Switzerland sits outside the EU customs union, which makes this corridor unusually paperwork-heavy in both directions: your goods clear Swiss federal customs (BAZG/EZV) on one leg and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on the other. This guide covers moving from the USA to Switzerland and the reverse (Switzerland to the USA), with the Swiss relocation-relief process, the US Form 3299 process, routing through Swiss airports and North Sea/Mediterranean ports, pets, and vehicles. Rules change — verify every figure against the official links before you ship.

Key takeaways

• Moving to Switzerland, your used household goods can enter free of duty and the 8.1% import VAT as Übersiedlungsgut (transfer of residence), provided you are moving your domicile and the items were used for at least six months (BAZG – Moving/household effects).
• The Swiss declaration is Form 18.44, presented with an inventory to the customs office at the border; ideally submit your file at least two working days before crossing (BAZG – Relocation procedure).
• Moving to the USA, returning residents and immigrants use CBP Form 3299 (Declaration for Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles); household effects generally qualify duty-free if used abroad for at least one year (CBP – Household goods process).
• Switzerland is landlocked: ocean freight routes through Rotterdam, Antwerp, Hamburg or Genoa, and air freight through Zurich, Basel or Geneva (BAZG – Import taxes).
• Dogs into the USA need an ISO microchip, a minimum age of 6 months and a completed CDC Dog Import Form; Switzerland is not on CDC’s high-risk-for-rabies list, so no titre test or CDC-registered-port entry is required (CDC – Bringing a dog into the U.S.).
• Pets into Switzerland from the US need an ISO microchip, a valid rabies vaccination and a USDA-endorsed EU/CH health certificate, with arrival within 10 days of endorsement (USDA APHIS – Pet travel).
• Carrying more than USD 10,000 in cash or monetary instruments into or out of the US must be reported on FinCEN Form 105 (CBP – Money and monetary instruments).

1. Switzerland → USA: clearing US customs

If you are a US citizen or lawful permanent resident coming home, or an immigrant entering on a residence visa, your used household effects can enter duty-free. The core rule from CBP is that items must have been "available for your use or used in a household where you were a resident for one year" and are not intended for sale or another person (CBP – Article 1392). Helpfully, that year of use does not have to be continuous, nor the year immediately before import.

The paperwork is CBP Form 3299, the Declaration for Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles (form PDF). Because a household shipment usually arrives separately from you, you also sign a short letter addressed to the Officer in Charge of Customs and Border Protection authorising your mover or broker to clear the goods on your behalf (CBP – Article 1051). The duty-free treatment of used household effects rests on 19 CFR 148.52 ("Exemption for household effects used abroad", Subpart F), which admits "furniture, carpets, paintings, tableware, books… and other usual household furnishings and effects actually used abroad for not less than 1 year" free of duty and tax — and confirms the year of use "need not be continuous, nor need it immediately precede the time of importation."

Watch the restricted categories. Almost anything containing meat — soup mixes, bouillon, tinned meat — is not admissible, and many food and plant items are controlled; CBP and USDA/APHIS publish current lists (CBP – What to expect when you return). Alcohol, firearms and certain Swiss watches with materials of concern also need care. Non-immigrant visa holders who do not meet the residency test may owe duty on some items — confirm your status with CBP before shipping.

2. USA → Switzerland: the Übersiedlungsgut relief

This is the higher-value half of the corridor because Switzerland levies 8.1% import VAT (the standard rate since 1 January 2024) on most imports, on top of any duty (BAZG – Import taxes/VAT). The relief that waives both is Übersiedlungsgut — transfer-of-residence goods.

To qualify, BAZG’s central condition is a genuine transfer of domicile to Switzerland, and the goods "must have been used by you personally for at least 6 months and… continue to be used by you after importation" (BAZG – Moving/household effects). New items bought for the move do not qualify and are taxed normally. You must generally bring your effects in within two years of the move, and shipments may be split.

The declaration is Form 18.44 (Zollveranlagung von Übersiedlungsgut), presented with a dated, valued inventory to the customs office at the point of entry. BAZG’s procedure page advises submitting your relocation file at least two working days before you cross, and warns that "you must cross the border at the customs office to which you sent the relocation file" (BAZG – Relocation procedure). Third-country nationals typically evidence the move with a residence permit; EU/EFTA movers can use an employment contract, lease or a de-registration confirmation from the departure country.

3. How your shipment actually travels

Switzerland has no seaport, so the physical routing shapes both cost and timeline.

• Ocean freight (the norm for a full household): consolidated or full-container loads sail from a US East Coast port (New York/Newark, Norfolk, Charleston) to a North Sea gateway — Rotterdam, Antwerp or Hamburg — or from the US to Genoa for a southern approach, then move overland by rail or truck to a Swiss inland customs point near Basel, Zurich or Geneva. Realistic door-to-door transit is roughly 6–10 weeks. West Coast origins add Panama Canal or land-bridge time.
• Air freight (fast or partial): consignments fly into Zurich (ZRH), Geneva (GVA) or via Basel (BSL/EuroAirport), clearing in days rather than weeks — suited to essentials, but several times the per-cubic-metre cost of sea.

Because clearance happens at an inland Swiss office, your mover coordinates the North Sea/Mediterranean port handling and the onward bonded transit so the Form 18.44 declaration is made where you actually cross (BAZG – Relocation procedure).

