Getting your car to Switzerland
Entry point: Basel road crossing.
How it travels: By road. The car travels on a transporter rather than under its own wheels, which keeps the mileage where it was when you approved it.
The German half is the same for every destination outside the EU: we buy the car, arrange an independent inspection if you want one, register the export plates, file the ATLAS customs declaration and collect the exit confirmation that releases the 19% German VAT. You receive that file — contract, declaration and proof of exit — because your customs authority will ask for it.
What applies in Switzerland and Norway
Both sit outside the EU, so the German side is a standard export: the VAT is zero-rated once exit is proven, and you clear and pay on arrival under your own national rules.
The cost that surprises people is on the destination side, not the German one. Norway in particular levies a substantial one-off registration tax, weighted towards emissions, which is why electric and low-emission cars land so much more cheaply there. We set out the German-side cost precisely and tell you plainly that the national tax is calculated by your own authority.
What we need to start
- A listing link from mobile.de or AutoScout24, or a specification if you want us to search.
- Your destination city, so we can price delivery beyond Basel road crossing.
- Whether you are buying privately or as a company — it changes the paperwork and often the cost.
Sources
Public references for the rules above. Requirements change — we confirm the current position for every car we handle.
Get a quotation for Switzerland
Send a listing link or a specification and we come back within one business day with the full cost to Basel road crossing. Free, and with no obligation.
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