Importing a car from Germany into Switzerland
Why Germany?
Germany is Europe's largest used-car market: several hundred thousand cars listed at any time on mobile.de and AutoScout24, a dense dealer network that pushes prices down, and the shortest transport routes into Switzerland of any source country. It is also the only market where we inspect and buy the car for you on request.
Regelbesteuert or differenzbesteuert — 19 % ride on it
German VAT is 19 %, but it can only be reclaimed if the car is sold regelbesteuert, the standard scheme, with the tax shown on the invoice. Very many used cars run under the margin scheme instead, the Differenzbesteuerung of § 25a UStG. No VAT is shown there, and there is nothing to reclaim. On mobile.de you recognise it by the filter “Mehrwertsteuer ausweisbar” (VAT can be shown on the invoice). On a car at EUR 30,000 that is a difference of around EUR 4,790 — ask the dealer explicitly before any deposit is paid.
What you get back
You reclaim the 19 % from the seller after export, provided the sale was regelbesteuert and the export properly declared. We draw up the export documents the seller needs for this.
What the Swiss side costs
Swiss charges are identical everywhere. Import duty has not applied since 1 January 2024: with the abolition of industrial tariffs the rate for vehicles is CHF 0.00, regardless of the country of origin. No proof of preferential origin (EUR.1) is needed; the customs declaration itself stays mandatory.
| Charge | Rate | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Automobile tax | 4 % | vehicle value plus costs to the border |
| Import VAT | 8.1 % | as above, plus the automobile tax |
| CO2 penalty | CHF 95 per gram | only for cars 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 named in the Automobile Tax Act, and neither is a van above 1,600 kg unladen weight. With a motorhome, the CO2 penalty falls away instead.
What to watch when buying
Ask for the full service book and written confirmation of freedom from accident damage. From a dealer you get one year of statutory warranty under German law; in a private sale it can be validly excluded. The COC (certificate of conformity) should be on hand before purchase — if it is missing we obtain it, one to four weeks depending on the maker.
Transport and process
We drive from Germany regularly. The process is the same in every country: you choose the car, we obtain the papers and handle the export, collect it at the dealer, clear it at the Thayngen customs office a few hundred metres from our own premises, usually same-day, and take you through MFK, the Swiss roadworthiness test, and registration in your canton. Allow two to four weeks.
What it costs
Work out the final price for your specific car in the import calculator — with source country, vehicle type, all charges and the transport from your own collection point. No registration, no email address. How the items arise is set out in the guide Calculating import costs; three fully calculated cases in Cost examples.