4. Vehicles

A car can move as Übersiedlungsgut in principle — BAZG applies the general provisions for household effects to road vehicles — but vehicles have their own clearance nuances, so check BAZG’s vehicle customs clearance FAQ and budget for a Swiss roadworthiness/emissions inspection and registration.

Going the other way, importing a car into the USA engages EPA emissions and DOT/NHTSA safety standards, and many European-market vehicles are not US-certified. Confirm eligibility with CBP, the EPA and NHTSA before shipping a non-conforming vehicle — this is the single most common corridor mistake.

5. Pets

Dog, Switzerland → USA. Under the current CDC rules every dog must be at least 6 months old, carry an ISO-compatible microchip, look healthy on arrival, and travel with a CDC Dog Import Form receipt completed online before the trip (CDC – Bringing a dog into the U.S.). CDC publishes only the list of high-risk rabies countries; Switzerland is not on it, so dogs that have only been in Switzerland (or other non-high-risk countries) in the previous six months do not need a rabies titre test or entry through a CDC-registered animal-care facility (CDC – Dogs from rabies-free or low-risk countries).

Pet, USA → Switzerland. Your dog or cat needs an ISO microchip implanted before the rabies vaccination, a valid rabies vaccination (effective 21 days after a first shot), and a health certificate endorsed by USDA APHIS; the animal must reach Switzerland within 10 days of endorsement (USDA APHIS – Pet travel; Swiss BLV – travelling with dogs, cats and ferrets). As the US is not a high-risk rabies country, a titre test is not required, and there is no quarantine when the paperwork is complete.

6. Money and documents

Physically carrying, mailing or shipping more than USD 10,000 in currency or monetary instruments into or out of the United States must be reported on FinCEN Form 105 at the time you cross; failure to report risks seizure (CBP – Money). Accompanied goods for returning US residents also benefit from the USD 800 duty-free personal exemption — a separate relief, under 19 CFR Part 148, Subpart D, distinct from the used-household-effects exemption. On the Swiss side, cash of CHF 10,000 or more must be declared to BAZG on request.

How Flyto handles your Switzerland to USA move

Flyto runs this corridor as a single door-to-door PLATINUM service — the only tier we offer for intercontinental moves, because a Switzerland↔USA relocation has too many failure points for anything lighter. One coordinator owns the whole chain: professional export packing and a valued inventory; booking the ocean or air leg through the right gateway (Rotterdam/Antwerp/Hamburg or Genoa by sea, Zurich/Basel/Geneva by air); preparing and lodging Form 18.44 or CBP Form 3299 so clearance happens at the correct office; arranging the pet and, where wanted, vehicle paperwork; and delivering, unpacking and removing debris at destination. You get one point of contact, one fixed quote, and customs handled by people who do this corridor every week. See our USA moving hub and the main [international moving guide]https://flytorelocation.com/us/moving-to-and-from-the-usa-2026-complete-relocation-guide/ for the wider picture.

Frequently asked questions

Do I pay Swiss VAT on my furniture when moving to Switzerland?
Not if it qualifies as Übersiedlungsgut — genuine transfer of domicile, items used at least six months and kept for your own use. Then it is free of duty and the 8.1% import VAT. New or unused items are taxed normally (BAZG).

Which Swiss form do I need, and when?
Form 18.44, presented with an inventory at the customs office. Submit the file at least two working days before crossing, and cross at that same office (BAZG procedure).

I’m a US citizen returning home — what proves my goods are duty-free?
CBP Form 3299 plus, since the shipment arrives unaccompanied, a one-time authorisation letter for your broker. Household effects must have been used or available to you abroad for at least one year (CBP).

How long does a sea shipment take between the US and Switzerland?
Typically 6–10 weeks door-to-door, because goods transit a North Sea or Mediterranean port and then move overland to an inland Swiss customs point. Air freight clears in days but costs far more.

Can I bring my dog from Switzerland to the US without quarantine?
Yes. With an ISO microchip, minimum age of 6 months and a CDC Dog Import Form, dogs from Switzerland (which is not on CDC’s high-risk list) enter without a titre test or CDC-registered-port requirement (CDC).

Is there a deadline for importing my goods into Switzerland?
You should generally bring relocation goods in within two years of the move, and you may split the shipment across that window (BAZG).

Do I have to declare cash?
Report more than USD 10,000 on FinCEN Form 105 when entering or leaving the US; declare CHF 10,000+ to Swiss customs on request (CBP).

Sources

• BAZG/EZV – Moving (household effects)
• BAZG/EZV – Relocation import procedure
• BAZG/EZV – Form 18.44 (Übersiedlungsgut)
• BAZG/EZV – Import taxes: VAT on imported goods
• BAZG/EZV – Vehicle customs clearance FAQ
• Swiss BLV – Travelling with dogs, cats and ferrets
• CBP – Process to move household goods into the US (Article 1392)
• CBP – Moving back to the U.S.: sending household effects (Article 1051)
• CBP – Form 3299 (PDF)
• CBP – What to expect when you return
• CBP – Money and monetary instruments (FinCEN 105)
• eCFR – 19 CFR 148.52 (household effects used abroad, Subpart F)
• eCFR – 19 CFR Part 148, Subpart D (returning-resident $800 exemption)
• CDC – Bringing a dog into the U.S.
• CDC – Dogs from rabies-free or low-risk countries
• USDA APHIS – Pet travel