Importing From India to Switzerland

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Most summaries of the India-EFTA agreement tell Swiss buyers that Indian clothes, leather and home textiles now enter duty-free. True, but a little late. Switzerland abolished its industrial tariffs on 1 January 2024, for goods from every country, and that covers everything in chapters 25 to 97 except some agricultural products (BAZG, abolition of industrial tariffs (opens in a new tab)). A cotton T-shirt from Tiruppur was already at zero Swiss duty 21 months before TEPA started.

So where does TEPA matter for a Swiss importer? In food, feed and fish, which Switzerland still protects. This page covers that, plus what's Swiss about buying from India - the VAT, what Swiss food controls keep stopping, and the customs office. The agreement itself, the origin rule and the self-declared certificate are on the EFTA bloc page, and we won't repeat them.

Last researched 28 September 2026 · Next review 24 November 2026 · Written by SourcingFrom

1. Industrial Goods: Zero Duty, and Often No Origin Proof

Since 2024 industrial goods pay no Swiss customs duty whatever their origin. The Swiss authorities also say proof of origin is no longer needed for industrial goods that will stay and be consumed in Switzerland. It's only needed if you re-export them unchanged or want to use them in cumulation (SECO, abolition of industrial tariffs (opens in a new tab)).

What does that mean in practice? If you buy Indian apparel, leather goods, footwear, jewellery or furniture for the Swiss market, TEPA saves you no duty, and you don't need to chase the supplier for a TEPA certificate. That's one less document for a first order. The big Swiss gap between what India records sending and what Switzerland records receiving, set out on the EFTA page, is still about distributor margins, not duty.

2. Food and Feed: Where TEPA Pays

Agricultural and fishery products still carry Swiss duty, and here TEPA cuts real money. The official release names Swiss duties eliminated on food preparations (up to CHF 127.5 per 100 kg), fresh grapes (up to CHF 272 per 100 kg), nuts, seeds and fresh vegetables, and fish fats and oils, with coffee at zero on every line (PIB, 30 September 2025 (opens in a new tab)).

For these goods you do need the proof, either an Indian agency certificate or the exporter's self-declared one. Not every line drops at once, so find yours in Annex 2.F, Switzerland's schedule (opens in a new tab) before you price. One India-side trap - since April 2026 India's trade directorate requires the invoice number on a preferential certificate to match the shipping bill exactly (DGFT Notification 05/2026-27 (opens in a new tab)). We read the rule only through a reproduction of a scanned PDF, so treat it as Reported, and ask for the draft certificate and shipping bill together.

3. What Swiss Food Controls Stop

Switzerland takes part in the EU's food alert system, and it raised 56 notifications on Indian food from 2021 to September 2026 (our count of RASFF Window (opens in a new tab), to 23 September 2026). Its pattern is different from the EU's big ports. Fresh vegetables lead - drumstick, okra, bottle gourd, green beans - almost always for pesticide residues. In 2026 Switzerland also flagged chlorpyrifos in Indian brahmi powder and fennel powder (RASFF 2026.7772 (opens in a new tab)).

Drumstick and bottle gourd are staples of Indian home cooking, which points to shipments for Indian grocers rather than supermarkets. If that's your trade, a residue test per lot is the cost of staying in business. Test plans are on Quality control.

4. VAT, Customs and Product Rules

Import VAT is charged at the border at 8.1% for most goods and 2.6% for foodstuffs and some other essentials (Swiss Federal Tax Administration, VAT rates (opens in a new tab)). That's far below any EU rate. Customs is the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (BAZG) (opens in a new tab).

Switzerland is outside both the EU and the EEA, so the EU product rules on the EU bloc page don't simply carry over. We haven't yet done a desk pass on Swiss textile labelling, chemicals and cosmetics rules, so check those with your broker for your category.

Next Step

The agreement and the origin rules are on the EFTA bloc page. Estimate landed cost with the calculator, and see every Indian agreement on India's trade agreements.