Hello all,

I am looking to hire a Van from UK to Zurich which in early January 2012.
I am relocating to Zurich from south east England and will probably only be needing to use half of the space in the van as i will be living in a fully furnished apartment, so i am just bringing the essentials... TV / Playstation/ bikes etc...

I have been researching into a 1 way vehicle hire and this does not seem to exist so i will be looking to drive to Zurich and back within the space of a few days.

I would be willing to share some of the load if anyone else needs stuff bringing over, or even returning to UK with stuff around that time.. anything that would benefit both of us in some way...

welcome to forum! certainly if you have space coming back, we can have a conversation if you are on your way! I just need to work out how the paperwork is going to pan out!

I remember a thread recently about renting a van in Dover *somewhere in France* across the Channel and load up, then drive to CH; then return it just across the border at Basel, that will reduce the travelling time plus the cost. If I remember more later, I can update here.

Hi Gourmet and thanks for the welcome,

that sounds good to me, i will know the exact dates within the next week or so and i will then be able to make some solid plans.

The idea about hiring in france and dropping off again over the boarder sounds like a brilliant idea. If you find any further information on that i will be grateful

Please search & check this Forum. Be careful!

It is not allowed for Swiss residents to drive foreign vans in Switzerland. Likewise it is not permitted for British residents to drive foreign vans in Britain.

You would need to stop at the border, explain your situation and ask for a temporary importation for the hired van.

those are the two threads that I was thinking of

Car hire / Sixt - Any Questions

Car hire tip - Basel/Mulhouse

May be check with Gary on the second thread as he is the manager for Sixt in the UK.

Well I agree it was over 20 years ago, but when I moved from Germany to Switzerland, I did it myself in a rented van, stopped at the border to have the inventory legally imported. The customs weren't in the least interested in the van, though they did have a quick look at the goods.

all of my electrical goods are over 6 months old so i will bring the receipts to prove that in case of any issues, i hope that is sufficient for the border control

If you are moving here, all your belongings, including your car, are imported tax free.

@cat and mouse, please remove your confusing post. http://www.admin.ch/ch/d/sr/6/631.01.de.pdf

Note: if hiring a van, you may find that the "jumbo" transits cannot be insured in France, due to being so large, that they don't fit on a recovery truck, if the worst happens.

The largest van that can go on the back of a recovery truck is a LWB transit style, so that's the largest that can be insured.

Out of experience, do people suggest hiring a van to be cheaper than buying space in a larger removal lorry?

Hi Cornish Pasty

I will be interested in bringing some items over and happy to share the costs. Get in touch and we can discuss details and dates / times that suit in January 2012

I will be in contact soon Zimi. Just confirming exact dates

Hi All,

My dates now confirmed are:

UK -> Zurich December 31st

Zurich -> UK January 2nd

I suspect the van will be quite full on the way to zurich but if you have any smallish items i may be able to squeeze them in.

On the return trip the van will be completely empty so happy to take some stuff back to the UK from Zurich

Cheers
CP

Hi Cornish Pasty

Unfortunately I cannot be in the UK or Zurich at the times you intend to travel which is a shame. Can you let me know which Van Rental company you used that will allow the legal transportation with one van between both countries? Any costing would help too. I will see if I know anyone wanting to do the transportation from Zurich back to SE UK and let you know.

regards

I hired a box van from Annecy with a tail lift 3.5 tonne I think, this was fully insured...We broke down on the way to Paris and they sent a lorry out to pick us up???

If you hire a van from outside of Switzerland to deliver goods into Switzerland and you get a choice, look for one or ask for one with the Swiss road tax vignette on, this will save you CHF40.00

Ironically, this was the same for us - a 3.5t was ok, but a jumbo was not. Strange...

I'm still looking to take some furniture from uk to Switz so if anyone has any more details on costs/options that would be great to hear.

I've asked for a few quotes from removals companies but the prices seem extortionate at about £600-700 a pop.

The stuff isn't urgent, but if there was a cost-effective way of bringing it over I'd do it.