That’s how much you pay when importing wine into Switzerland

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Swiss people like to vacation in neighboring countries. No wonder, because there are dreamy regions like Tuscany or Alsace, all accessible by car and known for their local wine culture. Many wineries offer onsite tastings and sometimes sell their wine directly from the farm. This way, several boxes or crates come together quickly.

When purchasing wine from the winery, the first important step is taken: the VAT refund issue. Of the total value of 300 francs, VAT must be paid when importing into Switzerland. To avoid double taxation, it’s important to ask the winery if they will reimburse local VAT retroactively, provided you can prove that you exported the wines from the EU.

obey customs rules

When issuing the invoice, ask the winery to include your name and home address as the customer on the invoice. When you arrive at the Swiss border, you must first have the EU country’s customs officer stamp the wine invoices. This process confirms that you are exporting the wines from the EU. Unfortunately, more and more EU customs offices will refuse you an export stamp if the goods are over a certain value. This deprives you of the opportunity to refund foreign VAT.

After visiting EU customs, you go to Swiss customs with stamped invoices. In the first stage, the allowance that is exempt from customs duty is calculated. This is five liters of wine per person, but this is only for people who are at least 17 years old. The amount of wine that exceeds the free amount is called the excess amount. You pay tax of two francs per liter. Alcohol content cannot exceed 18 percent, alcoholic beverages subject to higher customs duties according to the Customs Law.

As soon as the value of the goods exceeds 300 francs, you must pay Swiss VAT on the total value. The customs officer will then stamp the invoice and allow you to continue your journey to Switzerland. With stamped invoices, the foreign winery has to pay you back the foreign VAT, at least in theory. Therefore, it is important to clarify this issue at the winery before purchasing the wine.

An important feature applies to so-called product samples. Swiss customs law is no exception here and treats every wine equally. If a particular wine has an unrealistically low value or no bill on the bill, customs officials will determine the normal market value of the wine simply by searching the internet. If Swiss customs is closed when you cross the border, you can easily clear customs with the QuickZoll app.

Source : Blick