ATA Carnet at Swiss road borders
Not every border crossing can process a carnet, and the ones that can don't all do it at the same hours. This page lists the carnet-capable crossings by region, with the two service levels that matter:
- Opened carnet - stamping a carnet that Swiss customs has already activated. At the major motorway crossings this works around the clock.
- New carnet (first use) - activating a fresh carnet. Only during commercial-clearance hours.
How the border stop works
- Don't drive through the passenger lanes. Head for the commercial clearance / "Handelswaren" counters, stop and park.
- Bring the carnet (or app QR code) and, on request, the goods to the counter.
- Leaving Switzerland: the officer completes the yellow export voucher, stamps the counterfoil, keeps the voucher. A few hundred metres on, the destination country's customs does the same with the white import voucher (for the EU: this one stamp covers all 27 states).
- Check before driving off: correct voucher removed, correct counterfoil stamped.
Unstaffed crossings never work for carnets. The QuickZoll app and self-declaration boxes are restricted to private goods. Plan your route through a staffed crossing from the lists below.
Germany border
The main commercial crossings to Germany. Basel/Weil is the busiest and the most flexible.
| Crossing | Opened carnet | New carnet (first use) | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basel/Weil Rhein-Autobahn (A2/A5) 4019 Basel | around the clock, daily | Mon–Sat 05:00–22:00 | +41 58 466 11 11 |
| Rheinfelden Autobahn (A3) Im Weiherfeld, 4310 Rheinfelden | around the clock, daily | Mon–Fri 05:00–22:00 | +41 58 469 37 00 |
| Thayngen (Schaffhausen → Singen/A81) Zollstrasse 87, 8240 Thayngen | around the clock, daily | Mon–Fri 07:00–17:30, Sat 08:00–12:00 | +41 58 467 22 11 |
| Kreuzlingen Autobahn (→ Konstanz) Zollhof 2, 8280 Kreuzlingen | around the clock, daily | Mon–Fri 07:00–17:30, Sat 08:00–12:00 | +41 58 467 14 14 |
| Koblenz-Waldshut (office on German side) Georg-Wittig-Str. 1, Waldshut-Tiengen (DE) | Mon–Fri 05:00–19:00, Sat 08:00–12:00 | Mon–Fri 05:00–19:00, Sat 08:00–12:00 | +41 58 481 57 90 |
| Riehen (→ Lörrach) Lörracherstrasse 165, 4125 Riehen | Mon–Fri 08:00–12:00, 13:00–16:00 | same | +41 58 469 64 94 |
| Stein/Bad Säckingen Fricktalstrasse 2, 4332 Stein AG | Mon–Fri 07:00–17:00 | same | +41 58 481 03 33 |
| Laufenburg Flösserstrasse 2, 5080 Laufenburg | Mon–Fri 07:30–12:00, 13:00–17:00 | same | +41 58 481 50 90 |
| Neuhausen (Schaffhausen south) Zollstrasse 198, 8212 Neuhausen | Mon–Fri 07:00–17:00 | same | +41 58 482 02 70 |
| Bargen (→ A81 north of Schaffhausen) Hoftalstrasse 23, 8233 Bargen | Mon–Fri 06:30–20:00 | Mon–Fri 07:00–17:30 | +41 58 482 80 80 |
| Ramsen Moskau 309, 8262 Ramsen | Mon–Fri 07:00–17:30 | same | +41 58 485 33 20 |
France border
Geneva’s Bardonnex and the Jura A16 at Boncourt are the around-the-clock options; the Jura-arc crossings have a split worth knowing about.
| Crossing | Opened carnet | New carnet (first use) | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bardonnex, Geneva (A1/A41 → Annecy/Lyon) Chemin des Epinglis 20, 1257 Bardonnex | around the clock, daily | Mon–Fri 07:00–12:00, 13:00–17:00 | +41 58 467 12 30 |
| Basel/St.Louis Autobahn (A3/A35 → Mulhouse) Neudorfstrasse, 4056 Basel | around the clock, daily | Mon–Fri 05:00–22:00, Sat 05:00–13:00 | +41 58 469 65 00 |
| Boncourt/Delle-Autoroute (A16) Plateforme douanière 3, 2926 Boncourt | around the clock, daily | Mon–Fri 07:00–17:30 | +41 58 483 24 14 |
| Thônex-Vallard, Geneva (A411 → Annemasse) Route Blanche 24, 1226 Thônex | Mon–Fri 07:30–12:00, 13:00–17:00 | same | +41 58 480 43 11 |
| Ferney-Voltaire (office on French side) Rue de Genève, 01210 Ferney-Voltaire (FR) | Mon–Fri 07:30–12:00, 13:00–17:00 | same | +41 58 481 92 80 |
| Vallorbe (N57 → Pontarlier/Besançon) Rte du Creux 26, 1337 Vallorbe | Mon–Fri 05:00–22:00, Sat 08:00–22:00 | Mon–Fri 08:00–12:00, 13:00–17:00 | +41 58 466 85 50 |
| Col France, Le Locle (office on French side) Le Col France, Villers-le-Lac (FR) | Mon–Fri 06:00–20:00, Sat 10:00–18:00 | not possible; use Le Crêt-du-Locle | +41 58 466 08 24 |
| Le Crêt-du-Locle (inland, La Chaux-de-Fonds) Crêt-du-Locle 10, 2304 La Chaux-de-Fonds | not offered | Mon–Fri 08:00–17:00 | +41 58 466 54 02 |
| St-Gingolph (Lake Geneva south shore) Route Cantonale 1, 1898 St-Gingolph | daily 05:00–22:00 | Mon–Fri 07:00–12:00, 13:00–16:30 | +41 58 483 05 20 |
Italy border
Chiasso is the main axis and works around the clock. Note that commercial clearance and carnet stamping happen at different Chiasso offices.
