Hello family and friends of expats in Switzerland. We know you love us and want to treat us over the holidays. But if you’re thinking of sending a big box of gifts, please don’t. We often have to pay high customs fees for your packages, even if it’s clearly marked as a gift. So here are some gift giving alternatives when buying for expats in Switzerland.
Expats – Send this post to your friends and family and avoid those awkward conversations when they ask how to send you gifts.
Contents
1. Order from Swiss online shops
People living in Switzerland typically don’t order from Amazon because they don’t ship everything to Switzerland (like most electronics). Instead we shop from large online shops based in Switzerland. The prices might be higher than you are used to. But shipping is quick and affordable, no customs fees and returns/exchanges are much easier. Here are a few that accept foreign credit cards.
| Store | Category | Site in English? |
| Galaxus | clothing, sporting goods, toys, games | yes |
| Digitec | electronics | yes |
| Manor | dept store with toys, games, clothes | no |
| Coop | dept store with toys, games, clothes | no |
| Migros | toys, games, sports equipment | no |
| Decathalon | sporting equipment & clothing | yes |
Even people living in Switzerland love to receive chocolate as a gift. Ordering from a Swiss chocolate shop is a good way to avoid lengthy shipping times and customs. See where to buy Swiss chocolate online.
2. Buy from local small businesses
There are many small businesses in Switzerland creating all sorts of interesting products. Not every online shop is in English or accepts international credit cards, so check that first before getting your hopes up.
We love the gift guides from Kristin at Z-nuni.com, a carefully curated list of special Swiss products. Kurts.ch curates a fantastic collection of unique Swiss gifts. You might also try Etsy Switzerland that hosts many small local artists and producers in Switzerland. Just choose the Switzerland as the location of the shop when browsing the shops. You can also browse their EtsySwiss Instagram to see what Swiss artisans are creating.
3. Please use Amazon.de not Amazon.com
If you want to order something from Amazon, please use Amazon.de (the German version of Amazon) not Amazon.com or other local country version. Amazon.de has an arrangement with Switzerland to process the Swiss customs and ship many items for free (including books and media).
Note: You can see the Amazon.de site in English. Just scroll to the bottom of the page and choose English as your language.
If you want to send an Amazon gift card, again please use Amazon.de. If you purchase a gift card from Amazon.com (or other regional Amazon), Swiss residents can’t use the gift card to order from Amazon.de. They have to use the gift card in the Amazon country store where the card was purchased. So if you send me an Amazon.com gift card, I have to order from the US Amazon store, incurring the shipping costs and customs fees of an item shipped from the US.
That said, Amazon.de will not ship many items to Switzerland. This is improving over time, but you still might discover that many items you want to order simply will not ship to Switzerland.
4. Gifting vouchers for mountains
Visiting the mountains in summer and winter is a big part of life in Switzerland. A voucher for a mountain experience would be a wonderful gift for any family living in Switzerland. Here’s a short list, but I’ll be adding more as I find them.
We love this very flexible voucher for Central Switzerland that can be used at 100 partners in the Lucerne region, including mountain railways, boats, hotels, restaurants and other activities. (See our guide to Central Switzerland.)
The Jungfrau Region sells flexible vouchers that can be used for train tickets, ski passes, or restaurants in the Jungfrau region. They also sell gift tickets for specific locations like Jungfraujoch or Schynige Platte. (See our guide to the Jungfrau Region.)
Zermatt sells a voucher that can be used with 150 partners in the region including mountain railways, hotels and restaurants. The voucher is good for 10 years after purchase. In their online shop, you can also purchase special experiences like helicopter rides and guided tours.
Davos Klosters sells vouchers which may be used with mountain railways, hotels, restaurants and shops.
Stoos sells fixed amount vouchers and vouchers for a day pass for summer or winter. We love the fantastic views from the ridge trail and alpine playground. (See our post about Stoos hiking and Stoos skiing).
Titlis Engelberg sells fixed amount vouchers and vouchers for a day pass and all sorts of experiences, like sledding, zipline, snowmobiling, etc. Although the website is in English, the voucher page is in German only.
Note: Instead of a generic voucher that can be spent on anything, some mountains sell vouchers for specific products, like a day pass or family pass. Before purchasing those, I suggest asking the recipient if they have any Swiss travel discount that might apply a discount. For example, if they have a SBB Half-fare car, they get a half-fare discount on all mountain transport. If they have a Junior card for their children, it means their children always travel free and don’t need their own ticket.
