Customs Advice

The importation of certain products into a country is restricted in order to protect the economy and safety of its citizens. The restrictions may be imposed by Customs or by any other agency which has regulatory authority.

We provide a shipping service only and Customs at the parcel's destination will determine whether any charges are payable on your package. All duties, taxes and/or quarantine fees applied are at the discretion of local customs or governmental organisations and are out of our control.

If the addressee refuses to pay duties/taxes, the parcel may be held, returned (if allowed by Customs) or destroyed, and additional costs may be incurred. As per Terms and Conditions, those charges will be billed to the sender.

Please note, no shipping costs are recoverable for parcels held or destroyed, even if shipping protection cover has been purchased.

Majority of parcels can be delivered door to door, once it has cleared customs at destination. However, some countries have a door to airport service only. In those countries, the recipients may have to present themselves to either Customs or the local courier's office to take possession of their consignment.

We advise you to verify independently, all Customs, Governmental and Quarantine regulations. These rules can and do frequently change without prior notice or recourse.

World Customs Organisation

http://www.wcoomd.org/en/about-us/wco-members/customs-websites.aspx

Economic Operator Registration and Identification (EORI)

It is now a requirement that all exporters sending freight outside of the E.U must have an EORI number if they are VAT registered.

If you have any queries regarding the EORI application process then please visit the HMRC website.

Documents Needed

After you have paid for a shipping service to Switzerland, you will be redirected to a page where you can download and print out the relevant shipping labels, i.e

AWB (Courier Air Waybills - barcode) - Proforma or Commercial invoice - Address label.

The above documents are standard for any international shipment.

Please note, if additional documentation is required for the import of any particular item, it is the customer's responsibility to provide them at destination.

Restrictions

Goods travelling by 'Cargo' are subject to different restrictions to those travelling as carry-on luggage.

A shipment to Switzerland is deemed unacceptable if: it is classified as hazardous material, dangerous goods, prohibited or restricted articles by IATA (International Air Transport Association), ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) or other relevant organisation. Many items which appear harmless in everyday use can pose danger on air transport and are consequently forbidden for transport.

The following page displays a sampling of common prohibited and restricted goods.

http://www.rapidparcel.com/help/prohibited-items.php

Packing Advice

Your parcel must be boxed and well packaged. This will reduce the risk of damage to any item during transit or any associated automated distribution process.

Please be aware the item is not taken by hand from collection to destination and will visit many sorted facilities on its journey. For that reason, you need to protect the items to ensure they make it from A to B safely.

The following packaging guidelines are recommendations to assist you in packaging your shipment:

http://www.rapidparcel.com/help/packing-advice.php

Shipment Protection

When you book a shipping service to Switzerland, you will be able to choose an appropriate level of cover for your shipment. We offer enhanced parcel protection for up to £2000 for a small additional fee.

If you do not purchase enhanced Shipment Protection, your shipment will be only covered to a maximum value of £50 as per the limited liability set out in our Terms & Conditions and subject to your parcel passing minimum packaging requirements.

Please note that the declared value for customs purposes is not related to the declared value selected for Shipment Protection. We encourage all customers to purchase shipment protection cover for loss or damage.

National Holidays

• 01/01/2024 - Neujahrstag (new year's day)
• 02/01/2024 - Berchtold's day
• 06/01/2024 - Heilige drei könige (epiphany)
• 02/02/2024 - Candlemas, presentation of the lord
• 14/02/2024 - St. valentine`s day
• 01/03/2024 - Instauration de la republique
• 17/03/2024 - St. patrick's day
• 19/03/2024 - St. joseph's day
• 21/03/2024 - Spring season opens
• 01/04/2024 - April fool's day
• 25/04/2024 - Liberation day
• 01/05/2024 - Tag der arbeit (labor day)
• 08/05/2024 - Armistice day / v-e day
• 01/06/2024 - Arrival of the swiss at the port-noir
• 23/06/2024 - Independence day (jura only)
• 29/06/2024 - St. peter & st. paul day
• 01/08/2024 - National day
• 15/08/2024 - Maria himmelfahrt (assumption day)
• 25/09/2024 - Niklaus of flüe day
• 16/10/2024 - St. gallus day
• 24/10/2024 - United nations day
• 31/10/2024 - Hallowe'en
• 01/11/2024 - All saints` day / allerheiligen
• 02/11/2024 - All souls` day
• 11/11/2024 - Volkstrauertag (remembrance sunday)
• 22/11/2024 - Buß- und bettag (repentance day)
• 08/12/2024 - Immaculate conception
• 25/12/2024 - Weihnachtstag (christmas)
• 26/12/2024 - St. stephen's day
• 31/12/2024 - Commemoration of the restoration, st sylvester

FAQs

We have a detailed and comprehensive Help Section here. If you cannot find the answer or advice you are looking for there, please use our enquiry form