I am moving into Switzerland relatively soon and since I don't have a lot of stuff, I was thinking of putting it all in a van and driving down (from the UK).

All seems straight forward until I get to the Swiss border. I have had a look on the customs website (glad I did French at school!) and seen that I should fill out a customs declaration 18.44 at a customs post and that I need to be there during normal office hours.

So.....when are normal office hours and is there any documentation I should bring with me like proof of employment or proof of accommodation?

Also, does anyone have any recommendations for where I should cross the border?

I am planning to drive down at the beginning of December, which brings me on to my last question. Do I need a van that has winter tyres, or will snow chains do?

Any help would be gratefully received!

It is always better to have the relevant documentation with you when you are crossing the border with your belongings in order to move to Switzerland. From the UK there are only limited restrictions for the first time you move your things and until you are freed from UK accomodation requirements ie sold a house or left a flat etc. There should actually be minimal problems I did it in a van and when I said I was moving into Switzerland and the contents were all my worldly goods they just waved me through.

With respect to the van the Swiss motorways are usually very clear especially in the earlier parts of winter so I just think you can mosey on down with a standard UK rental. You will need to ensure that the rental company knows where you are going though as some (most) don't like you driving out of the EU (actually out of the UK...).

Anyway if you have a job and have somewhere to stay do not expect any problems.

What about when you may go back to pick up a few things more?????
We have a rented house that has loads fo furniture that I would idelaly like to pick up.
We are moving out out of the EU completelty and would like to empty our uk house.
Any thoughts?

The customs form described is intended to allow you to import your personal possessions free of VAT and duty, as long as you do it within 3yrs of residency here.

There is a section on the form where you can identify that this is a partial-shipment, and you are asked to state what other items will be joining this consignment and when. You are only supposed to do duty-free shipment once, but I can't believe that they don't take account that some people move house piecemeal.

dave

I've done the self-hire van removal twice - from CH to the UK and then 7 years later from the UK to CH.

Essentially if the the goods are your domestic house contents and not for resale and duty/VAT has been paid on them, there is no liability. The problem is proving that. You'll actually be able to get up-to-date info form the customs. You need a list of every item in the van and have that list ready on a clipboard with as many bits of paper you can find - job contracts, things with stamps on and so on.


We came into CH from France at St Louis, Basel. This was a mistake. They 'close' at 5pm - although there is somebody manning the border post, they cannot authorise imports. So they took CHF200 deposit and put a lead seal on the lock and said we had to go the the duty-free warehouse in Zurich (where we were going) the next day.

We spent an hour the next day explaining why were importing 0.2litres of whisky and half a dozen other spirits. It seemed a shame to empty the bar just to bring it here. They also wanted to see an entry permit (Niederlassungsbewilligung), which we didn't have because although one had been arranged, it never arrived.

After much thought we were given our money back and they stamped our list of stuff and took their lead seal back. The van door was never opened - the lock and seal would have been easy to remove anyway with a screwdriver without breaking the seal.

If I were coming in this direction again I'd come in on the Autobahn from Germany which is much busier and not bother telling the customs anything, except when they ask.

And in all subsequent imports we were rarely stopped, but if we were, we said whatever were had with us were wedding presents. This always worked well.

Oh yes I forgot to mention the best routes in to CH from the UK are the German A5 crossing by Basel or the A98 at Rheinfelden. Both are relatively relaxed. If you have stuff you do not want to have looked at get to Bad Säckingen either after 8pm or before 9:30 am when you can simply drive over.

Thanks guys,

This has been really useful. Sounds a lot easier than I imagined, and I am quite relieved about the whole winter tyres business! I might look into investing in a set of snow chains just in case. If I don't need them, they might come in handy another time.

The only hassle is that I am going to have to drive all the way back with an empty rented van and then fly straight back again!

A98 sounds like a good idea as I have to get across to St. Gallen.

Mention what you are doing to friends - we did and got more than one offer to come with us, help unload and drive the van back to Blighty. We paid all fares and gave him money for fuel back...

Hi, welcome to CH.

Using winter tires is mandatory from 1Nov onwards. If you get into an accident without them, I think CH insurers will not pay. Police patrols can give you an early Xmas ticket too (discussion continues here; do not reply on this thread with regards to winter tyres)

Suggestion:
Go through this customs check at [Zurzach (CH side) and Rheinheim (DE side)], they usually close the office at 2000hrs, and the road is open.
However sometimes, only rarely, there is a roadblock 50 m away by the same guys (funny cos it is not effective).

I go there for chinese dinner often, and they really do close at 2000hr, 9 out of 10 times. However time it after 21hr.

HAT

Tried that one and have already got one person to help. Have to say that I would feel bad about sending him back on his own. It isn't exactly fun driving a big van all that way, especially with no one to share the driving. Besides, the whole point of me getting a helper was that I didn't want to have to do the whole drive on my own!