5. Gifting Experiences & Family Passes
Many museums, sports centers, and other family activities offer online gift vouchers for day and/or annual passes (see my Rainy Day list for lots of great ideas). This is great for the whole family and you can join them on the activity when you visit. Here are a few I can recommend that accept foreign credit cards.
| Store | Category | English? | Family Day Pass |
| Technorama | technology & science interactive museum | yes | gift vouchers can be purchased online |
| Luzern Transportation Museum | interactive museum | yes | can gift an annual pass, day passes must be purchased for specific day |
| Alpamare | waterslide park near Zurich | yes | can order day passes and gift vouchers |
| Aquabasilea | waterslide park near Basel | partial | lots of options for family day pass vouchers |
6. Food delivery services
A few people have asked about food delivery services that deliver from local restaurants. In Zürich city, we have Eat.ch, UberEats.com, and Smood.ch
7. German shopping terms
Since many of these sites are not in English, here are a few German shopping terms that might be helpful. Try to use the “translate” option on your browser to facilitate the shopping process.
- Gutscheine = voucher
- Warenkorb = shopping cart
- Auswählen = choose
8. Understanding Swiss Customs
When you send packages to Switzerland, the recipient must pay customs fees on value of the package, which is technically the value of the contents + any shipping costs + any predetermined customs fees. So if the gift value is CHF 60 and shipping was CHF 30 and custom fees are CHF 20, you are over the limit.
The official rules state that gifts are exempt up to CHF 100 per person. A customs declaration label must be on the outside of the package, indicating the value of the contents and clearly labeled as gift. If the package is shipped from a company, not a person, then Swiss customs may disregard the “gift” status.
However, sometimes Swiss customs chooses to open the package even if it’s labeled a gift, which has happened multiple times to me. If the customs office opens your package for any reason (most likely because of problems with the customs declaration form), there is a minimum fee of CHF 13, plus additional processing and customs fees. I once received a gift valued at CHF 15 that cost me CHF 25 in custom fees. I’ve been told that you can fight the customs charge, but that would be such a hassle, I would never do it. If you don’t pay the fee, they send it back to the sender.
More information on Swiss customs allowances.
I hope you found this guide helpful.
54 Responses
Thank you for the tips. Would you recommend a shop for baby clothes and accessories? My best friend is pregnant with her first baby and I really want to send something beautiful to her.
You might try the premium department stores here Jelmoli https://www.jelmoli.ch/kinder/babys/bekleidung and Globus https://www.globus.ch/kinder
Hi – thanks for the tips! If I order from Amazon.de will it still be stopped at customs or is that typically included on a product Amazon are offering free delivery to Switzerland for? Is there anyway through Amazon.de to attach a customs gift form?
At the moment, Amazon.de usually includes the Swiss VAT and handles the customs as part of the ordering process. You should look at their help article on this topic for more details.
Thanks for this guide. I suppose there is nothing in the Swiss arrangements with Amazon.de to indicate what customs charges might be added to a gift ordered through them? I’m not sure if one can specify “gift” on an Amazon order, and it sounds as if that could be ignored by the authorities in any case. And, perhaps there could still be opening fees?
In my experience, marking an item as a “gift” has no effect on whether or not Swiss customs choose to open a package. As I may have said in my post, I once had a package sent directly from my family, containing my own personal item that I left at their home on my last visit, not a new purchase, that was worth less than CHF 30 and I was charged. My friend was charged for the coat she was wearing when going through airport customs. My other friend was charged for her haircut that she got that day in Germany. It’s random.
I am a sewer and have made some lovely little (embroidered) dried lavender sachets to send (by post) a couple of my friends in Switzerland (from Canada). Will I have a problem of getting them into Switzerland since it is a dried plant? And it certainly has an odour!
I don’t know. Maybe pack it in a thick plastic bag? You can see the rules here: https://www.ch.ch/en/how-clear-personal-goods-purchased-abroad/
Great information, thank you!
I am wanting to send flowers or possibly a care package to my friend in Zurich who has been unwell? Do you know of any websites/companies in Switzerland who sell curated care packages at all?
I’m sorry to hear about your friend. Unfortunately, I’m not familiar with companies selling care packages. Good luck!
You can use Fleurop for flowers
https://www.fleurop.ch/
Thanks for this helpful suggestion. Flowers are always an important gift for so many occasions.
Thank you for this wonderful info! I have extended family in Geneva and it seems like it’s much more difficult to send them something.
Hope you were able to figure something out for your Geneva family.
Hi there
I have used Manor and H&M websites successfully on previous occasions to send vouchers to family in Switzerland but now neither will accept my Australian credit or debit cards – I keep getting a message saying cards not authorised. Thanks in advance for any advice.
I’m sorry but I don’t know what might be the problem with those sites in particular. If they allow you to enter an Australian address for your billing, then it would make sense that they would accept the card. I would contact the company directly.
I have a sister in Switzerland, I ordered her a gift which was sent direct from the store in Australia, but she was charged 24 chf in duty. Is there some way to get that back from customs as it was a gift? Or would I need to send from my self personally instead to avoid the tax?
