Long may the saga continue...

So, Zola & I visited our new vet today - thanks to everyone that recommended Tierarztpraxis Dalbe, they were absolutely lovely.

We talked through her history, and then the million dollar question 'do you have a stamp from customs?' I explained no, and that I've tried multiple times to contact customs, but that I have begun the registration process and was hoping to get a Swiss passport.

Long story short, they basically said "you're not the first, won't be the last - customs don't do this very often and they always screw it up anyway. We'll just give you a passport and then you'll be good to go."

Sounds great right? I figured that was The End, time to pour some champagne.


But... that email that I sent to customs way back when? They actually responded to it today, just after I left the vet!!

"Dear Ms,

Please take in contact by phone with me.

Your file is XXXX. I have some questions.

Kind regards

Sam
Zollfachfrau"



So I guess... even though I have the passport, now that a file has been opened I assume customs aren't going to go away. There's no avoiding that fine, is there :/

There may yet be. Earlier, I suggested you document the whole story, chronologically, making copies of all the documents to show how you have been trying to comply with a system that you didn't understand, and asking whether you should be supplying them with more info, and send that letter, registered.

On reflection, however, I think that Kittster's advice is much better: to go to the office in person.
Take your compiled bundle of documentation along.

Approach gently, and do not criticise any aspect of the Swiss system. Simply apologise for not having fulfilled all the steps in the right sequence, and say that this was due to your not properly understanding what you were supposed to do. Make it clear that you do, in fact, certainly want to get the whole matter done in the correct way. Ask whether there are now any further documents that you have inadvertently failed to supply, and for advice of what to do next to get this matter in order. Give the woman time to peruse the papers and her documents on her monitor.

If you are polite and calm, and if you are also lucky, once she sees that you are trying, and have done the steps such as you understand them, and are willing to supply any further documentation she may require, she may be receptive to your request that she reduce the fine.

However, since the mail asked you to call, perhaps you should do just that. And speak along the above lines. You could offer to come in to the office, if that would help.

I'm really sorry you got the same email from Sam that I got, including the case number.

I really hope they treat you differently - I am Swiss now and speak relatively good Swiss German, so I think I was treated like I really should have known better, whereas you are very new to Switzerland and despite that, as Doropfiz suggested, have done everything you possibly can to try to understand and comply.

Just an update, since I'm sitting here with little else to do this afternoon...

My plan today was to get up early and head straight to the airport, with Zola and all our paperwork (including chronologically-ordered record of my various discussions, thank you doropfiz for that suggestion!).

But what's that saying, God laughs when we make plans?

Zola has been horribly sick since 6am, not an hour has gone by without vomiting and/or diarrhoea (sorry, too much info?). This is not an unusual occurrence due to her complicated health history, but it's just unfortunate timing. There's no way I can get her on a bus in this state, she'd never make the whole journey without a smelly mess.

So we won't be going anywhere today unfortunately. I'm a bit reluctant to make the phone call to be honest - I'd rather have this conversation in person, and I guess I'm a bit hesitant based on the reception that axman got. My choices are - try the airport tomorrow (it's Sunday - I get the feeling Sundays are taken very seriously here, would customs be there tomorrow?) or wait to call the office on Tuesday when they're open again after the public holiday.

I'm also very conscious of time - as of today, I can still say 'we just arrived last week.' From Monday, it's 'we arrived two weeks ago.' Maybe i'm reading too much into it but I feel like one of those will be treated more favourably than the other.

Any suggestions on preferred option are welcome.

Can you borrow a car? I'd go to customs at a road border rather than the airport.... it's not possible to backtrack into customs at an airport.

No, i'm afraid I don't know anyone to borrow a car. But I'm staying in Erlenmatt, I might be within walking distance from a road border.

I kinda assumed I'd need to go back to my point of entry, I hadn't considered going to a road border.

Edit: it looks like we could walk across to the Weil-am-Rhine border, I think. Do you think they keep business hours? If we left now we could be there before 4pm-ish.

The Weil am Rhein border (the one near the Marktkauf supermarket) is generally one of the longer opening ones and I would have thought it would be open until at least 5pm today - it’s one of the busiest crossing points in the area with all the shoppers at the Rhine Centre.

Take a number 36 bus to Basel, Kleinhüningen and then a number 8 tram to Weil-am-Rhine

weil am rhein is open until 22:00

https://www.zoll.de/SharedDocs/Diens...bahn_4055.html

Thanks all. Lovely afternoon for a walk, but unfortunately not fruitful.

We went to the Weil am Rhein border crossing near the Marktkauf, and I spoke to the Swiss customs gent there, who told me that they do not process animals at that location. I questioned this a bit further, just in case there was something lost in translation, but he was insistent that there was nothing he could do to help.

He said the nearest place that would do that is on the highway, at the Hauptzollamt Lörrach Zollamt Weil am Rhein-Autobahn. But unfortunately they close at midday on Saturday.

I'm starting to feel there's some sort of cosmic joke being played on me here

I just received the documents for the fine.

Over the phone the lady told me that I have to pay the import tax plus a fine for illegally importing an animal.

The documents however says that I have to pay the import tax, plus a Fr.400 fine for failing to declare goods for import tax purposes. Maybe they are just saving on some paperwork, but if this is the case, I wonder if itsjess may be ok as there is no import tax applicable anyway.

I agree it is a cosmic joke. Even if I tried to declare at the customs on my way in, there is no guarantee that the right person who is able to process animals is going to be there.

