Dear all,


I have been doing some research, but I still couldn't find the answer that I am looking for, so I was hoping I could find someone that has been through a similar situation.



My husband and I bought a Toyota CHR Hybrid in September 2019 in Portugal-EU (it is now our own for more or less 6 months, although we have a bank loan for its payment).



We have now moved to Switzerland and are thinking about importing the car from Portugal to Switzerland, by driving it through the border.



Assuming that we are importing it after 6 months of owning the car (and thus, it should be included as our personal asset with the move, exempt from VAT), which costs should we take into consideration with this import?


Many thanks in advance for your help!

None. Oh wait, there might be an admin fee for the importation document, I'm guessing around 50-100chf.

You have a year from moving here to re-register it in CH, at which point you'll be liable for 'normal' costs like annual tax, insurance, vignette, MFK etc. etc.

All this assuming it's a standard model also available in Switzerland.

The better assumption would be: "Assuming that we became Swiss residents after 6 months of owning the car....."

Yes, I missed that. The six month ownership is set to your date of residence starting, not the date you import the vehicle. So if you bought it less than six months before coming here you'll be liable for the full amount of VAT on the purchase price, regardless of how long you've owned it at the time you bring it here.

It is only to be imported as taxfree personal good if you declared it the moment you entered Switzerland with all your other stuff to live here and if you owned the car a minimum of 6 months at that date.

The first thing they could be friendly and say "yeah sure do it now", the second one is a rock solid demand.

Thank you all for your kind replies and assistance.


Moreover, I appreciated the clarification regarding the 6 months ownership of the car and its connection to the VAT costs.


We have already applied for residency but we have not yet imported any goods so far (without the proper permit issued we should not be able to do it anyway). Hopefully the date of residency will correspond to more or less 6 months of ownership of the car.


Lets see then!


I would also appreciate to know your opinion regarding the most advantageous choice: import a (basically new) car to CH or consider buying a car in CH?


At the moment I don't see a disadvantage in importing our car, as it is, in our view, a good one - spacious, economic, pretty (it also counts eh? ) ... But I am afraid I may not be seeing the big picture.



I wish you all a pleasant week.

You already live here, so you already signed up with the city? Have a look at what you could get for yours, and have a look what a comparable car would cost here. Take in account the costs for importing and you have the math which you should take along in your decision.

It definitely will be more or less than 6 months.


I don't see any problem with it in principle.

Olá,

I’m also moving to Switzerland this year. Being Portuguese I know how dependent we are from the car.

I’m considering not buying a car in Switzerland. The money that a car will cost me plus the insurance, road tax, leasing and savings for maintenance I can easily rent a car only when needed.

I will be using public transportation all week so the car will be parked at home burning money everyday until I use it in the weekend. I understand that I might need a car if I have a need for it everyday. If not, I think it’s a unnecessary expense.

Have you considered this? I don’t know your life needs of course.

Not so. You don't need to declare all your personal goods at the time you first enter the country. Not sure if there's an official deadline, but if you think about it very many people will move here first with just a few bags and then get the moving truck to come over in the first month or two after they start living here, once they've found permanent accommodation.

We actually (officially) imported our car nearly two years after I'd first moved here, just under a year after my wife had joined me. The car was registered in her name, and we'd owned it, at the time her B permit was issued, for about a year and a half.

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Law says that at the moment somebody moves his residency personal goods have to be declared, law also says that goods that will arrive later in principle have to be declared during that first declaration but you have two yrs to actually take the goods across the border. Also EU people do not need a permit to make such declaration a labour or rental contract is enough. Also it does not matter when you got your permit, the day the residency has been moved is the date that counts for the 6 months.

Jibber jabber.. don't move goods in to the country as the swiss will steal them.

Hello there! I think my husband (Thyrandus) already told me about you two - I wish you all the best with your move and do not hesitate to contact us if you need any assistance
I totally agree with your statement. In CH the transportation is amazing in comparison with Portugal in general, so if it is just the two of you, it would be an extra cost that would not compensate.
In our case, we are having a baby, so on the long run we think it may be smart to have a car to give us more flexibility on our free time. So, yeah, we'll see how it will turn out!

Thank you so much for your help and advice EdwinNL! Yes we will wait a little bit more and consider the costs. We have to anyway, with the eminent situation at the borders - maybe it is not the right time to make that trip.

Sorry, this post was meant to reply to @jncunha. Still learning the ropes of the blog

Thank you .

Well if you are having a baby maybe it's smart to have some kind of private transportation. Wish you both all the best with your baby .

when registering it here it will need to pass the MFK test in your canton (100 CHF). for a new car it is a no-brainer it will pass it.
it only matters if you use special things like headlights etc which are not homologated in Switzerland.

Also, buying a car here usually comes with warranty and a service package.

Thank you!

You never answered if you already owned the car for a minimum of six months when you registered yourself in Switzerland.

I think they did the best they could to answer it

The question there is simply whether the date runs from their original entry (on an EU passport so potentially without registering at all) or the date their permit is issued. They're assuming the latter, which seems reasonable.