Importing a motorhome into Switzerland
No CO₂ levy — that is where the money sits on a motorhome
Motorhomes are vehicles with a special purpose and are not covered by the CO₂ emission rules; registration does not require a CO₂ certificate either. That is cash: a motorhome on a van base regularly emits between 180 and 250 g/km. If it were a passenger car, a young vehicle would quickly run up several thousand francs in penalties. On a motorhome it is zero.
The automobile tax, by contrast, is very much due. BAZG Directive 68 lists motorhomes explicitly among the passenger cars of tariff numbers 8703.1000–9060. A web search occasionally claims the opposite; checked against the primary source, that claim is wrong.
The charges at a glance
| Charge | Motorhome |
|---|---|
| Customs tariff number | 8703 |
| Import duty | CHF 0.00 (since 1 January 2024) |
| Automobile tax 4 % | yes, except above 3,500 kg gross weight |
| Import VAT 8.1 % | yes |
| CO₂ levy | no |
| MFK (Swiss roadworthiness test) | yes |
Basis: BAZG Directive 68 on the automobile tax, version of 1 July 2026, section 1.1 on Art. 2 of the Automobile Tax Act. The rate of CHF 0.00 follows from the abolition of industrial tariffs on 1 January 2024.
What to check
The decisive line is the gross weight of 3,500 kg. Below it you drive on a category B licence, there is no flat heavy vehicle charge, and the automobile tax is owed. Above it all three points flip: you need category C1, the vehicle becomes liable to the heavy vehicle charge (Schwerverkehrsabgabe) — and is therefore exempt from the automobile tax. Check the registered gross weight before you buy, it is stated in the vehicle documents.
Process and costs
The process is no different from a passenger car: you choose the vehicle, we obtain the papers, handle the export in the country of origin, collect the vehicle, clear it at the Thayngen customs office and take you through inspection and registration. You work out the final price in the import calculator: vehicle type, country of origin and every charge, without registering.
The country you import from does not change the Swiss charges, but it does change the VAT refund at origin: from 17 % in Luxembourg to 25 % in Sweden — and nothing at all in Norway.