Points of entrance into Switzerland, and thus into the Schengen area, are divided into "Schengen" and "non-Schengen" sections. If you are flying from outside Europe into one Schengen country and continuing to another, you will clear Immigration and Customs at the first country and then continue to your destination with no further checks. Travel between a Schengen member and a non-Schengen country will result in the normal border checks.

There are usually two lines at a point of entry: "To Declare" and "Nothing to Declare". If you are within the permissible limits of import, you can go through "Nothing to Declare". If you are carrying more than the limits (i.e. have more then the permissible level of cash), you will need to declare and pay the penalties. People are randomly selected out of the "Nothing to Declare" line and their goods are inspected. If found to be importing illegally, harsh fines will be imposed.

Permissible Imports for non-EU citizens:
• Tobacco products - 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250 grams of tobacco
• Alcohol - 1 liter of spirits over 22 % vol. or 2 liters of fortified wine or sparkling wine 2 liters of still wine or 16 liters of beer
• Perfume - 50 Grams
• Eau de toilette - 250 ml
• Currency over 10,000 euro - (or its equivalent in other currencies)
• Other goods- Up to a value of 430 Euro (150 euro for individuals under 15)

Additional Permissible Imports for EU citizens:
• Tobacco products - 800 cigarettes, 400 cigarillos (max. 3g each), 200 cigars and 1kg of smoking tobacco
• Alcohol - 10 liters of spirits over 22% and ethyl alcohol, 20 liters of alcoholic beverages less than 22%, 90 liters of wine (though no more than 60 liters of sparkling wine) and 110 liters of beer

Restricted Imports:
• Products of animal origin- meat, meat products, milk and milk products
• Animal or plants- wildlife animals or plants
• Illegal Drugs
• Medicines
• Weapons
• Explosive Material
• Pornographic Materials
• Currency over 10,000 euros

For complete information on Switzerland's customs, go to Switzerland's Federal Administration.

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Departure

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Destination

Choose country Choose country AfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBrazilBritish Virgin IslandsBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaColombiaComorosCongoCook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCyprusCzech RepublicDemocratic Republic of CongoDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl salvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFaroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuatemalaGuinea-BissauGuinea-ConakryGuyanaHaitiHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsraelItalyIvory CoastJamaicaJapanJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKosovoKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacauMacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNepalNetherlandsNetherlands AntillesNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNorth KoreaNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestinePanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarReunionRomaniaRussiaRwandaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth KoreaSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuelaVietnamVirgin IslandsWallis and FutunaYemenZambiaZimbabwe

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Pets

Many people want to bring their pet with them on their travels and while that is entirely possible, it does require some planning and preparation. Entry may be refused if the animal is not in good health.

Documentation Necessary

Microchip - to verify pets identity. All microchips conforming to the ISO standards are easily readable.

Vaccination - Every pet older than 3 months must be vaccinated against rabies. The pet must be vaccinated against rabies at least 21 days before arrival. However the vaccination cannot be older than 12 months from the date of arrival to the EU. Dogs must also get full shots for Distemper, Hepatitis, Leptospirosis, Parvo, and DHLPP. Cats must also be vaccinated against Viral Rhinotracheitis, Calcivirus, and Panleukopenia.

Certificate of good health - Issued by a vet after an exam.

For complete information on taking your pet abroad, read EasyExpat's article on "Expat Pets".

Custom's Resources

U.S. Citizens: The free pamphlet "Know Before You Go" at www.cbp.gov is very helpful. (Click on "Travel" and then click on "Know Before You Go! Online Brochure").
You can also contact:
U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP)
1300 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington, DC 20229
Tel. 877/287-8667

Canadian Citizens: "I Declare", issued by the Canada Border Services Agency (tel. 800/461-9999 in Canada, or 204/983-3500 ) is helpful.

U.K. Citizens: HM Customs & Excise at tel. 0845/010-9000 (from outside the U.K., 020/8929-0152) can help.

Australian Citizens: A helpful brochure is available from Australian consulates or Customs offices called "Know Before You Go". Call the Australian Customs Service at tel. 1300/363-263, or log on to http://www.customs.gov.au/.

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