How to cross the border, customs to Switzerland and France? (page 1 of 3)

Hi everyone. I might sound silly to some, but I don’t care. I live in the Paris region and I’m driving to Switzerland this summer. The thing is, I’m really struggling to understand what I need to do. I’ve read that I have to declare what I’m bringing (GPS, tablet, watch, phone, etc.). Is that true, and what’s the point? How does crossing the border by car work? Is it normally hassle-free, like passing through a toll in France? I have an expired ID card that’s been extended by the state, and I’ve printed the official government document explaining that Switzerland accepts it (just in case).

On the way back to France, we’d like to bring back some chocolate, maybe a little alcohol, some local biscuit boxes, and nothing more. Maybe one or two T-shirts from there, but no cigarettes, no devices, etc. Are there quantity limits? Since it’s just my wife and me, do we need to stop at the border when entering France?

Again, sorry for the basic questions, but we’re really confused, and when I ask customs, they just send me pages to read. So thanks to anyone who takes the time to answer each of my questions.

Switzerland is in Schengen, so crossing is just like in other bordering countries (Italy, Spain, Belgium...)

There are two main things to consider.

The Schengen Area, which allows free movement of people. This area is treated as a single space, with border checks "pushed" to the borders with non-Schengen countries.

As of today, the Schengen Area includes all EU states (with a few exceptions for certain overseas territories) except the UK, Ireland, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, and Cyprus. It also includes non-EU states: Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein.

So, you can travel from southern Spain or Italy all the way to northern Norway without any immigration checks.

That covers people.

The second point is the customs union.

The entire EU (28 countries) has a single customs policy. You can move goods, shop, etc., between countries without formalities or duties.

In addition to these 28 countries, three non-EU members of the European Economic Area—Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein—also apply roughly the same rules.

And you’ll notice Switzerland isn’t mentioned. Special rules apply there, with customs duties if the value of what you’re carrying is too high, quantity allowances, etc.

These rules can be quite restrictive in both directions.

Here’s a Swiss document outlining these rules: www.ezv.admin.ch/...orm.%2018.50)%20.pdf

As for GPS—we’re talking about dedicated devices or apps with radar alerts. In some countries, they’re banned. In Switzerland, even *transporting* them is illegal, and it gets complicated.

And one more small additional detail: you’ll need a vignette for your car (CHF 40.00) if you drive on Swiss highways. You can buy it at customs or at any gas station.

Nothing special—no GPS/Coyote or other radar-detecting gadgets in the vehicle (even if dismantled and stored), a vignette if using the highway, check the regulations mentioned above for exports on your return, 120 km/h on highways, 80 on other roads, watch out for speed cameras. Highway signs are green, other roads are blue (opposite of France). You probably won’t see many customs officers, except maybe a customs vehicle doing random checks anywhere... (in France or Switzerland)...

That’s about it... 😄

Over the past 10 years, I've entered Switzerland about ten times, and they've never asked me for anything except to buy the highway vignette when I entered via the motorway. Pretty nice, really—unlike in other countries like Austria, Slovenia, or the Czech Republic, where they let you in without a vignette and then catch you later.

Hi

For physically crossing the border, check Google Maps. One of the main crossing points between France and Switzerland is in Saint-Julien-en-Genevois on the highway, at the Bardonnex customs. In practice, you’ll go through the checkpoints at a very slow speed—something like 10 km/h. The officer will signal you to stop or pull over for an inspection. If there’s no instruction or staff, just keep going. There’s no systematic check.

Regarding goods, you can bring any used items into Switzerland, including your car, without formalities or tax payments. You can also bring what you need for your trip, like medical treatment (for the duration of your stay) or food. Anything new is limited to 300 CHF (Swiss francs) in value (including gifts) per person.

For the return trip to France, it’s the same. For purchases, the limit is 300 € in value (not cumulative for the same item: for example, it doesn’t apply if you’re two people buying a new tablet for 600 €). Beyond that, you’ll have to pay taxes + VAT. Be careful with certain goods (alcohol, tobacco)—quantity allowances apply: for cigarettes, it’s 200 per person (one carton). For alcohol, I think it’s 1 liter of spirits + 1 liter of non-spirits.

