Import a car from Norway to Switzerland
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 full 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. The one-off levy contained in the price, the engangsavgift, is not refunded on export either. 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.
What you get back
As a rule there is no VAT refund here — the reasons are set out below. Our calculator therefore treats the asking price as a net price.
What the Swiss side costs
The Swiss charges are the same for every country of origin. No import duty has been payable since 1 January 2024: with the abolition of industrial tariffs the duty rate for vehicles is CHF 0.00, whatever the 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 costs up to the border |
| Import VAT | 8.1 % | As above, plus the automobile tax |
| CO2 penalty | CHF 95 per gram | Only 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 named in the Automobile Tax Act, nor is a van over 1,600 kg unladen weight. For a motorhome, the CO2 penalty falls away instead.
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.
Transport and process
Transport from Norway we arrange on request. The distance is considerable, so time and cost run well above an import from Germany.
The process is the same everywhere: you choose the vehicle, we obtain the documents, handle the export, collect the car, clear it at the Thayngen customs office and take you through MFK and registration in your canton. Allow two to four weeks; from Norway we arrange transport on request.
What it costs
Work out the final price in the import calculator: origin, vehicle type, all charges and transport from your collection address, with no sign-up and no email address. The individual items are explained in calculating import costs, three fully worked cases under cost examples.