Switzerland is not part of the European Union. Everyone knows that, at least in theory. But in practice, many Spaniards have been living here for months or years and still shop on Amazon.es, El Corte Inglés or any other Spanish online shop exactly as they used to from Madrid or Barcelona. And then the parcel arrives with a customs form attached that nobody had asked for.
The Swiss border is a real barrier for parcels. Any order arriving from an EU country goes through a proper customs clearance and may be subject to duties. In practice, if the value of the order does not exceed 62 francs for items subject to 8.1% VAT, the duty is less than 5 francs and customs does not charge it. Above that amount, Swiss VAT is applied to the total value, plus any customs duties depending on the type of product: clothing, footwear, electronics and food all have different rates. And when the carrier handles customs clearance, it adds a processing fee which is usually around 15 to 25 francs.
Many large retailers are already registered for Swiss VAT and handle customs clearance before the parcel reaches your door (known as DDP, or ‘delivered duty paid’). Amazon.es, Zara and Mango usually handle this well. The problem lies with small shops, niche marketplaces or distributors that do not have sufficient turnover to register in Switzerland. That’s when the surprise hits.
The simplest way to avoid any surprises before ordering something from Spain is to check whether the seller handles Swiss customs clearance. If this isn’t clearly stated during the purchase, they probably don’t. And the customs invoice will be sent with the parcel.