International Removals to Switzerland (2026)
Moving to Switzerland is one of the most rewarding relocations in Europe, and one of the most tightly regulated. Whether you are heading to Zurich for a new role, settling in Geneva, or making a home in Basel, Bern, Lausanne or Zug, you need a removals partner who understands both the long road across Europe and the paperwork that meets you at the Swiss border. Flyto Relocation is a European international mover with our own transport hubs and a track record of door-to-door moves into Switzerland. We are rated 4.9 out of 5 from more than 500 reviews, every load is insured, and our English-speaking team handles the Swiss removal-goods declaration so your belongings clear customs cleanly.
How Flyto works: our own hubs, vetted partners
Quick answer: Switzerland is outside the EU customs union. Relief applies when you transfer your domicile to Switzerland, the goods have been personally owned and used for at least 6 months, they stay in use after import, and they are imported at the latest within 2 years of the domicile transfer. The original of form 18.44 must be presented at the border customs office.
Flyto is not a broker that simply resells your move to the cheapest carrier. We operate our own logistics hubs across Northern, Central and Southern Europe and run regular scheduled door-to-door road services between them, so when your move originates in or passes through our network it stays inside our own operation from collection to delivery, with one team accountable throughout.
We are honest about what we are and are not. Flyto does not have a branch office inside Switzerland, and we would rather tell you that plainly than pretend otherwise. For the Swiss leg we work with a small circle of vetted local partners we have chosen and checked ourselves. You still deal with Flyto for coordination, pricing and paperwork; the local crew handling your delivery in Zurich or Geneva has been screened to our standard. Hubs plus trusted partners is how we keep quality high and prices sensible without overpromising a presence we do not have.
Our removal services to Switzerland
We offer a genuine door-to-door service into Switzerland, collecting from your current home in Europe and delivering into your new Swiss address. Our services include:
- Full loads for whole-home relocations, with a dedicated vehicle for larger households.
- Part loads and groupage for smaller moves, sharing space on a scheduled run so you only pay for the volume you use.
- Professional packing and unpacking, including export-grade materials and protection for fragile and high-value items.
- Storage at our hubs, useful when your Swiss tenancy or work permit start date does not line up with your move-out date.
We run regularly to the main Swiss destinations, including Zürich, Geneva, Basel, Bern, Lausanne and Zug, as well as smaller towns across the cantons. Wherever you are landing, we plan the route, the border crossing and the final-mile delivery as one connected journey.
What a move to Switzerland costs
Every relocation is priced individually, so rather than quote figures that would not fit your move, here is what actually drives the cost. The volume of your belongings is the single biggest factor, followed by the distance to your Swiss destination and whether you need a dedicated vehicle or can share a load. Access matters more in Switzerland than almost anywhere else: many addresses sit on narrow, steep or Alpine roads, in older buildings without lifts, or in car-restricted town centres, all of which affect crew time and equipment. The high Swiss cost base also plays a part, as local labour, parking permits and any Swiss-side services are priced at Swiss levels. Packing, storage and specialist handling add to the total. Send us your inventory and destination and we will build an honest, itemised quote with no invented numbers.
Customs and paperwork: the part that catches people out
Customs requirements for household goods entering Switzerland
| Requirement | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Form 18.44 | Antrag/Zollanmeldung für Übersiedlungsgut, filled in and signed; the ORIGINAL must be presented at the border at the time of the move |
| Ownership | Personally owned and used for at least 6 months before the move, and still in use after import |
| Deadline | Imported at the latest within 2 years of the domicile transfer |
| Inventory | Submitted together with form 18.44; anything that does not meet the duty-free conditions is listed separately at the end as zu veranlagende Waren |
| Residence permit | Not required when moving from an EU-27 or EFTA country — prove the move with an employment contract, lease or deregistration confirmation instead |
| Speeding it up | Sending the full dossier to the customs office at least 2 working days before crossing speeds up processing; currently offered at the Mendrisiotto, Vedeggio and Chiasso-Strada crossings |
Get your fixed price (2 min) →
Official source: BAZG — Form 18.44, Übersiedlungsgut. Flyto files the declaration through its customs partner in Switzerland; the paperwork above is what we need from you.
