Salt cannot be freely imported into Switzerland, as it is a state-regulated commodity. The Swiss government holds a monopoly on salt import and distribution for historical and domestic production protection reasons.
Anyone wishing to import salt requires a special permit and authorization from Swiss authorities. Without this permit, it is not possible to export products containing salt to Switzerland.
These regulations apply to solid substances with 30% or more sodium chloride and liquid substances with 18% or more sodium chloride. Products with lower concentrations may be imported without restrictions.
If your products exceed these sodium chloride limits and you have the required permit, please inform us at customs@packeta.com
VOC stands for Volatile Organic Compounds. These are chemical substances that easily evaporate into the air – often found in paints, varnishes, cleaning agents, cosmetics, and aerosols.
If the shipment contains products with VOC content, this information must be included in the customs declaration.
The amount of VOC in the product should be stated in kilograms (kg).
Precious metals include items containing silver, gold, palladium, or platinum – even products merely plated with silver. These commodities are subject to special customs reporting requirements.
If you ship such goods, please provide the relevant information during onboarding via customs@packeta.com
Books and certain food items are subject to a reduced VAT rate in Switzerland (2.6% instead of the standard 8.1%).
By selecting this option, you can apply the lower VAT rate upon import – reducing total import costs.
This applies to, for example:
- Printed books, brochures, magazines without advertising nature
- Basic food products such as bread, pasta, rice, non-alcoholic drinks, dairy products
⚠️ If this information is not specified, the full 8.1% rate may be automatically applied.
We are preparing a new return solution in the future, for which EAN codes will be required. For now, this field remains optional and does not need to be filled out.
Link to technical documentation is avaliable here.