SUMMARY
Land-bound Confederation in Western Europe, bordering on France, Germany, Italy and Austria. One of the OECD countries. Member of EFTA. In 2002, the bilateral agreement between Switzerland and the EU came into force.
Capital:
Berne.Port(s):
Basel.Population:
7,318,638 (Liechtenstein 33,145).International Country Code:
CH.Information also applies to the adjoining independent Principality of Liechtenstein which forms a Customs, economic and currency union with Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a member of the European Economic Area (EEA).
LANGUAGE(S)
German, French, Italian, Romansch.
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES
Metric system.
ELECTRICITY SUPPLY
220v. 50 cycles AC.
CURRENCY(-IES)
1 Swiss franc (SFr) = 100 centimes.
EXCHANGE RATE
2.24 SFr = £1 sterling (fluctuating rate).
INTERNATIONAL DIRECT DIALLING CODE(S)
Switzerland — 00 41; Liechtenstein — 00 423.
TIME
1 hour ahead of GMT. (Same as BST).
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
1, 2 Jan; 1 May; 1 Aug; 24, 25, 26, 31 Dec; in addition, the following have variable dates: Good Friday; Easter Monday; Ascension; Whit Monday; and a number of cantonal and local holidays.
BRITISH CONSULATE-GENERAL
37-39 Rue de Vermont (6th Floor), 1211 Geneva 20. Tel: 00 41 22 918 24 00, fax: 00 41 22 918 23 22.
CONSULATE-GENERAL: Portland Tower, 6th Floor, Portland Street, Manchester M1 3LD. Tel: 0161 236 2933, fax: 0161 236 4689, e-mail:vertretung@mch.rep.admin.ch.
EMBASSY(-IES)
16/18 Montagu Place, London W1H 2BQ. Tel: 020 7616 6000, fax: 020 7724 7001, e-mail: vertretung@lon.rep.admin.ch — website: www.swissembassy.org.uk (Link to an external site - Disclaimer 
). Office hours: Mon-Fri 0900–1200.
). Office hours: Mon-Fri 0900–1200.BRITISH EMBASSY
Thunstrasse 50, 3005 Berne. Tel: 00 41 31 359 7700, fax: 00 41 31 359 7701, e-mail: info@britian-in-switzerland.ch — website: www.britain-in-switzerland.ch/index2.htm (Link to an external site - Disclaimer ).
).CHAMBER(S) OF COMMERCE
The British-Swiss Chamber of Commerce, Freiestrasse 155, 8032 Zurich. Tel: 00 41 1 422 3131, fax: 00 41 1 422 3244, e-mail: bscc@bscc.co.uk
BRITISH SWISS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: 12 York Gate, London NW1 4QS. Tel: 020 7544 4850, fax: 020 7544 4852, e-mail: rvaldinger@bscc.co.uk — website: www.bscc.co.uk (Link to an external site - Disclaimer )
)IMPORT RESTRICTIONS
Most goods may be freely imported but import licences are required for certain items such as agricultural and petroleum products, some of which are subject to quotas.
EXCHANGE CONTROL
No restrictions.
BILL(S) OF LADING/CONTRACT OF CARRIAGE
No special regulations. B/L, when required) may be made out “to order”.
CONSULAR INVOICE(S)
None.
CERTIFICATES OF ORIGIN
For tobacco leaves, certain wine specialities, sweet wines, brandy and whisky. Not required for goods of EU origin. Obtainable from an authorised Chamber of Commerce (see Where to Obtain Certificates of Origin under Certificates of Origin). See also EC Forms below.
COMMERCIAL INVOICES
No special form or regulations. State country of origin, marks, numbers, quantity and description of goods, nett and gross weights. Facsimile signatures except by rubber stamp or machine produced, allowed. Customs require three copies.
SPECIAL CERTIFICATE(S)
Certificates of Health required for animals, meat, meat products, potatoes, seed potatoes, plants, poultry, fruit and berries. A certificate of age (minimum 3 years) is required for whisky. Veterinary certificate of vaccination against rabies effected between 30 days and 1 year before entry, for dogs and cats.
EC FORMS
Exporters may issue the EUR1 Form to accompany the goods if the goods qualify under the preferential trade agreement between the EU and Switzerland. This will mean the goods will receive a preferential rate of duty at import (see Special Agreements in EC Association and Preferential Trade Agreement). Exporters must confirm shipments meet the appropriate qualification rules. For low value consignments (up to £4830.00 agreed between the EU and Switzerland) an invoice declaration may be used to replace the EUR1 Form Simplification under EC Association and Preferential Trade Agreement).
We are advised that:
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(a)
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when using a low-value invoice declaration in lieu of form EUR1, exporters should avoid using the term “EU preferential origin”, as the Swiss authorities insist on the wording “EC preferential origin” being used instead
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(b)
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when invoicing in euro, a low-value invoice declaration is valid only for consignments valued at less than €6000.
