Switzerland Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in switzerland, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Prohibited and Restricted Imports
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To find out whether a specific good is banned or restricted from import to Switzerland, consult the Tares database. Enter the HS code of a good and check to see if the display details page references a permit obligation. If so, goods of the selected type may only be imported or exported with the specified permit.

The following is a non-exhaustive list of the types of items that face bans or restrictions for importation into Switzerland:

  • Weapons: For the import, export, or transit of arms or ammunition, including components and accessories, you must present them to a Customs Office and register them.
  • Objects containing precious metals: These must be reported to a Precious Metal Control Office.
  • Counterfeits (e.g. watches and jewelry)
  • Cultural property
  • Therapeutic products and doping substances
  • Narcotics and drugs
  • Protected Animals and Plants: Switzerland abides by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (the CITES convention). Imports of CITES-protected animals, plants, and derived products require CITES export permits issued by CITES enforcement authorities of the country of origin, as well as permits from FSVO. Inspections of such goods will be carried out upon importation. Commercial importers who trade in products derived from CITES-protected species (furs, skins, tissue etc.) may apply for an open import license to avoid applying for a new import permit for every shipment.
  • Hazardous chemicals and pesticides
  • Waste material
  • Ozone-depleting substances
  • Pyrotechnic items
  • Radar warning devices.

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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