No need to stop if you’re within these limits and/or no officer is present and/or they don’t signal you to stop.

At the same time, bringing back alcohol and cigarettes from Switzerland isn't really worth it given the prices, unless you've been to Samnaun.

I don’t see the point of giving all these explanations to someone who doesn’t feel like reading... The rules are basically the same as for going to Spain or Italy—you don’t need to declare everything you don’t intend to import into Switzerland, and I assume the guy isn’t traveling with his phone or tablet still in its original packaging.

As for bringing back alcohol at full price from a country that doesn’t even produce it—that’s just laughable. He’d be better off checking his international bank card’s spending limit, assuming he even has one.

Remember that a French customs check can also happen well after the border.

I mean, if he’s traveling with a radar detector on his smartphone, using it, and then gets caught at the border or at a red light because it’s visible, he’ll be in deep trouble.

Declaring things is a principle. You either respect it or you don’t. And no, the duty-free allowances and values aren’t the same as for travel within the EU. Just make sure you know what you’re allowed to bring, in either direction.

Remember that a French customs check can also happen well after the border.

True! But if he just wants to smuggle some chocolate and cookies, he’s not risking much. 😏 Drug trafficking usually comes from Spain, and for weapons, I don’t know—you’d have to ask the folks from Marseille’s northern neighborhoods, but I don’t think they transit through Switzerland either. I have family in Switzerland, so I go there often, and customs officers don’t really have time for pointless checks. They only stop cars that look suspicious to them—like luxury cars with four guys inside or, on the flip side, rolling junk heaps that don’t seem like they could afford a vacation in Switzerland. That said, Serge will still need to stop if he has to buy the vignette. Personally, I don’t see the point in smuggling boxes of chocolate—especially since I only like dark chocolate... 😏

The rules are basically the same as for going to Spain or Italy (...) As for bringing back alcohol at a high price from a country that doesn’t produce it, it’s still laughable.

No, the rules are absolutely not the same: the country is outside the EU, which is why there are still physical customs posts with Switzerland, whereas they’ve disappeared within the EU. Switzerland is a wine producer, FYI. And there was a time when the French used to buy their cigarettes in Switzerland, as they were cheaper. Not being a smoker, I don’t know the current price difference. Also, FYI, buying computer equipment is cheaper in Switzerland than in France. Between the tax refund and the taxation in France, you’ll need to do the math to see if it’s worth it. But keep in mind that you’ll have to add 20% VAT when returning to France, which isn’t the case in Spain or Italy.

As for bringing back alcohol at a high price from a country that doesn’t produce it—it’s still laughable.

No alcohol in Switzerland! Well, I never! But why on earth are the banks of the Rhône covered in vineyards, from Geneva to Valais? 😉

It's for decoration, you didn't know that... 😉

Hi, just wanted to point out that Switzerland produces alcohol similar to France… so do your research before making claims.

yes, but more expensive, which limits the interest in importing them

Come on, stop jumping on me! Of course I know Valais wines, but as far as I know, Switzerland doesn’t produce whisky or cognac, and it’s not worth bringing back alcohol that costs twice as much as it does here. Just a reminder—I’ve got family in Switzerland and I’ve been going there since I was a kid.

It’s really Serghio who needs the explanation—I doubt he’s thinking about Swiss wines when he talks about bringing back alcohol. To be honest, I’m not even sure he knows the national currency isn’t the euro and that prices are super high.

oh yes, you bet... 😉

http://www.whisky-suisse.ch/prestige.html

Yeah, yeah, I know all about the currency. And I'm staying with friends, so no worries there. As for alcohol, I don’t see the point in buying a bottle I could find in France 😄. And if I do buy alcohol, it’ll be 2-3 bottles max. They won’t make a fortune off me 😄.