Sorry to hear that you'll have a fine coming your way, axman

I'm hoping you're right, that perhaps it won't be applicable to me, as I don't think she's liable for import tax, as I already owned her long before moving here.


I just got an email back from Sam advising that her schedule is very full, but that she will be available to take my phone call on Thursday morning. I guess there isn't any particular urgency in this case, I'm just keen to get it resolved and put it all behind me.

Jess,

Are you comfortable handling this call on your own?

You mentioned in another thread that you had a relocation agent - if needed, could you approach them for help in resolving this?

If you find that this upcoming phone call does not resolve the situation, I wonder if contacting a Swiss pet shipping company (such as Moving Animals, formerly Ace Pet Moving) might be a way forward? It would likely not be inexpensive, but these are professionals used to the ins-and-outs of getting animals across borders safely and legally.


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FYI, for all traveling with pets, from the BLV, my underline:

https://www.blv.admin.ch/blv/en/home...frettchen.html

Entry controls

Pets entering with their owners from third countries must be presented at the red customs exit. Customs checks animals on entry.

If the animal does not comply with the entry conditions, or if the required documentation is incomplete, the animal will be taken to the border veterinary office in the freight area of the airport for further processing.

This processing is only done during the regular opening hours of the respective border veterinary office. Animals arriving outside these times will be taken to the office's animal facility and not inspected until the next working day. The owner will be charged for transport to the animal facility and other expenses.


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This thread has been an eye opener for me.

Zürich airport arrivals can be confusing for those used to airports where the route from arrival to customs is more controlled. Visitors of ours have gone the wrong way on arrival at E terminal, wandered around, somehow completely bypassed security unchallenged, and ended up in all sorts of odd and forbidden places. Sure, we longtimers may know the airport, but we often forget that it can be confusing for those arriving here for the first time. In future threads, we should all make an effort to emphasize the airport entry control requirements.

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I really hope this upcoming phone call resolves the situation, itsJess.

How is your pup settling in, by the way?

Thanks for checking in, meloncollie my lovely relocation agent has indeed been helping me out with translation and phone calls.

I've just had the telephone call with Sam, who was very friendly and understanding about my situation. She did explain that it is completely the owner's responsibility to ensure they enter Switzerland during business hours, which I have to admit I recall reading this somewhere whilst I was preparing to move, but of course with the flights changing schedules several times and the general move-related chaos, I guess it slipped my mind.

The end result is that I will be charged a penalty for failing to declare, of 100 Sfr. I'm curious that this is a different penalty that axman was quoted but I didn't want to question it.

The process now is that they will send me the penalty notice, which I am to pay, and then sign & send it back to them, along with Zola's pet passport. They will stamp the passport and send it back to me, after which this whole incident will finally be closed.

The 'thank you' buttons don't feel sufficient, so I specifically want to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to this thread, particularly in those early days when relocation stresses were sky high! I'm very grateful to you all.

Zola is doing great - the first 48 hours were a bit tough with lots of adjustments of course, but we now have a routine and I'm very proud of how brave she's getting. We caught a tram for the first time the other day, and getting on was a bit nerve-wracking for her but once we were seated, she simply sat calmly and people-watched with me. She's been checked at the vets of course and I'm very happy with their practice, which is also a big comfort.

We got approved for a rental apartment yesterday (woohoo!) so there are some more changes coming up soon, but it's all for the best as our new home has a fenced in garden - it seems that's quite rare here so I feel very lucky.

Now I can relax and we can start establishing ourselves in our new country

Wow. Good luck to all involved.

Just reading this thread on the suggestion of another poster.

We will keep to the RED when coming in. I will laugh if they try to figure out out cat's value... he was a newborn stay deposited and abandoned by his mom around a week old... so while he was technically free... he's cost us a fortune in vets and the like. And he came with fleas and fumigating a house in Japan costs the equivalent of a small car.
I will laugh (but pay) if they want VAT for him.

You won't have to pay import taxes as your cat has already been part of your family and you are moving here with your pet. Import taxes are for those who already live here, get a pet outside of CH and come back.

Have you had him for more than six months? Then you don't pay VAT in any case.

Well done for managing to rescue a neonate kitten, that is very hard work and fraught with pitfalls. I bet he is incredibly affectionate and a proper little character, hand-reared cats tend to be extra special.

He is easily the most affectionate and friendly cat ever... although he is not friendly towards other cats. I've convinced that he thinks he's human, cannot walk into the room without speaking to us. He'll be three years in August. The day he was rescued by a worker and placed into my wife's hands, she took him to the vet - who told her "Perhaps with care he has a 50% chance of survival." I had more questions than she knew answers to, so I returned to the vet myself that evening, where a relieved looking vet told me "I couldn't tell your wife, but that kitten will not survive."
But he has. And perhaps he'll be the first in his family lineage to travel to Europe.

Sorry to use this thread, but what happens if you bring a puppy that was given for free so you do not have any invoice?
Is there any accepted proof they accept to get the stamp from customs? or how do they value the dog to get the 7.7% paid?

Thanks.

The Swiss rules on bringing animals into the country are very strict. You need to have all the papers in order. If someone gave you the dog, then you need the papers for the dog, anyway. And - and this is just my guess - probably a document stating who gave it to you, when and where.

There's more info over on this thread, about getting it right:
https://www.englishforum.ch/pet-corn...og-seized.html