I came many years ago with a car-full and had no problems. A van with Brit plates should be OK IMO - just arrive at the border at a decent time with a list of your belongings "just in case".

With regards to winter tyres - your insurer might be picky if you have an accident but I doubt it. There was no comments passed to me crashing October 31st in snow on the south side of the Gottard tunnel The police did try to tell me I was driving too fast but raised platforms, snow, negative temperatures and black ice were all not in my favour... (and there is a winter tyres thread somewhere if you search)....

PS: coming over the German border at Basel at 4pm gets you likely chances of being waved-through. Obey the 80kph limit through there as there are very active speed cameras installed 800m after you've crossed - like disco lights last Thursday!!

Sadly, due to loosing my job and being unable to find work, I am now moving back to UK at the end of the month.
Does anyone know what procedures I need to follow for taking my belongings back.
I am going to UK first, then coming back with a rental van and moving my stuff. I was told at Swiss customs I will need a packing list (which I have for UK C&E ) but what about for French side ? Going from Thurgau to Calais via Basel.
Any help appreciated.
Thanks

I've plopped your question into here as frankly the same process applies in both directions.

I would say that a copy of your packing list should be to hand but I doubt that anyone will worry about it at the Swiss border (even the French/Germans)....

Does anyone have the link to the correct documentation on the Swiss customs site?

Thanks

www.customs.admin.ch

Hi,

I'm planning to self remove all my personal and household effects (clothes, linen, pots, pans, books, DVDs, etc. but no furniture) from the UK to Switzerland by the mean of a rented large van (it's a long drive ).

I phoned up the Swiss customs and they seem to need just a 18.44 form + list of packages.

What worries me are the UK customs, they told me that I need to fill a C88 form (SAD), lodge it 10 days in advance, obtain an authorisation, etc. !?
I don't know where to start with this C88 form (compared to the swiss one it looks like a nightmare) .... It seems so overcomplicated !! Do I really need to do that?

I wonder if anybody knows anything more about it or is willing to share their personal experiences about a UK->CH self-removal.

Thank you very much in advance!!

Suimi

No you don't, You don't pass through customs when leaving the UK. So just forget about it.
Only time you might want to go through that hassle is if there is a good chance you will want to bring it all back to the UK within the next 6 months.

We did it at the end of 2006. We used a 7.5 tonne lorry.

Tips:

1. Norfolk Line ferries are probably the easiest to use as they are designed for freight and there's no hassle.

2. Bare in mind that it's almost impossible to get insurance for your possessions for a self-move abroad. I did not find this out until I had arranged everthing else. It certainly added a bit of spice to the whole enterprise. A lot of the cheap french roadside motels do have fairly secure parking behind locked gates. Don't part up anywhere north of Reims for the night on the way as someone may empty the van for you.

3. The drive itself was fine. My two year old son loved the whole episode.

4. Factor in the cost of the ferry and the tolls on the motorway if going through France.

5. You don't need a customs form leaving the U.K. but we did prepare all the Swiss stuff and did spend a few hours at the border both waiting in the lorry queue and filling in more forms. The contents of the lorry was not checked.

6. Don't forget that after loading up the van, driving for two days and then unloading, you need to drive the thing back and then come back yourself by air or train.

7. Some larger vehicles need a tachograph and this will limit the amount of driving you are allowed to do each day.

Another couple of self-move tips:

- if you do the Chanel > Switzerland trip by car, you'll be surprised how much longer it is by self-drive van - even when it's empty. The 8-hour car journey stretched to a 12 hours by van.

- if you have to leave the van anywhere, try to always keep in sight - eg from a restaurant table. And park it with the back door(s) close against a wall if possible so denying access to your goods.

- leaving a country, the customs are not interested, but I was stopped coming off the Ferry into France at Le Havre and had to open up the back, despite saying I was on my way to Switzerland. And likewise on the journey to the UK, the French side at Basle St Louise.

- we correctly estimated a 20cu metre van would take everything from a 3-bed house, but we had not considered the weight. We swayed and rocked our way here hoping never to have to make any sharp turns.

- A good tip we had was to remove the rear number plate and lights from the Mercedes van otherwise the Portsmouth Le Harvre ferry would have done it for us. We simply unscrewed it and stuck it with tape under the body while on the ferry...

I took the dashboard mounted tailgate switch to bed with me

The lorry was very stable and drove really well despite the weight. I wouldn't have liked to have done it in a heavily laden van.

Another tip - if you have never driven big things, or driven on the continent then be a bit cautious. There's no central rear view mirror, only wing-mirrors and you'll be sitting on the wrong side for a quick glance back when overtaking.

One more:

Take gaffer tape:

My off-side wing mirror kept working itself loose and I ended up holding it in place with gaffer tape.