This is the most important section on the page, so read it carefully. Switzerland is not in the European Union and not in the EU customs union. That is true even though it sits in the middle of the EU and is part of the Schengen area. For your belongings it means one thing: your goods are treated as a third-country import and must be declared to Swiss customs, even when they are travelling to you directly from an EU country such as Germany, France or Italy. This surprises many people who assume “inside Europe” means no customs formalities. It does not.
Swiss customs is run by the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security, known as the BAZG in German or the OFDF in French. To bring in your household belongings free of duty, you apply for duty-free admission of removal goods (Übersiedlungsgut in German, effets de déménagement in French) using the official form 18.44, the “Declaration/Application for clearance of household effects”. The main conditions are that:
- the goods have been used by you for at least six months before the move;
- you will continue to use them personally after importation; and
- you are genuinely transferring your residence to Switzerland.
Non-EU nationals are generally asked to show a Swiss residence permit (typically a B or L permit). Citizens of the EU or EFTA do not have to provide a residence permit up front and can instead prove the move with documents such as an employment contract, a Swiss tenancy agreement, or confirmation that they have deregistered from their previous country. Crucially, the completed form 18.44 must be presented, usually in duplicate and with an inventory of the goods, at a staffed customs office at the border or nearest to your point of entry. This is the detail that trips people up: you cannot simply drive across an unmanned crossing and sort it out later. Flyto prepares the declaration with you and routes your load through the correct staffed office so it is done properly the first time.
Two further steps happen on the Swiss side once you arrive. You will need your residence permit arranged through the cantonal migration authority, and you must register your arrival in person at your local Gemeinde or commune (the Anmeldung), generally within 14 days of moving in. These are personal registrations you complete yourself, but they connect directly to your customs and permit paperwork, so it pays to line them up early.
Why choose Flyto for your Swiss move
People choose Flyto because we combine the reliability of a European mover that runs its own hubs with the honesty of a company that tells you exactly how your move will be handled. We are rated 4.9 out of 5 from more than 500 reviews, every shipment is insured, and our English-speaking team manages the move end to end. Most importantly for Switzerland, we handle the Swiss removal-goods declaration with you, so the customs formalities that catch out DIY movers are handled by people who do them every week.
How long a move to Switzerland takes
Transit time depends on where your move starts and how it is loaded. From our core European network, a scheduled door-to-door road move to Switzerland typically takes a matter of days once collected, with part loads sometimes taking a little longer while they are consolidated onto a run. Customs clearance adds time only if paperwork is incomplete, which is exactly why we prepare it in advance. We recommend booking two to four weeks ahead so we can align delivery with your permit and tenancy dates.
Frequently asked questions
Do I pay duty or VAT to Switzerland on my household goods? If your belongings qualify as removal goods, you have used them for at least six months, you will keep using them, and you are moving your residence to Switzerland, they can be admitted free of duty and import VAT using form 18.44. New items, goods bought specifically for the move, and anything that does not meet the conditions may attract charges. We help you present the declaration correctly.
Do I really need customs paperwork if I am moving from within the EU? Yes. Switzerland is outside the EU and the EU customs union, so a move even from Germany, France or Italy is a third-country import and must be declared to Swiss customs.
Does Flyto have an office in Switzerland? No, and we will not pretend to. We run our own European hubs and door-to-door road services, and we use vetted local partners for the Swiss delivery, all coordinated by Flyto.
Which Swiss cities do you serve? We move regularly to Zürich, Geneva, Basel, Bern, Lausanne and Zug, and to smaller towns across the cantons.
Can you store my belongings if my dates do not match? Yes. We offer storage at our hubs so we can hold your goods until your Swiss tenancy or permit start date, then deliver on your schedule.
Is my move insured? Yes. Every Flyto move to Switzerland is insured, and we will explain the cover clearly before you book.
Get your Switzerland removals quote
Tell us what you are moving and where you are heading, and our advisor will build an honest, itemised quote and walk you through the Swiss customs steps. Start here: https://app.flytorelocation.com/advisor?lang=en