Swiss customs clearance, step by step

What "customs clearance" actually means

Clearance is three things bundled together: declaring what's in the parcel, assessing the tax on it, and collecting that tax. Four parties touch the process:

• The seller attaches the customs paperwork — the invoice or declaration stating what's inside and what it cost.
• The carrier (Swiss Post or a courier) files the electronic declaration, advances the tax, and bills you.
• BAZG, the federal customs office, assesses the charges. It never bills consumers directly for a normal parcel.
• You pay the bill — usually without lifting a finger before delivery.

The part nobody explains: there is no single "customs charge". Your bill is tax (VAT, goes to the state) plus a service fee (goes to the carrier for doing the clearance). On typical orders the fee is the bigger, more annoying half — it has its own pages for Swiss Post and DHL, UPS & FedEx.

The five steps every parcel goes through

1. The seller attaches the paperwork. A commercial invoice or the postal CN22/CN23 declaration states the contents and value. Most clearance problems are born here — a missing or vague invoice means delays and clarification fees later.
2. The parcel crosses the border and is declared. The carrier lodges an electronic import declaration with BAZG on your behalf. You file nothing and sign nothing.
3. BAZG assesses the charges. Import VAT — 8.1% standard, 2.6% reduced — is calculated on the goods plus shipping, plus any duty. If the resulting tax is CHF 5 or less, it isn't collected and the parcel is released with nothing to pay. That's the famous line at roughly CHF 62 of standard-rate goods including shipping (about CHF 193 at the reduced rate).
4. The carrier advances the money — and adds its fee. Swiss Post charges CHF 13 (EU) or CHF 16 (elsewhere) plus 3% of value, capped at CHF 70, plus 8.1% VAT on the fee itself. Express couriers charge their own disbursement fees with minimums around CHF 22–27.
5. Delivery and the bill. You pay at the door, in the Post-App, at the counter — couriers often invoice after delivery. The assessment decision that comes with it is your proof of tax paid. Keep it: you need it for any refund, for example when you return the goods.

What clearance costs in 2026

The whole system pivots on the CHF 5 rule: tax of CHF 5 or less isn't collected, and where there's no tax to collect, there's no clearance fee either. That's why the difference between a CHF 60 and a CHF 70 order can be almost CHF 25 at the door. Run your own numbers in the calculator — it applies exactly these rates and fees.

Who clears your parcel — three scenarios

• Platform order (Temu, Shein, AliExpress, Amazon). Since 1 January 2025, large platforms are treated as the seller for Swiss VAT: they charge it in your basket and clear customs under their own registration. The parcel arrives with nothing to pay — details in the platform guide.
• Postal parcel. Swiss Post clears it automatically and bills tax plus its fee. This is the default for everything sent by foreign postal services.
• Express courier (DHL, UPS, FedEx). The courier's own brokers clear it — usually faster, but with higher minimum fees, compared on the courier page.

Can you do the clearance yourself?

For a parcel addressed to your home: realistically, no. The carrier declares it in its own system before you ever see it, and there's no consumer opt-out. The one genuine do-it-yourself route is the border pickup: ship to a German parcel shop, collect it in person, and self-declare in the official QuickZoll app when you cross. Within the CHF 150 per person travel allowance you pay nothing; above it you pay 8.1% VAT — but zero clearance fee, which on small orders is the bigger half of the bill. The full walkthrough is in the Germany guide.

When something goes wrong

• Charged twice? If the shop already charged Swiss VAT at checkout and a carrier bills you again, the platform refunds the double charge — keep the order confirmation showing the VAT line.
• "Value clarification" request? The declared value was missing or implausible, so Swiss Post asks you for the invoice. Answer fast — storage fees start accruing after a few days.
• Parcel stuck "at customs"? Contact the carrier, not BAZG — the carrier is holding it and knows what's missing. More than a week of silence is nearly always a paperwork question waiting for you.
• Returning the goods? Import VAT can be refunded when goods verifiably leave Switzerland again. You'll need the assessment decision and proof of re-export — ask the carrier for its returns procedure before you ship.

The official side: BAZG links

This site is an independent calculator and guide, not the customs authority. For the official rules, forms and contact points, go straight to the source: the BAZG page on online purchases and mail consignments and the plain-language overview on ch.ch. Questions about a specific parcel, though, belong to the carrier that's holding it — BAZG doesn't track individual consumer shipments.

Frequently asked — customs clearance