Duty-free allowances: foodstuffs, alcohol and tobacco

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Goods that you import for your private use or as gifts are duty-free except for so-called sensitive goods, excess quantities of which are subject to customs duty for agricultural or health policy reasons (see table below). Duty-free allowances are applied per person per day.

Duty-free allowances

Goods	Duty-free allowances1) per person per day	Customs duties in CHF for excess quantities1)
Animal products2)
Meat and meat products derived from all animal species, excluding wild animals, fish, crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates.	1 kg2) in total	up to 10 kg: 17 per kg more than 10 kg: 23 per kg
Included are: all parts of animal carcasses fit for consumption (with or without bones) sausages containing meat or blood other meat products food preparations, e. g. prepared meals and dishes as roast beef with mashed potatoes, with a sausage, meat or blood content of over 20 percent by weight. The decisive factor for the calculation of the duty-free allowances and the duties is not only the meat content, but the total weight of the preparation. This does not include bone marrow, bones for stock, and dog and cat food in individual packets marked as animal feed.
Butter and cream (with a fat content of 15 % or more)	1 kg/litre2) in total	16 per kg/litre
Oils and fats2)
Oils, fats, margarine for human consumption	5 kg/litre2) in total	2 per kg/litre
Alcoholic beverages
(The duty-free allowances are only granted to persons who are at least 17 years old)
with an alcohol content by volume of under 18%	maximum 5 litres	2 per litre
with an alcohol content by volume of over 18%	maximum 1 litre	15 per litre
Beverages with an alcohol content by volume of not more than 0.5% are not considered as alcoholic beverages.
Tabacco products (including tobacco substitutes)
(The duty-free allowances are only granted to persons who are at least 17 years old)
cigarettes / cigars /heated tobacco products/cartridges containing nicotine for e-cigarettes or Other tobacco products or Liquids containing nicotine for e-cigarettes or Disposable e-cigarettes or A proportional selection of these products	250 units in total      250g in total   250ml   25 units	0.25 per unit   0.10 per gramme   0.25 per ml   2.50 per unit
Other goods
Other foodstuffs and goods2)		duty-free

¹⁾ The gross weight is used as the assessment basis

²⁾ Imports of animal products are only permitted from EU member states, Iceland, Northern Ireland and Norway. It is prohibited to import animal products from other countries.

³⁾ «Game» refers to land mammals and birds which live in the wild or are kept in enclosures such as antelopes, elk, hares, chamois, kangaroos, marmots, coypus, partridges, reindeer, ibexes, ostriches, pigeons, quails, wild ducks, wild geese and wild boar.

⁴⁾ Or a proportional selection of these products.

Key information

Please note: If the total value of the goods carried (including the value of all foodstuffs) exceeds CHF 300, you will have to pay VAT in any case. Further information

Please also note that additional restrictions exist for certain animal products as well as for certain plant products.

Items ordered abroad that are delivered by post or courier

Other provisions apply to foodstuffs that are ordered abroad (e.g. online) and are delivered by post or courier. Further information

Further info

Customs info: essential information at a glance (PDF, 1 MB, 31.08.2023)With this brochure, we wish to help make your passage through Swiss Customs a smooth one. Are you familiar with our QuickZoll app?