 <a href=\"mailto:info@spedimar.ch\">info@spedimar.ch<\/a><\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Swiss customs declaration explained: required documents, the eDec procedure, duties and import VAT, with practical advice from our customs team in Chiasso.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[72],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spedimar.ch\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spedimar.ch\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spedimar.ch\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spedimar.ch\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spedimar.ch\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=102"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.spedimar.ch\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":103,"href":"https:\/\/www.spedimar.ch\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102\/revisions\/103"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spedimar.ch\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spedimar.ch\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spedimar.ch\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spedimar.ch\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}