The ATA Carnet in Switzerland
Switzerland is one of the heaviest users of the ATA Carnet system in the world. The Swiss guaranteeing association ranks second globally by carnet volume. The system here has a clear division of labour:
- Chambers of commerce issue carnets. Sixteen regional chambers issue carnets through one central online portal, ataswiss.ch, under the umbrella of the Alliance of Swiss Chambers of Commerce (the national guaranteeing association).
- Customs (BAZG) stamps them. The Federal Office for Customs and Border Security activates carnets, stamps them at the border, and handles any regularisation if something goes wrong.
The guide, step by step
ataswiss.ch registration, your chamber, fees, deposits, timing 2 Use it at the border
Activation, the six stamps, transit sheets 3 Fix a problem
Missed stamps, lost carnets, urgent carnets, claim letters
Quick answers instead? The Swiss ATA Carnet FAQ covers costs, validity, batteries and more in a dozen short Q&As.
Where to get it stamped
The single most useful thing to understand about Swiss carnet logistics is that there are two different services with different opening hours:
- Opening a new carnet (first use) works only at customs offices that handle commercial goods, and only during commercial clearance hours (roughly Mon–Fri 07:00–17:30, some Saturday mornings).
- Stamping an already-opened carnet also works at border-guard posts. At the major motorway crossings this works around the clock, seven days a week.
The authoritative tool for checking any specific crossing is the official BAZG customs office directory: dst.bazg.admin.ch. Filter by the "Carnet ATA" service and your arrival time. Our location guides below summarise it per region:
Zurich Airport
Landside office at Check-in 1 · export daily 06:00–22:00 (opened carnets) · checked-bag procedure
Geneva Airport
Terminal 1 arrivals level · opened carnets daily 05:30–24:00 · freight and Palexpo offices
Basel & EuroAirport
Swiss + French customs at one airport · carnets daily 05:00–24:00 · 24/7 motorway crossings
Road borders
Germany, France, Italy, Austria/Liechtenstein - every carnet-capable crossing with hours
Key Swiss facts
| Issued by | 16 regional chambers of commerce via ataswiss.ch |
|---|---|
| Typical cost | CHF 95 (member) / CHF 130 (non-member) + 1‰ of goods value, plus security |
| Security | Deposit 20–40% of goods value, or insurance premium (varies per chamber); refunded/settled after discharge |
| Validity | Exactly 12 months, unlimited trips, never extendable |
| Digital (eATA) | Carnets issued from 1 June 2026 are digital by default (ICC ATA Carnet App + QR code); paper continues for non-eATA destinations |
| Eligible goods | Swiss-origin or definitively Swiss-cleared goods, returning unchanged |
| Customs info line | +41 58 467 15 15 (Mon–Fri 08:00–11:30 / 13:30–17:00) |
Coming next on this site
Country guides for the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the United States and Canada: the same level of detail for the destinations robotics companies travel to most.
Sources
Every factual claim on this page comes from the sources below, checked on the "last reviewed" date in the footer. Official resources are linked in whatever language they are published in.
- BAZG — Carnet ATA overview ↗ (German; EN version available)
- BAZG — official customs office directory ↗ (DE/FR/IT/EN)
- BAZG — directive R-10-60, temporary admission procedure ↗ (German, PDF)
- ATASwiss — central carnet application portal ↗ (DE/FR/IT)
- Alliance of Swiss Chambers of Commerce (guaranteeing association) ↗ (FR/DE)