Vehicle import services
In brief: Finsler Customs offers six services for imports from Germany: the import with Komfort or Premium for a fee from 3 % of the net purchase price, customs clearance alone as the Basic package for CHF 350 incl. VAT plus charges, vehicle sourcing, the document service for COC and vehicle title, free import advice before you buy, and detailing on quotation.
Finsler Customs GmbH, based in Thayngen (canton of Schaffhausen), handles vehicle imports from Germany into Switzerland – in three packages: Basic (customs clearance only), Komfort (transport, customs clearance and delivery; on request we also buy the car on your behalf) and Premium (adding the MFK and registration). The company sits about a kilometre from the Thayngen border crossing, one of the main crossings for vehicles coming out of southern Germany. That is why clearance is usually done the same day.
The services at a glance
| Service | Who it suits | Price range |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle import Germany–Switzerland | Anyone who wants to hand the whole import over – transport, customs, MFK (Motorfahrzeugkontrolle, the cantonal roadworthiness test), registration and, on request, the purchase | 3 % up to CHF 70,000, 3.5 % up to CHF 100,000, 4 % above that, each applied to the whole price; for CHF 40,000 that is CHF 1,200 (Komfort) or CHF 1,450 (Premium), plus VAT |
| Customs clearance | Anyone who has bought the vehicle themselves and hands over only the border formalities | Basic package: fixed CHF 350 incl. VAT plus duties and taxes |
| Vehicle sourcing | Anyone looking for a particular model who leaves the search at German dealers to us | included in Komfort and Premium |
| Document service | Anyone who has to obtain a replacement COC or a Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil II (German registration certificate, part II) | included in every package |
| Import advice | Anyone who wants to know before buying whether the import pays off | free of charge |
| Vehicle detailing | Anyone who wants the vehicle detailed after the import, while it is with us anyway | on quotation |
How an import runs
The sequence is the same in every case, no matter how many steps you hand over:
| Step | What happens | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Calculation | Record the vehicle data, work out the duties, taxes and incidental costs | same day |
| 2. Purchase | Sales contract with the German dealer, prepare the export procedure | 1–3 days |
| 3. Transport | Collection from the dealer, run to the customs office | 1–5 days |
| 4. Customs clearance | Declaration in Thayngen, duties and taxes, Form 13.20 A inspection report | same day |
| 5. MFK | Appointment at the cantonal road traffic office, technical inspection | 1–8 weeks depending on the canton |
| 6. Registration | Licence plates, handover of the road-ready vehicle | 1–2 days |
The financial picture comes beforehand from the car import calculator; the full sequence is described in the guide The import process step by step.
The services in detail
Vehicle import Germany–Switzerland
A complete vehicle import from Germany into Switzerland with Komfort or Premium: purchase on request, transport and customs clearance, and with Premium also the MFK and registration.
Vehicle cleaning and preparation
Preparation after the import: wheels, engine bay, cabin filter, upholstery, paintwork and underbody — by quotation, matched to the condition of the vehicle.
Customs clearance
Professional customs clearance for vehicles at the Thayngen border: electronic declaration, customs certificate 13.20 A, automobile tax and VAT. Basic package: a fixed CHF 350 incl. VAT plus duties and taxes.
Vehicle sourcing
Have the vehicle you want found in Germany: market research, condition check, price negotiation and purchase handled by Finsler Customs.
Document service
Obtaining and checking every import document: COC certificate, customs certificate 13.20 A, inspection report and registration papers.
Import advice
Personal advice before you import a car: every cost calculated item by item, VAT situation and warranty checked, and a verdict on whether the import is worth it.
Figures and timeframes at a glance
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Fee for Komfort or Premium | 3 % up to CHF 70,000, 3.5 % up to CHF 100,000, 4 % above that, each applied to the whole price; for CHF 40,000 that is CHF 1,200 (Komfort) or CHF 1,450 (Premium), plus VAT |
| Customs clearance on its own (Basic package) | fixed CHF 350 incl. VAT plus duties and taxes |
| Import advice before the purchase | CHF 0 |
| Automobile tax / import VAT | 4 % / 8.1 % |
| Import duty since 1 January 2024 | CHF 0 |
| Form 13.20 A inspection report | CHF 20, or CHF 5 if the declarant affixes the Stammnummer themselves |
| Typical total duration | 2 to 4 weeks, longer in cantons with a long MFK wait |
Sources and legal basis
The information on this page rests on the official publications below. The wording of the legislation in force is always what counts.
- Swiss Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (FOCBS) – Importing vehicles into Switzerland
- FOCBS – Customs declaration and taxes on a vehicle import
- Automobile Tax Act (AStG, SR 641.51) (German text)
- Value Added Tax Act (MWSTG, SR 641.20)
One process, not separate products
The pages below describe parts of the same process, not separate products. On a full import they run in sequence: we find the vehicle or take over the link to your listing, buy it on your behalf and for your account if you wish, obtain the papers, bring it over, clear it at the border in Thayngen and take you through the MFK inspection and registration in your canton of residence. We do not sell vehicles ourselves.