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The EUR1 Form is the master document and can be requested by your customer or their Customs authorities for qualifying shipments regardless of value. EUR Forms and Customs Notices can be obtained free from the Customs Helpline on tel: 0845 010 9000.
Facsimile signatures not allowed. A SAD indicating Community status is required (see EC Community Transit Systems).
MARKING OF GOODS
Labels should be in one of the three national languages and all weights should be in the metric system. Special regulations apply to the marking of matches, certain foodstuffs, gasoline, pharmaceutical products and prepackaged and canned goods. No indication of origin (eg made in UK) is required for industrial goods or their wrappings.
PACKING MATERIAL
No restrictions.
MARKING OF CASES
No special regulations.
SHIPPING ARRANGEMENTS
MAT Transport; European Freight Dover; STS Eurolink; Trans-European Trailer Services; Karitrains; Britannia Freight Services; Universal Express.
AIR FREIGHT
Swiss International Airlines; British Airways World Cargo.
POSTAL PARCELS
Foregoing regulations apply. Consignments of EC/EFTA origin valued below £4830 an invoice declaration may be used.
The invoice declaration for Switzerland is slightly different to that for Liechtenstein. The appropriate canton (region) must be mentioned in the address.
Customs declaration: separate set for each parcel (see Parcels under Surface Post.
SAMPLES
Are admitted duty-free if they are of no commercial value because of their condition or make-up samples of which the foreign wholesale value is less than SFr 10 per item and which are imported for demonstration purposes for taking orders. Restriction: Articles such as knives, ball-point pens, etc: only one piece each kind and quality will be admitted duty-free. Samples of tobaccos, alcoholic beverages, medicaments and cosmetics are duty-free only if the value of the whole consignment does not exceed SFr 10. Temporary importation of commercial samples, professional equipment and goods for exhibitions can be made under an ATA Carnet (see ATA Carnets), as long as the goods are exported from Switzerland within 12 months of the issue date of the Carnet.
BANK(S)
Swiss National Bank; BNP; Crédit Lyonnais Suisse; Crédit Suisse; Discount Bank; Habib Bank; SBC Warbung; Swiss Bank Corporation; UBS.
DUTIES
Assessed at ad valorem on the CIF value. EC preferential tariff treatment granted on shipments from the EU if they meet the qualification rules (see Special Agreements). Tariff is based on the Harmonised System (HS) (see Customs Nomenclatures). Information on the standard rates of duty on goods entering Switzerland and the preference applicable to EU qualifying goods can be found on the EU Market Access Database page “Applied Tariffs Database” at: http://mkaccbd.eu.int (Link to an external site - Disclaimer ).
).UK REGULATIONS
All goods must be declared to Customs on leaving the EU (generally arranged by the freight forwarder/carrier). The export declaration for shipments leaving the EU from a UK port or airport is via the electronic system known as NES. All goods subject to Export Controls (ie covered by an export licence — SIEL, OGEL or OIEL), coming under CAP regulations or otherwise controlled under Customs regulations (eg under IPR/OPR, etc) must be exported with a full declaration unless the shipper is authorised to use one of the simplified NES procedures. All shipments must be given a Unique Consignment Reference (UCR) made up of the shipper’s VAT No., TURN and export reference, eg invoice number.
Export Controls: Some classes of goods are controlled under National and EU Regulations, examples are military goods and dual-use technology. For UK supplies these are listed on the www.dti.gov.uk (Link to an external site - Disclaimer ) website under Export Control. Other goods not listed in the statutory instruments may be controlled if their end-use involves chemical, biological or nuclear weapons or the means of delivering them. Controlled dual-use goods (goods capable of being used for civil or military purposes but not specially designed for military purposes) can mostly be moved freely within the EU and to certain non-EU countries under the CGEA (Community General Export Authorisation). Controlled dual-use goods to Switzerland comes under the CGEA. Subscribers are recommended to seek advice from the DTI Export Control Organisation Helpline on tel: 020 7215 8070.
) website under Export Control. Other goods not listed in the statutory instruments may be controlled if their end-use involves chemical, biological or nuclear weapons or the means of delivering them. Controlled dual-use goods (goods capable of being used for civil or military purposes but not specially designed for military purposes) can mostly be moved freely within the EU and to certain non-EU countries under the CGEA (Community General Export Authorisation). Controlled dual-use goods to Switzerland comes under the CGEA. Subscribers are recommended to seek advice from the DTI Export Control Organisation Helpline on tel: 020 7215 8070.AMG Interfreight Ltd
International Road Transporter
John Belcher
01992 522034
01992 522675
amgfreight@aol.com
www.amg-interfreight.co.uk
Building No. 1, North Weald Airfield, North Weald, Essex CM16 6AA
Basle, Zurich and Geneva
Daily
This information was taken from Croner's Reference Book for Exporters.
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