HI Everyone,
Can't seem to find any info on how much chocolate I can buy outside of Switzerland and bring it back here. Quite sure I heard that there is a quota. Help!Need to buy some yummy marzipan chocolates I saw in the Rheinfelden Center for Christmas.
Thank you!

Would you like advice on coals to Newcastle too??

Chocolate can travel across Kantonal borders with no problem. There should not be any further questions. For big, rough slabs of chocolate go to Merkur in Bahnhofstr. and for fancier stuff Teuscher is the place (according to me). Are you really going to Germany to buy chocolate??

Ya, for a particular brand of marzipan/chocolate that I bought duty free on a Lufthansa flight for like 25 Euros , is only 5.90 across the border Thanks for the info.

I don't think you need to justify bringing in chocolate, or whatever else you like.

Here's a link to the relevant customs page (in English) explaining what you can bring in.
http://www.ezv.admin.ch/zollinfo_pri...x.html?lang=en
Don't know if chocolate could be considered a milk product....

See also http://www.ezv.admin.ch/zollinfo_pri...x.html?lang=en
for detailed allowances by product.

"Unlimited: bakery products without meat, chocolate.
"

........

Doc.

And maybe on owls to Athens too LOL

A Swiss friend of mine (professional baker) went on a chocolate tasting trip to Spain. He said that the Spanish artisan chocolate makers he met could teach most Swiss chocolate makers a thing or two (who brought cocoa to Europe in the first place?) but that most Swiss people would refuse to admit it.

Most Swiss laugh at what I am doing "You make cheese in Britain!?" is a common comment. My answer... "we grow grass in Britain, so yes, we do indeed make cheese". Luckily for me, there are enough Swiss big enough to see the connection and who are happy to be educated.

Enjoy your "foreign" chocolate and for any Swiss (or ex-pats for that matter) who laugh at you, just remember that it is them who are missing out.

OT but anywayzs, obviously there are cheese farmers in the UK, I am not aware of the particular types though...oh well time to

Britain has the best cheese and cheese culture in the world. And I'm very sure there is some Spanish chocolate that is better than some Swiss chocolate, though country for country (I've lived and eaten chocolate in both) Switzerland kills Spain for chocolate. Having said that in my experience Spain is the best country in the world for many ingredients like meat, fish, olive oil (and yeah, better than Italy).


And that is all for now.

Peru beats spain in fish and seafood LOL
Seriously, Spanish fish and seafood have a very strong flavor, in South America (especifically Peru) the flavor is not so strong but still is great.

Thats a great idea that sparked of a new business idea in me, 'exporting some of my gas to Russia', joking.

I myself would like to have a bar of cadbury's diary milk once in a while, its different from the Swiss chocolates we regularly have.

Swiss customs website, Tax-free maximum allowable amounts / duty on excess quantities.
http://www.ezv.admin.ch/zollinfo_pri...x.html?lang=en

And where is "Spanish" fish mainly coming from? Off the coast of Morocco, you see their fishery fleet! Up in the North Sea as well and even as far down as in the South Atlantic. All I want ot say with this: It's difficult to say these days that such and such products are coming from one country only. Except Swiss chocolate, of course

Are you sure? Linth chocolate you buy in the USA is made in the USA. Maybe next it will be made in China to even be allowed on the US market.

A few Christmases ago I found the Lindt chocy balls on sale in the Coop in Thalwil were all made in Canada. Good grief, the Lindt & Sprügli factory was about 2km away in Kilchberg...

Here is the official regulation :

Nahrungsmittel



1. Grundsätzliches


Im Rahmen der Wertfreigrenze von Fr. 300.– sind Nahrungsmittel (ausg. alkoholische Getränke) für den privaten Gebrauch im eigenen Haushalt grundsätzlich abgabenfrei, sofern sie persönlich im Reiseverkehr eingeführt werden.

Für sensible landwirtschaftliche Erzeugnisse gemäss Ziffer 2 gelten indessen die genannten Höchstmengen.

Darüber hinausgehende Mengen sind ungeachtet ihres Wertes immer abgabenpflichtig. Übersteigt im Weiteren der Gesamtwert der mitgeführten Waren Fr. 300.–, so sind alle Waren abgabenpflichtig. Ein Zusammenrechnen (Kumulation) der Wertfreigrenze für mehrere Personen ist ausgeschlossen.

Die Freimengen und Freigrenzen werden nur einmal pro Person und Tag gewährt.

BASICS

Within the value-limit of CHF 300.-- , non-alcoholic foodstuff is free of duty and tax if destined for private consumption, if brought into Switzerland personally. This applies to one entry per day.

"Sensitive foodstuff" is separately regulated. (Chocolate + Marzipan is NOT sensitive !)

If the value is above CHF 300.--, ALL the material becomes subject to VAT and duties. There cannot be a "cumulation" for various persons. Each person is to be regarded separately.

--

I think you may find that Swiss chocolate (like all chocolate) comes originally from South America

Not really, Peru does not import fish except for (Cod I think) Kabeljauw or Bacalao in Spanish...for Easter (yeah weird stuff), plus you always see the fresh fish at the market...(right next to the ports).

Marzipan from Aachen and Lübeck is supreme, and Belgian chocolate specialties are in a class of their own.