Coming back, the same steps run in reverse: a Swiss export, transit across the EU and a UK import. Deliveries into a bonded store or free port use a different procedure again. We set the paperwork up with you, and your agent where you have one, before collection.
The route at a glance
| Route | London and Zurich or Geneva, either direction |
|---|---|
| Vehicle | Van, by road |
| Crossing | The Channel, then France to the Swiss border |
| Customs position | Going out: UK export, EU transit, Swiss import. Coming back: the reverse. Two borders. |
| What is included | Collection, the drive, delivery and handover, with customs paperwork handled as part of the job. Pieces are normally wrapped by you; we can wrap them at an extra cost. |
The journey
After the Channel the van crosses France to the Swiss border. Geneva sits almost on that border, so the run through France ends close to the city; Zurich is further on, inside Switzerland. The difference matters more for the driving than for the paperwork, which is the same for both cities.
Many consignments for Switzerland do not go to a home at all. Collectors, dealers and estates often send pieces into warehouses, bonded stores and free ports, which receive goods under customs control. Those buildings have their own booking systems, receiving references and opening hours, and the delivery is planned around them, so send the warehouse instructions with the quote request rather than on the day.
Liechtenstein is part of the Swiss customs territory, so a delivery there is handled the same way as one to Zurich.
Paperwork for this route
Why Switzerland is different
Switzerland is outside the EU and has its own customs territory, and UK trade with it runs under a separate UK and Switzerland agreement. A consignment from London therefore leaves Great Britain, crosses the EU without being imported there, and enters Switzerland: two borders where a run to Paris has one.
Transit across France
The UK, the EU and Switzerland all belong to the Common Transit Convention. A transit movement carries the goods across France with EU duty and import VAT suspended, and is closed at the Swiss border, where the Swiss import declaration takes over. Someone has to open and close that movement, and the financial security that covers it is agreed before the van leaves.
Free ports and bonded stores
Goods going into a bonded store or free zone are placed under a different customs procedure from a normal import, and duty and tax are handled differently as a result. The receiving warehouse sets out what it needs from the carrier: send us its instructions and reference with the quote request.
Exhibitions and carnets
Work lent to a Swiss exhibition and expected back can travel under an ATA Carnet, which covers goods taken out temporarily for up to a year, or under temporary admission declared in Switzerland, with Returned Goods Relief claimed on the way home.
UK export licence and protected materials
Some works of art and antiques need a UK export licence from Arts Council England before they leave Great Britain, whatever the destination. Items containing ivory, tortoiseshell or other protected species need CITES permits at both ends. Swiss rules on cultural property and on import taxes are set by Switzerland, and are not described on this page.
Questions about London and Switzerland
Will EU VAT be charged as the van crosses France?
Not if the goods travel under the Common Transit procedure, which suspends duty and import VAT until the movement ends at the Swiss border.
Is Geneva treated the same as Zurich?
For customs, yes: both are in Switzerland. The difference is the journey. Geneva is reached from France almost at the border.
Can you bring work back from Switzerland to the UK?
Yes. The return is a Swiss export, a transit across the EU and an import into Great Britain. We plan it with the outward journey if both are known.