Importing a car from Czechia into Switzerland
Why Czechia?
Czech prices sit below the Western European level, and the country is easy to reach by road. VAT is 21 %. The choice is particularly wide for Škoda and the group's other brands.
The price level is tempting — the vehicle history is the work
The Czech market is strongly shaped by re-imports from Western Europe. A car offered cheaply there was often registered in Germany or Austria first. That is no disadvantage in itself, but it lengthens the chain along which mileage and accident history have to remain traceable. Insist on the complete earlier paperwork, not only the Czech registration document, and have the origin confirmed in writing. With us, no vehicle goes onto the transporter if its documentation does not add up.
What you get back
You reclaim the Czech VAT of 21 % from the seller after export, provided the vehicle was sold under the normal VAT regime and the export is correctly declared. We prepare the export documents the seller needs for that.
What the Swiss side costs
The Swiss charges are the same for every country of origin. Import duty has not applied since 1 January 2024 — with the abolition of industrial tariffs, the duty rate for vehicles is CHF 0.00, regardless of the country of origin. No preferential proof of origin (EUR.1) is needed. The customs declaration itself remains mandatory.
| Charge | Rate | Basis of assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Automobile tax | 4 % | vehicle value plus incidental costs up to the border |
| Import VAT | 8.1 % | as above, plus the automobile tax |
| CO2 penalty | CHF 95 per gram | only for vehicles new under customs law |
| Import duty | CHF 0.00 | since 1 January 2024 |
The 4 % automobile tax does not hit every vehicle: motorcycles and caravans are not listed in the Automobile Tax Act, and neither is a van over 1,600 kg unladen weight. For a motorhome, the CO2 penalty falls away instead.
What to watch when buying
The Czech registration is cancelled for export. Make sure the seller supplies the deregistration certificate.
Transport and process
We arrange transport from Czechia on request. From Prague and western Bohemia the distances are manageable.
The process is the same in every country: you choose the vehicle, we obtain the documents and handle the export, collect the car, clear it at the Thayngen customs office and take you through MFK, the Swiss roadworthiness test, and registration in your canton of residence. Allow two to four weeks; from Czechia we arrange transport on request.
What it costs
You work out the final price for your vehicle in the import calculator — country of origin, vehicle type, all charges and the transport from your collection point. No account, no email address. The individual items are explained in the guide calculating import costs; three fully worked cases are under cost examples.