Import a car from Norway to Switzerland

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

In short: When you import a car from Norway into Switzerland, 4 % automobile tax and 8.1 % import VAT are due, plus the CO₂ penalty if the vehicle counts as new under customs law. Import duty has no longer applied since 1 January 2024. As a rule, there is no refund of foreign VAT.

Why Norway

Norway is the largest used market for electric cars in Europe: nowhere else is the choice of young EVs with high specification and a complete service record comparable. For a Swiss import that counts twice, because a purely electric vehicle emits no CO2 and no CO2 penalty is due.

No VAT comes back here, and that is not a mistake

Norway belongs to the EEA, but not to the EU and not to the EU customs territory. The export therefore runs through a Norwegian export clearance, not an EU export. The decisive point for your calculation: used cars that were already registered in Norway are normally sold without Norwegian VAT. There is then no VAT for you to reclaim. Our calculator therefore applies a refund of 0 % for Norway and treats the asking price as a net price. Anyone budgeting with 25 % is out by several thousand francs. The one-off levy contained in the price, the engangsavgift, is a different matter: on younger cars part of it can come back.

How much tax comes back from Norway?

Skatteetaten, the Norwegian tax administration, refunds the engangsavgift on application, reduced according to the vehicle's age, if the car was first registered in Norway on or after 26 June 2014, is less than ten years old and has a valid EU roadworthiness test. The refund goes to whoever owns the vehicle at the time of export, as shown by the register or the purchase agreement. Amounts below NOK 7,500 are not paid out. A listing at NOK 300,000 goes into the calculator as a net price of NOK 300,000; we do not include any refund of the one-off levy, because its amount depends on the individual case.

On the Swiss side, origin makes no difference, not even for a car from Norway: a zero duty rate, 4 % automobile tax, 8.1 % import VAT and, on cars that count as new under customs law, the CO₂ penalty. How the amounts are worked out is set out in the country comparison; motorcycles and caravans pay no automobile tax.

Which papers does export from Norway need?

From a vehicle value of NOK 5,000, Norwegian customs require an export declaration. You have to stop at the border and present it. Anyone who wants the one-off levy back must have the declaration attested at the time of export itself; customs will not attest it afterwards. The refund is only paid once the vehicle has been deregistered from the Norwegian register, and the application with all supporting documents must reach Skatteetaten no later than one year after export.

What to watch when buying

Because Norway applies EU type approval, a COC document is usually available even so: the basis for a smooth Swiss registration. With electric vehicles, check the condition of the traction battery and ask for a current battery report.

How far is it from Norway to Switzerland?

From Oslo to Thayngen it is 1,881 km, around 20 hours of pure driving time; from Bergen it is 2,340 km. The road runs through Sweden, over the Øresund Bridge and through Denmark into Germany, and ends via the A81 at the Bietingen–Thayngen crossing.

Transport from Norway we arrange on request. The distance is considerable, so time and cost run well above an import from Germany.

As a rule, you buy the car in Norway yourself. What stays with you after that and what we take on, up to MFK and registration, depends on the package (package overview). The import calculator works out the final price for a car from Norway.

Frequently asked questions

Do I get VAT back when I import from Norway?

As a rule, no. Used cars that were registered in Norway are normally sold without VAT, so there is nothing to reclaim. The one-off registration tax, the engangsavgift, on the other hand, is partly refunded by Skatteetaten for vehicles under ten years old, to whoever owns the car at the time of export.

Is an electric car from Norway worth it?

The choice is the widest anywhere in Europe and the cars are often very well equipped. Expect high transport costs, though, and no VAT refund. The 4 % automobile tax and 8.1 % import VAT are due on electric cars as well; a CO₂ penalty does not apply.

Is Norway in the EU?

No. Norway belongs to the EEA, but not to the EU and not to the EU customs territory. The car therefore leaves the country under a Norwegian export declaration. Norway does apply EU type approval, so a COC document is usually available.

Is there any import duty on a car imported from Norway?

No. Since industrial tariffs were abolished, the Swiss duty rate for vehicles has been CHF 0.00 since 1 January 2024 — regardless of the country of origin and with no proof of origin. Automobile tax, import VAT and, on new vehicles, the CO₂ penalty remain payable. The customs declaration itself is still mandatory.

How long does an import from Norway take?

Allow two to four weeks from the purchase contract. From Norway we arrange transport on request; collection needs a little more lead time. We usually complete customs clearance at the Thayngen customs office the same day.

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.

Finsler Customs GmbH

Company

Services

Calculators and tools

Location

Import by country of origin

Import by vehicle type

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

Imprint · Privacy · Terms · Sitemap