20ft Shipping Container
Approx. 33.2 m³
The standard 6.06 m ISO dry container: 33.2 m³ of volume, up to 28 t of payload, and the easiest size to move by road almost anywhere in the world.
Europe
Shipping Containers Delivered to Switzerland
A road delivery that crosses a customs border: an export declaration on the EU side, an import declaration and Swiss VAT on the other, and Swiss truck rules to the site.
- New & used
- Single & bulk orders
- Road delivery
- Delivered pricing
Switzerland is the one destination in this group outside the EU customs union. A container delivered there is an export from the EU and an import into Switzerland — a declaration on each side of the border — with Swiss import VAT due on entry. The container itself carries no Swiss customs duty: Switzerland abolished its industrial tariffs on 1 January 2024.
The road rules are stricter than in the neighbouring countries. Heavy goods vehicles may not run at night or on Sundays, a distance-based heavy vehicle charge applies to every kilometre driven in Switzerland, and a truck registered in the EU may not carry goods between two Swiss addresses.
Customs on both sides of the border
- EU side — the sale is an export. An electronic export declaration is lodged in the EU (through ATLAS-Ausfuhr when it is lodged in Germany), and the electronic exit confirmation is the proof that allows the container to be invoiced without German VAT
- Swiss side — an import declaration to the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (BAZG). For most importers in 2026 that still means e-dec Import: the new Passar system is already live for export and transit but only in pilot for imports, and the last e-dec import declaration can be lodged on 30 September 2027
- Duty — none on the container. The abolition of industrial tariffs covers chapters 25 to 97 of the Swiss tariff, and containers fall under heading 8609 in chapter 86. The declaration, with tariff number and weight, is still required
- Proof of origin — an EUR.1 or origin declaration is no longer needed as a supporting document for goods that are to stay in Switzerland
Swiss import VAT on the delivered value
Import VAT is charged at the standard rate of 8.1 % on the price paid plus all costs to the destination in Switzerland — transport, insurance and customs clearance included — so a delivered quotation is also, in effect, the basis for the VAT. A VAT-registered Swiss business can deduct the import VAT it pays as input tax.
Say on the enquiry who will act as importer and who clears Swiss customs: your own forwarder, or clearance arranged alongside the delivery. Give the company's VAT number in its Swiss form, CHE-123.456.789 MWST. If you import regularly, check the status of your ZAZ account — under Passar it is being replaced by a business partner ID (GP-ID) registered in the federal ePortal.
Swiss road rules that shape the delivery
- Night and Sunday ban — heavy goods vehicles over 3.5 t may not run from 22:00 to 05:00, or on Sundays, New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Ascension Day, Whit Monday, 1 August, Christmas Day and 26 December, except in cantons where the holiday is not observed
- Weight and dimensions — 40 t gross, or 44 t for containers in combined transport to or from a Swiss rail terminal or port; 4 m high and 2.55 m wide, with articulated vehicles limited to 16.50 m
- Heavy vehicle charge (LSVA) — due on Swiss and foreign goods vehicles over 3.5 t for every kilometre driven in Switzerland, by weight and emission class. It is part of the transport cost in a delivered quotation, not an extra at the border
- No cabotage — a truck registered in the EU may not carry goods between two points in Switzerland, and since 1 May 2025 Swiss companies may not commission a job that would break that rule
Reefers and Swiss sites
A reefer container is declared and taxed like any other container — no duty, import VAT on the delivered value — but the price difference between a working unit and a non-operating one is large, and it is the declared value that the VAT follows. Decide which you need before the quotation, and confirm that the site has a three-phase supply for a working unit.
Where the container will stand permanently, remember that Swiss federal planning law requires a permit for buildings and installations, with the procedure set by each canton. Whether a container placed on your land counts is decided locally, so ask the municipality before the delivery rather than after.
How a delivered price is built
Container and transport are priced as one movement, against the address where the unit has to end up.
Destination
Postcode and specification. The postcode moves the price more than any other line.
Supply point
Chosen for the lowest delivered price, not the lowest depot price.
Vehicle
Chosen by what the site can physically take.
Quotation
One delivered figure, with inclusions and exclusions stated.
The cheapest container is rarely the cheapest delivered
A cheaper unit further away often costs more once the road leg is added. Supply is therefore chosen against your address, and prices are quoted delivered rather than ex works by default.
Containers supplied to Switzerland
Specialist types
New or used
Decide by what the container has to do once it arrives.
New / one trip
- Appearance matters
- Long-term ownership
- Conversion or modification
- Recent production preferred
Used
- Storage is the main use
- Budget decides
- Cosmetics are secondary
- Cargo worthy or WWT is enough
Four site checks before road delivery
The last hundred metres decide the vehicle, and the vehicle decides much of the price.
Access
Can an articulated vehicle reach the placement point? Gate and road width, and any weight or height limit on the approach.
Space
A tilt-bed needs roughly its own length again behind it to slide the container off.
Unloading
Tilted off, lifted by crane truck, or handled by your own equipment — the biggest single variable.
Ground
Level, firm and able to carry the corner loads. Soft or sloping ground turns a delivery into a return trip.
What we need to quote
Anything not yet known can be marked provisional — a rough quantity beats a blank.
Container
Quantity
Destination
Unloading
Commercial
Frequently asked questions
Is there customs duty on a shipping container imported into Switzerland?
No. Switzerland abolished import duties on industrial goods — chapters 25 to 97 of its tariff, which include containers — on 1 January 2024. An import declaration is still required, and Swiss import VAT of 8.1 % is due.
Is the import declared in e-dec or Passar?
In 2026, most companies still declare imports in e-dec Import. Passar handles export and transit, and its import module is running in a pilot phase; the last import declaration through e-dec is possible on 30 September 2027, after which imports go through Passar only.
How is Swiss import VAT calculated on a container?
At 8.1 % on the price plus all costs to the Swiss destination, including transport and customs clearance. A VAT-registered Swiss business can deduct it as input tax.
Do I need an EUR.1 or proof of origin?
Not for duty purposes if the container stays in Switzerland — with industrial tariffs abolished, no preferential origin proof is required as a supporting document for such goods. It only matters if goods are to be re-exported to a free-trade partner under preference.
Can a container be delivered in Switzerland on a Sunday or at night?
No. Goods vehicles over 3.5 t may not run between 22:00 and 05:00 or on Sundays and the public holidays listed in the federal traffic rules. Plan a weekday delivery, and allow for the border crossing when you agree the time.
Can you supply reefer containers to Switzerland?
Yes, quoted against the requirement — a working reefer for cooling or a non-operating unit as insulated storage. The customs treatment is the same as for a dry container; what changes is the value the import VAT is calculated on and the power the site needs.