I’m sorry that happened. As I mentioned in my post, if the value of the item is over CHF 60 including shipping, you may be charged customs. It’s happened to me many times, regardless if it was marked as a gift. If it is sent from a company, it’s definitely not considered a gift even if it was intended that way. There’s no guarantee that you can avoid customs by sending it yourself, but it’s worth a try.
anyone know how to buy a gift card for H&M in Switzerland from the USA?
You can order them here: https://www2.hm.com/de_ch/customer-service/gift-card/gift-card.html
I recently bought a gift for someone in Switzerland using the Italian version of Amazon, amazon.it
Delivery was quick and it’s free for orders over 29 euros.
Thanks for the tip!
I want to send to my nephew a iPhone 11, it cost $649,00, but it’s a gift for him, how much percentage would costumer will charge him?
It would be better to order it from a local shop here. I don’t know what the exact charges would be. You might consult this website: https://www.ch.ch/en/swiss-customs/
Amazon.uk ships to Switzerland. Do you recommend using them?
Thanks, this is a really useful page. I’m making items to send to my son in Zurich a quilt being one of them. Any idea how I describe & value this gift for the customs declaration?
It’s hard to say. Just use your best judgment, perhaps based on the cost of the materials. The customs office can assign their own value if they think you undervalued it. Good luck! One time I was charged customs on my own shirt that I had forgotten at my parents house and they mailed it back to me.
Thank you for this!
You’re welcome!
I have found Amazon.uk to offer more products shipped to CH than Amazon.de with competitive prices too!
Yes, I’ve experienced that too. Thanks for mentioning it. But I’ve also found that many products I want won’t ship here (not just electronics), more than on Amazon.de.
Hi, I’m from India and I want to send sweets to my partner living in Switzerland. Is that possible?
I don’t know of any restrictions on mailing food items. But you might want to check the Switzerland import rules.
I was thinking of getting an electronic gift card for food delivery like uber eats or doordash. Are there equivalents to those in Zurich area?
Yes, there are several food delivery services. Here are a few: www.eat.ch, www.ubereats.com, www.smood.ch
Great article. I have a friend who is moving to Switzerland and I would love to organise a traditional “bread and salt” housewarming gift, do you know any companies that would do this? Or will I need to talk to his local bakery in my very basic German?!
I haven’t heard of this traditional gift but now I’m curious. Sorry I can’t help with this but I’ll report back if I find anything out about this.
Hello I would like to send a birthday card to a family member who lives in Switzerland flurlingen area. In England we can send cards online, is there a company in Switzerland who will deliver a card made online?
Thanks
You might try www.ifolor.ch or www.bookfactory.ch
Hi, my daughter is in Geneva and has asked for some snacks and Vacuumed sealed packet curry sauces to be sent to her. Are there any restrictions on these items? Thanks
I don’t know, but you could check customs website, link in my post.
I want to send Swiss Francs in an Birthday Card. Will this be a problem?
Or what do you recommend. I feel so bad that I am not able to figure out how to send a small birthday gift.
I don’t think it’s recommended to send cash in the mail. I have other suggestions in my post about how to order gifts online. You might try that.
Can I ship A small amount alcohol to my partner in Switzerland?
Maybe, but alcohol is one of the items that is subject to customs tax even if it is a gift. If the item you want to send is also available in Switzerland, you might consider ordering from an online Swiss shop.
Thank you for sharing this! I’m in a Long Distance Relationship and didn’t understand why my SO didn’t want me to send him anything for Christmas. I had previously checked out Amazon.de and nothing I wanted to send was available to be shipped to Switzerland. It was a difficult challenge to say the least. Alternatively I’ll by him stuff he’ll take back with him on his visit home from the USA.
Glad I could help! Enjoy your time together.
Wanting to send gift valued at 25.00 fro Canada will my daughter have to pay duty on it?
Technically it should be under the limit. But as I said in my article, it’s not a guarantee.
Can I purchase a mastercard or visa gift card in the US and send it as a gift to my nephew in Switzerland? Will the local merchants accept this? Is there Euro vs Swiss franc issue? Thanks for your input.
Most merchants accept visa and mastercard and it doesn’t matter if the card was issued in the US. The credit card company will handle the currency exchange.
Hi !
As whole family travel to stay in Switzerland for 1 month,
my baby’s dipper is a problem, I had a friend in Lugano,
do you think I can ship a box of dipper to his home?
Benny
You can easily buy diapers in Switzerland and they have lots of brands, including store brands which are less expensive. They aren’t that expensive and certainly cheaper than shipping them here. I wouldn’t worry about it.
Thank you for clarifying the customs rules and procedures.I wanted to send sweets and a special dip sauce to a friend in Bern. But I won’t now. I don’t want to risk her having to pay for a gift