| Crossing | Opened carnet | New carnet (first use) | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chiasso Brogeda Autostrada (A2/A9 motorway) 6830 Chiasso | around the clock, daily | around the clock, daily | +41 58 483 43 80 |
| Chiasso-Strada (commercial office, rail area) Via Maestri Comacini 12, 6830 Chiasso | Mon–Fri 07:30–18:30, Sat 07:30–14:00 | same | +41 58 483 41 11 |
| Chiasso Viaggiatori (passenger crossing) Corso San Gottardo 1, 6830 Chiasso | around the clock, daily | around the clock, daily | +41 58 483 43 33 |
| Stabio/Gaggiolo (Mendrisio Confine → Varese) Via Gaggiolo 59, 6855 Stabio | Mon–Fri 07:30–18:00, Sat/Sun 08:00–17:00 | Mon–Fri 07:30–18:00, Sat 08:00–12:00 | +41 58 465 65 21 |
| Brig Gamsen (commercial office for the Simplon axis) Bielstrasse 1, 3902 Brig-Glis | Mon–Fri 08:00–17:00 | same | +41 58 469 39 60 |
| Gondo (Simplon pass crossing) Simplonstrasse, 3907 Gondo | Mon–Sat 10:00–17:00 | not possible; activate at Brig Gamsen | +41 58 469 39 60 |
| Castasegna (Bergell → Chiavenna) Strada Cantonale 2, 7608 Castasegna | Mon–Fri 07:30–20:00 | Mon–Fri 07:30–18:00 | +41 58 480 12 20 |
| Ponte Tresa (→ Luino) Piazza Dogana, 6988 Ponte Tresa | daily 08:00–17:00 | Mon–Fri 08:00–17:00 | — |
| Grand-St-Bernard tunnel Tunnel entrances north/south | Mon–Sat 06:00–22:00 | Mon–Fri 08:00–12:00, 13:30–17:00 | — |
Austria & Liechtenstein border
Swiss customs also runs Liechtenstein’s border with Austria (customs union since 1923). Au SG is the around-the-clock option in the Rhine valley.
| Crossing | Opened carnet | New carnet (first use) | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Au SG (→ Lustenau) Zollstrasse, 9434 Au SG | around the clock, daily | Mon–Fri 07:30–17:30, Sat 08:00–12:00 | +41 58 461 44 00 |
| St. Margrethen Strasse (→ Höchst/A14) Grenzstrasse 33, 9430 St. Margrethen | Mon–Fri 07:30–16:00 | same | +41 58 480 21 00 |
| Schaanwald FL (→ Feldkirch/Tisis) Vorarlbergerstrasse 233, 9486 Schaanwald (FL) | Mon–Fri 07:30–18:00, Sat 10:00–18:00 | Mon–Fri 07:30–18:00 | +41 58 466 77 62 |
| Buchs SG (rail station, → Feldkirch) Bahnhofplatz 4a, 9470 Buchs | Mon–Fri 08:00–12:00, 13:00–16:00 | same | +41 58 466 50 11 |
| Kriessern Zollstrasse 31, 9451 Kriessern | Mon–Fri 07:30–17:00 | same | — |
| Diepoldsau Hohenemserstrasse 69, 9444 Diepoldsau | Mon–Fri 07:30–17:00 | same | — |
| Martina (→ Nauders, Tyrol) 7560 Martina | Mon–Fri 07:30–20:00 | Mon–Fri 07:30–18:00 | — |
Transit, rail and special cases
- Driving through the EU to a third country (UK, Balkans…): blue transit vouchers are opened at your first EU border and discharged at the EU exit. Within the EU, no internal formalities.
- Rail: carnet processing on the train is not guaranteed — use the border-station customs offices (Buchs SG: Mon–Fri 08:00–12:00/13:00–16:00; Basel Umschlagbahnhof for rail freight: Mon–Fri 07:30–17:30; Chiasso-Strada: Mon–Fri 07:30–18:30, Sat 07:30–14:00).
- Holidays: commercial clearance is closed on 1 Jan, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Ascension, Whit Monday, 1 Aug, 25/26 Dec and cantonal holidays — the 24/7 opened-carnet service at motorway crossings is the exception.
- Forgot a stamp? See using your carnet — Swiss regularisation is possible within 60 days with proof.
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 — official customs office directory (all hours and carnet services above) ↗ (DE/FR/IT/EN)
- BAZG — locations and opening hours of border crossings ↗ (German)
- BAZG — opening hours and holidays ↗ (German)
- BAZG — directive R-10-60 (who may open vs stamp carnets) ↗ (German, PDF)
- BAZG — self-declaration boxes (private goods only) ↗ (German)
- German customs — Carnet ATA and EU transit ↗ (German)