By Anna Katharina Finsler, Managing Director, Finsler Customs GmbH · Last updated: 8 October 2026

Guide

Import service or import it yourself?

Importing yourself saves CHF 1,000–2,000 in service fees, depending on the provider. In return you spend 2–4 working days (collection, export, customs, MFK) and bear the risk for the papers and the VAT refund. A service provider such as Finsler Customs pays off if you want to save time and hand over these risks, especially on expensive cars.

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Black small car with a red German number plate in a garage, a white car next to it

Who handles what?

With self-import all 5 rows of the table are yours: export declaration, transport, duties, inspection appointment and the paperwork risk. Through a service provider, Finsler Customs takes them over depending on the package: Basic covers customs clearance, Komfort adds transport and, on request, the purchase, Premium also the MFK and registration.

	Yourself	Through us
Export declaration	You arrange it with the seller	We prepare it
Transport	Export plate and short-term insurance, or your own transporter	Insured transport included
Duties at the border	Paid in cash by you	Handled through our account
Inspection appointment	You book and attend	We organise and present the vehicle
Paperwork risk (COC, 13.20 A)	With you	With the service provider

What does importing it yourself really cost?

It costs you two to four working days for collection, export, customs clearance and, where required, the MFK, and in return saves roughly CHF 1,000–2,000 in service fees. Measured against our fee, which starts at 3 % of the net purchase price, the arithmetic is closer than it first looks, because three items rarely appear in a table.

The trip out to the seller and back. You need a German export plate (registration office fee about EUR 30–40, plates about EUR 20–40) with third-party liability insurance (about EUR 80–90 for 15 days, about EUR 90–110 for a month); German vehicle tax is due for at least one month. Add the journey itself: train out, drive back, one working day, sometimes two.

The duties in cash at the border. Without your own customs account you pay the automobile tax and import VAT directly on entry. On a CHF 30,000 vehicle that is around CHF 3,700 that has to be available — at a customs office, on a working day, during opening hours.

The risk that clearance does not go through. If a document is missing or the declared value does not match the paperwork, the vehicle stays put. Then it takes a second trip — or an interim solution that costs money and is negotiated under time pressure.

Add those three items up before you compare the service fee against zero. On a single import the difference is often much smaller than the fee line alone suggests.

Warranty: the difference you notice only later

Buying from a German dealer gives you one year of statutory warranty under German law. In a private sale it can be validly excluded — and almost always is.

The difference only bites when something goes wrong. And then comes the question people rarely ask beforehand: against whom exactly does the claim lie, and where? On a self-import, against a seller in another country, in their language and under their law. That is not a theoretical obstacle; it is the reason most claims arising from private imports are never pursued.

If you commission us to buy the vehicle for you, we do so as a fiduciary: on your behalf and for your account. The purchase contract and the invoice are in your name, so warranty claims still lie against the seller. But you have a contact in Switzerland who handled the purchase, knows the documents and helps you assert a claim.

Separate from that is the manufacturer's warranty. With most makes it applies across Europe and therefore in Switzerland too, regardless of who imports. Do check the conditions though: some makes require a complete service record, and on electric vehicles the battery warranty is occasionally tied to the country of registration.

When does what make sense?

Importing yourself saves around CHF 1,000–2,000 compared with a service provider, but costs you 2–4 working days and the full risk for papers and deadlines. It pays off if you buy close to the border and have the time. For an expensive car, little time or a first import, the Komfort and Premium packages fit better.

You live near the border and the car is close by. If collection is half a day and needs no overnight stay, the arithmetic shifts noticeably.

You have done it before. Anyone who knows the process, has a customs office nearby and knows which documents are asked for carries the risk of a failed clearance knowingly and rates it low.

It is an inexpensive vehicle. On a car at EUR 6,000 a service fee weighs far more in percentage terms than on one at EUR 40,000 — and the absolute risks are smaller.

The seller knows exports and the papers are complete. Otherwise the saving tends to evaporate on the first thing that goes wrong.

Conversely, much speaks for letting us handle it when the vehicle is new under customs law (there the CO₂ calculation decides four-figure sums), when it is a private purchase abroad, or when the COC is missing.

Frequently asked questions

How much do I really save by importing myself?

Depending on the provider and the package, around CHF 1,000–2,000 in service fees. Set against that are two to four working days for collection, export, customs clearance and, where required, the MFK test, plus the full risk for papers, deadlines and the VAT refund. On more expensive vehicles the saving counts for less, because a single mistake can quickly cost more than the service.

What is the biggest mistake when importing yourself?

A faulty or forgotten export declaration at German customs. Without a stamped proof of export the dealer will not refund the German VAT; the mistake can hardly be put right afterwards and costs several thousand francs. Next come missing COC certificates and a customs value declared too low, which can be prosecuted as a customs offence.

Can I buy the car myself and hand over only the customs clearance?

Yes. Customs clearance on its own is the Basic package: a fixed CHF 350 incl. VAT plus duties and taxes. You buy the vehicle and bring it over yourself; at the Thayngen border crossing Finsler Customs handles the customs declaration, the calculation of the charges and the paperwork, including form 13.20 A and the documents for the Stammnummer and the MFK. That saves you most of the service costs for a manageable amount of your own effort.

Sources and legal basis

The statements on this page rest on the following official publications. The wording of the enactments in force is always decisive.

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Finsler Customs GmbH · Rebbergstrasse 6 · 8240 Thayngen · +41 77 246 76 37 · info@finsler-customs.ch · Mon–Fri 08:00–17:00

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