Booking therefore happens as a package, not item by item. Basic covers the customs papers and the declaration — you buy and drive yourself. Komfort takes on the purchase on your behalf if you wish, plus transport and delivery to your door. Premium adds the MFK, registration, Swiss plate holders and the digital motorway vignette; after that the vehicle stands in front of you on Swiss plates.
If all you need is customs clearance, book Basic. Customs clearance on its own is the Basic package: a fixed CHF 350 incl. VAT plus duties and taxes. You then buy the vehicle yourself and bring it to the border yourself.
What that comes to for your specific vehicle is worked out by the import calculator — with country of origin, vehicle type, all charges and transport from your own collection address. Calculating needs no sign-up. With “Get a quotation” you request the offer (if you have no customer account yet, you create one along the way; no confirmation e-mail is needed); it arrives by e-mail and is valid for 7 days. The order becomes binding when you accept the terms and the privacy policy in your customer account and click “Place binding order”, or when you confirm it in writing by e-mail; in both cases the contract is only concluded when we accept the order.
Frequently asked questions about our services
Can I book individual services instead of a whole package?
Customs clearance, yes: on its own it is the Basic package, a fixed CHF 350 incl. VAT plus duties and taxes. You then handle the purchase, the collection and the drive across the border yourself. The other steps of an import, including transport across the border, come only with Komfort or Premium, because they build on one another: without an export declaration in the country of origin the foreign VAT does not come back, and without clearance there is no form 13.20 A for registration. You can also book a vehicle transport within Switzerland and vehicle detailing on their own; import advice is free of charge.
What is the difference between Komfort and Premium?
Premium also includes the MFK inspection and registration, plus Swiss plate holders and the digital motorway vignette; those two come only with Premium. Everything else — purchase handling on request, export, transport, clearance, customs account, exchange-rate security and delivery to your door — is in both. With Komfort you arrange the MFK appointment yourself and register the vehicle with the road traffic office; with Premium we do both. Passenger cars registered abroad for no more than a year and with no more than 2,000 km have been registered without an MFK since 1 January 2026 — the inspection then falls away entirely.
How long does the whole process take?
Two to four weeks. The clearance itself usually takes half a day at the Thayngen customs office — our premises are about a kilometre away. Two things stretch it: a missing COC the manufacturer has to supply, and the wait for an MFK slot in your canton of residence.
Do you only handle vehicles from Germany?
No. We import from eleven countries: Germany, Austria, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Czechia, Poland, Sweden and Norway. Germany is the largest market and the shortest route, but the refund of the foreign VAT differs considerably — from 17 % in Luxembourg to 25 % in Sweden, and none at all in Norway.
What if unforeseen costs arise along the way?
Our fee is fixed with the quotation. For the exchange rate we use the official customs rate on the quotation date; in the Komfort and Premium packages we do not charge for exchange-rate fluctuations up to the time of payment, except on the purchase price where we buy the vehicle on your behalf, which we settle at the rate actually paid. The Basic package has no exchange-rate protection. What is not fixed are the fees charged by the authorities and costs incurred with third parties: a higher assessment by customs, additional road-traffic-office fees, rectifying defects after a failed MFK, a replacement COC. Those costs are borne by the customer. We pass them on at the actual amount, without a mark-up, and commission nothing without speaking to you first.
Google reviews
As of October 2026
-
Roger Bührer
«Das ist Dienstleistung pur. Auch bei nicht alltäglichen Aufgaben stets die Lösung gefunden und zielorientiert kommuniziert. Besten Dank.»
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Patrick Weberin French
«Très professionnel, très réactif. A recommander et je n'hésiterai pas à faire à nouveau appel à eux.»
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Miriam
«Habe mein Auto über Finsler Customs erhalten und war mit dem Prozess sehr zufrieden. Der Ablauf war sehr schnell und ich konnte mein Auto dadurch wesentlich günstiger erhalten als in der Schweiz. Vielen Dank, gerne wieder :)»
Google reviews, quoted word for word in the original language (German or French).
Company
Services
- All services
- Vehicle import DE→CH
- Customs clearance
- Vehicle sourcing
- Document service
- Import advice
- Vehicle detailing
Calculators and tools
- Import calculator
- Swiss customs fees
- CO₂ calculator
- CO₂ penalty
- Transport calculator
- Car transport to CH
- Check the Stammnummer
- FlexiMoto.ch
Location
Import by country of origin
- Importing a car from Germany into Switzerland
- Importing a car from Austria into Switzerland
- Import a car from France into Switzerland
- Import a car from Italy to Switzerland
- Import a car from the Netherlands into Switzerland
- Import a car from Belgium to Switzerland
- Importing a car from Luxembourg into Switzerland
- Importing a car from Czechia into Switzerland
- Importing a car from Poland into Switzerland
- Import a car from Sweden into Switzerland
- Import a car from Norway to Switzerland
Import by vehicle type
- Importing a passenger car into Switzerland
- Importing a motorcycle into Switzerland
- Importing a van up to 3.5 t into Switzerland
- Importing a motorhome into Switzerland
- Importing a caravan into Switzerland