Starting on July 1st, the European Union will impose a €3 duty on small parcels valued at less than €150 entering the 27-nation bloc. Will Switzerland be affected by this measure as well?
This move is in response to cheap goods, primarily from China, entering the EU duty free, “leading to unfair competition for EU sellers, health and safety risks for consumers, high levels of fraud and environmental concerns,” according to the European Council.
READ MORE: What to expect with the EU’s small parcel fee from July 1st
What about Switzerland?
Since Bern is tied to Brussels by various treaties and agreements, it often adopts EU rules.
One such example are sanctions against rogue nations, and a variety of other regulations.
This compliance, however, does not extend to postal rules.
In Switzerland, they are governed only by Postal Services Act and the Postal Services Ordinance, and not by EU directives.
This means that you will not (at least for the time being – see more below) pay extra fees for merchandise your order from China or other countries.
However, you may be affected if you send packages to the EU countries.
According to Swiss Post, “The new regulations apply to goods with a declared value of up to €150 that are imported into one of the 27 EU states from third countries such as Switzerland.”
So, for the purposes of this new law – and postal services in general – Switzerland falls under a category of third countries.
How will it work in practice?
“a distinction should be made between the following consignment types: Business-to-Business (B2B) / Business-to-Consumer (B2C) / Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C), Swiss Post says.
The following are affected: by the new rule:
All postal items of any type (B2B, B2C and C2C)
Swiss Post GLS or URGENT consignments in the IOSS process
Swiss Post GLS or URGENT B2C consignments without IOSS procedure and without preferential goods
The following are not affected:
All gift consignments from private individuals to private individuals with a goods value of up to EUR 45
Swiss Post GLS or URGENT B2B or C2C consignments
Swiss Post GLS or URGENT B2C consignments without IOSS procedure with preferential goods
All goods consignments with a goods value of over EUR 150
Who pays what?
Again according to Swiss Post, recipients will pay for shipments to Poland, Hungary or Croatia, Bulgaria, Estonia, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, The Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, SIovenia, Spain, Czech Republic, and Cyprus, for all B2B and B2C packages
You (the sender) will pay for B2C consignments with IOSS registration to the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Portugal, and Sweden.
Rules within Switzerland could change as well
Whether inspired by the EU or coming to this decision independently, Swiss legislators are considering a similar measure.
During the spring session of the Parliament which ended in June, The National Council has accepted a motion submitted by deputy Fabio Regazzi, aimed at introducing a tax on small parcels from major foreign retailers.
Tougher rules would also include forcing suppliers to clearly identify products that do not meet Swiss standards.
This move is driven by the fact that half a million packages with preferential rates and without proper verification arrive each year from China in Switzerland, creating unfair competition for Swiss companies, which – contrary to Chinese ones like Temu and Shein – are subject to strict regulations.
