Switzerland · Customs & VAT
Swiss Import Duty Calculator
Enter what you paid abroad — see what customs will charge when the parcel reaches Switzerland. One number: import VAT plus the clearance fee.
CHF25.27
Import charges on top of your order.
- Import VAT 8.1% of CHF 98.90 (goods + shipping)
- CHF 8.01
- Swiss Post clearance CHF 13 + 3% of value, incl. VAT on fee
- CHF 17.26
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No customs duty on industrial goods since 2024. Excludes alcohol, tobacco and weight-based food duties.
Three numbers to remember
Duty-free limits · 2026Standard goods stay free below this
Clothes, electronics, and most purchases: VAT of 8.1% is only invoiced once it exceeds CHF 5 — about CHF 62 of goods plus shipping.
Books, food & medicine
Essentials taxed at the reduced 2.6% rate pass the CHF 5 VAT minimum only at about CHF 193 including shipping.
Private gift exemption
Gifts sent person-to-person and marked as such are exempt up to CHF 100 — except alcohol and tobacco.
How Swiss import charges actually work
VAT · duty · clearanceVAT is calculated on everything you paid
Swiss import VAT applies to the product price plus shipping and packaging — not the product alone. Most goods are taxed at 8.1%; books, food, and medicines at 2.6%. If you paid in euros or dollars, customs converts at the official daily rate.
Up to CHF 5 of VAT, nobody bills you
To save administration, VAT amounts of CHF 5 or less are not invoiced. That single rule creates the practical duty-free limits: about CHF 62 for standard goods and about CHF 193 for reduced-rate goods. Cross the line and VAT is due on the full value — a CHF 70 order pays VAT on all CHF 70.
The clearance fee often hurts more than the VAT
Whoever carries your parcel through customs charges for the paperwork. Swiss Post: CHF 13 (EU) or CHF 16 (elsewhere) plus 3% of the value, capped at CHF 70. Express couriers like DHL, UPS, and FedEx set their own fees, often CHF 15–30 or more. The fee is only charged when VAT or duty is actually collected.
Customs duty itself is usually zero
Since 1 January 2024, Switzerland levies no customs duties on industrial products — clothing, electronics, toys, cosmetics, and most consumer goods enter duty-free from any country. Weight-based duties remain mainly for foodstuffs, plants, and agricultural products, plus special taxes on alcohol and tobacco.
CHF 120 sneakers + CHF 15 shipping from a German shop, delivered by Swiss Post. Taxable value CHF 135. VAT: 8.1% × 135 = CHF 10.95 — above CHF 5, so it's billed. Clearance: CHF 13 + 3% × 135 = CHF 17.05, plus 8.1% VAT on the fee ≈ CHF 18.45. Total at your door: about CHF 164 — roughly 22% on top of the shop price.
Already paid VAT at checkout? Then you're done
Platform rule · since 2025Since 1 January 2025, large online platforms are treated as the seller for Swiss VAT. Temu, Shein, AliExpress, Amazon, and many bigger shops now charge Swiss VAT in your basket and handle customs under their own registration — so the parcel arrives with nothing left to pay and no clearance fee. Check your order confirmation for a VAT/MwSt line. If a carrier ever bills you a second time, the platform refunds it. Smaller foreign shops that don't charge Swiss VAT still go through the normal border process — that's what this calculator estimates.
Guides by shop & situation
Updated July 2026- How Swiss customs clearance works The five steps every parcel goes through, what they cost — and who to contact when it’s stuck.
- Ordering from Germany to Switzerland German VAT deduction, the CHF 62 limit, Swiss Post fees — and the border-pickup trick.
- Amazon.de orders to Switzerland Import Fees Deposit, marketplace sellers, and when Amazon handles customs for you.
- Temu & Shein customs fees Why your Temu parcel usually arrives with nothing to pay — and the exceptions.
- AliExpress customs fees Checkout VAT, the CHF 62 rule for small parcels, and what split orders really do.
- Swiss Post clearance fees explained The full fee formula with worked examples — and how to avoid the fee entirely.
- DHL, UPS & FedEx fees What the express couriers charge to clear customs — usually more than Swiss Post.
- Gifts from abroad The CHF 100 exemption, how to declare a gift correctly, and what happens above the limit.
Frequently asked questions
Swiss import basicsHow much can I order from abroad without paying Swiss import VAT?
Swiss customs doesn't collect import VAT when the calculated amount is CHF 5 or less. At the standard 8.1% rate that means orders up to roughly CHF 62 including shipping stay free of VAT. For goods taxed at the reduced 2.6% rate — most books, food, and medicines — the practical limit is roughly CHF 193.
Why is the Swiss duty-free limit CHF 62?
There's no official "CHF 62" in the law. The actual rule: import VAT of CHF 5 or less isn't invoiced. Since CHF 62 × 8.1% ≈ CHF 5, that's where VAT starts being charged. And it's a cliff, not an allowance — above the line, VAT applies to the full value, not just the part above CHF 62.
Do I pay customs duties on top of VAT?
Usually not. Switzerland abolished customs duties on industrial products on 1 January 2024, so clothing, electronics, toys, and most consumer goods enter duty-free regardless of origin. Weight-based duties still apply mainly to foodstuffs and agricultural products. For a normal online order, the real costs are import VAT and the carrier's clearance fee.
Temu, Shein, or AliExpress already charged me VAT at checkout — do I pay again?
Normally no. Since 1 January 2025, large online platforms are treated as the seller for Swiss VAT and must charge it at checkout. Your parcel then clears customs under the platform's registration with no extra VAT or clearance fee at the door. Check your receipt for a Swiss VAT line — and if a carrier ever double-bills you, the platform refunds it.
How much does Swiss Post charge for customs clearance?
A basic fee of CHF 13 for EU parcels, CHF 16 from everywhere else, plus 3% of the goods value, capped at CHF 70 (prices excl. VAT on the fee itself). Crucially, the fee is only charged when there's actually VAT or duty to collect — parcels below the VAT threshold usually pass through free. Full details in our Swiss Post fee guide.
Are gifts from abroad taxed?
Gifts sent by a private person abroad to a private person in Switzerland are exempt up to CHF 100, as long as the parcel is marked as a gift on the customs declaration. Alcohol and tobacco are always excluded. Above CHF 100, the parcel is assessed normally on its full value — see the gift guide.
What do DHL, UPS, and FedEx charge for clearance?
Express couriers set their own clearance and disbursement fees, usually higher than Swiss Post's — commonly CHF 15–30 or more, sometimes billed separately after delivery. If the shop offers a delivered-duty-paid (DDP) option or charges Swiss VAT at checkout, you skip these fees entirely.
Is this an official customs calculator?
No — it's an independent estimate built on the published rates of the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security and Swiss Post, last verified July 2026. The final assessment is always made by customs and your carrier. See how we calculate.