[Dave lee]

Hi All

We're doing an event in Zurich next month and I was under the impression we need an ATA Carnet to bring our equipment in to Switzerland, however after talking to the London Chamber of Commerce (who issue Carnets) we have been told that these are optional.

Has anyone had experience of taking equipment in to Switzerland without a carnet? And what are the possible pitfalls if we dont get one?

[Jivemaster]

http://www.eda.admin.ch/london

"
The Swiss Embassy in London is the official representative body of the Swiss Government in the United Kingdom..."

So ask them they should offer you the definitive and (Swiss) legally correct information, right down to the language that it should be printed in!

Edited for a duff link

This post has been edited by Jivemaster: 10 February 2012 - 02:22 PM

[Derek Tallent]

From experience - yes you do.

We went from Monaco to Frankfurt, following the satnav, which tried to get us to transit Switzerland.

The man on the border said - nope, no carnet, you ain't coming through and so we had to go through Italy and Austria to get to Germany.

[Bobbsy]

My info is 10+ years old but, back then at least, although it was optional it saved a huge amount of hassle entering and leaving the country, especially if you're carrying a quantity of high value equipment.

[leofric]

Last couple of times I've been out there we have completed a carnet, best to be prepared you really do not want to have to front up Swiss import duties or deal with the bureaucratic mindf*** afterwards trying to get the duty back!

[Brian]

Many years ago I, along with two colleagues, was travelling into Switzerland via a small border crossing for a trade show. We were driving three cars and had a mountain of technical kit with us. Everything was listed correctly on the Carnets except a custom officer spotted a couple of boxes of printed brochures.

He and his colleagues decided that there was an import tax on these as we wouldn't be taking them back out of the country with us so we duly handed over a pile of cash in return for a suspiciously home-made looking 'receipt'. It was all very amicable as we didn't really care - after all, it wasn't our money.

As we were leaving, a car transporter came into view heading towards the Swiss border. "Ah" said one of the customs officers "Belgian. I think we'll keep him here a few hours and get him to offload the cars so we can inspect them."

[steveo]

In My experience yes you do need a carnet for Switzerland, If it is the first time you have done it and you are transporting yourself...Get some proffesional advice on what you need and what you have to get done!

There is nothing more embarrasing when you get to the French border to have the gurad laugh at you then just stamp everything he thinks you may need for exit and entry to the EU. Me not knowing nay better letting him and then sitting at the Swiss Border over the road for 4 hours while they try and sort it out

[johnlinford]

Yes, you do want a carnet, there are a few companies that can sort out issuing them for you.

Word of warning that was passed down to me - make sure you get it stamped on the way out of the country as otherwise they will, eventually, come after you for a large bill, and proving you took all the stuff out again isn't easy.

[BlueShift]

From someone who does this a lot, and also very recently:

Yes, you do need a carnet. No question. Switzerland is not EU for the purposes of equipment import/export.

You must have it stamped first at the point of exit from the EU (probably france/germany if you are driving from the UK) and then on entry into CH. On the way out of CH back into the EU, you must have it stamped again. You do not need to get it stamped at Dover in either direction.

Allow for delays. I have been on tours where the Swiss have decided the trucks/trailers need a thorough checking. The more info on the carnet, the less likely this is.

[Wingwalker]

Another thing that has not been mentioned here yet is that you will also need a "Vignette" (tax disc).

As you are only there for a short period of time you can get reduced ones such as 48 hour, 1 week, 1 month or 6 months. It works in exactly the same way as a UK tax disc so failure to display one could prove rather costly.

David.