Exporting wine to Switzerland. There is a quota, and the licence kicks in at 17 bottles.
In Switzerland wine enters within a tariff quota, and the importer must hold a licence from the Federal Office for Agriculture. From 20 kg gross upwards, that is from about 17 bottles.
Wine has a tariff quota. The Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG) sets quotas 23, 24 and 25 for white, red and rosé wine: 1,700,000 hectolitres in total per calendar year at the in-quota rate, allocated at the border in the order customs accepts the declarations.
From 20 kg gross the general import licence (GEB) is needed. About 17 bottles of 0.75 litres. The GEB is free and does not expire, and the importer applies for it through the eKontingente application after registering with the Swiss Wine Trade Control (SWK).
Wine pays VAT at 8.1%. Alcoholic beverages are excluded from the reduced 2.6% rate that applies to other foods.
This page is part of exporting wine: the documents, who issues them and when they are needed, and covers the Swiss market. Duty on gross weight, the import declaration and the proof of origin, which apply to every food, are in exporting food to Switzerland.
How to export wine to Switzerland: quota, GEB, VAT
To export wine to Switzerland you need an importer registered with the Swiss Wine Trade Control and holding the general import licence (GEB), the wine within the tariff quota, and the Swiss VAT calculation at 8.1%. The duty is calculated on gross weight, as for every food.
| Step | Who does it | Source |
|---|---|---|
| SWK registration and GEB | The Swiss importer, once only. | FOAG |
| Tariff quota | Allocated at the border, with each declaration. | FOAG, quotas 23, 24 and 25 |
| Duty on gross weight | Paid by the importer, according to the Incoterm. | Swiss customs tariff |
| VAT at 8.1% | Paid by the importer. | FTA |
The tariff quota for wine: 1.7 million hectolitres
Wine imported into Switzerland enters under tariff quotas 23, 24 and 25, one for white, one for red and one for rosé. Together they amount to 1,700,000 hectolitres per calendar year, imported at the in-quota rate. The Federal Office for Agriculture says so.
«Die Zollkontingente Nr. 23, 24 und 25 für Wein (Weisswein, Rotwein und Rosé) umfassen Total 1’700’000 Hektoliter pro Kalenderjahr, die zum Kontingentszollansatz eingeführt werden können.» (Federal Office for Agriculture, importing wine)
The quota is not divided among importers in advance. It is allocated at the border in the order customs accepts the declarations, the criterion the FOAG calls «first come, first served». The condition for entering at the in-quota rate is the importer's GEB.
The GEB: from 20 kg gross, about 17 bottles
To import wine into Switzerland from 20 kg gross upwards you need the general import licence, the GEB, issued by the Federal Office for Agriculture. The FOAG translates the threshold into about 17 bottles of 0.75 litres, so a commercial shipment almost always exceeds it, even a small one. For olive oil the body and the threshold change, as explained in exporting olive oil to Switzerland.
The GEB is free and has no time limit. The importer applies for it through the eKontingente application, after registering with the Swiss Wine Trade Control, the SWK. For the Italian winery there is only one question to ask straight away: does the importer already have the GEB, and what is its number?
Gross weight includes glass, cork, capsule and carton, not just the wine. The downloadable sheet adds up the weight of the full bottles and the cartons and tells you whether the shipment reaches 20 kg. It is a useful calculation for samples too, as explained on the page about sending food samples abroad.
Swiss VAT on wine: 8.1%
Wine pays Swiss import VAT at the standard rate of 8.1%. The reduced 2.6% rate, which applies to foodstuffs and additives, excludes alcoholic beverages. The base includes the value of the goods, transport to destination and duty, and the importer pays it.
Who pays duty and VAT is decided by the Incoterm written in the offer, as explained in Incoterms: who pays what. Swiss duty is calculated in francs per 100 kg of gross weight, with the rate for your heading read in the Swiss electronic customs tariff.
The template, to download
One file, two sheets. The first is the checklist, with the source next to each line and a drop-down status to fill in. The second works out the gross weight of the shipment and tells you whether the GEB is needed, then estimates the taxable base and VAT at 8.1% from the value, transport and duty.
| File | What it contains | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Wine in SwitzerlandExcel, two sheets | Ten checklist lines with the source, the GEB threshold check and VAT at 8.1%. |
The files are free. There is no form in front of them, we don't ask for an address and we receive no notification when someone downloads them. The duty rate for your heading is not in the sheet: it is read in the Swiss tariff.
Questions and answers
What do you need to export wine to Switzerland?
A Swiss importer registered with the Swiss Wine Trade Control (SWK) and holding the general import licence (GEB) of the Federal Office for Agriculture, required from 20 kg gross upwards. Wine enters under tariff quotas 23, 24 and 25.
The duty is calculated on gross weight and Swiss VAT on wine is 8.1%.
What is the tariff quota for wine in Switzerland?
It is the quantity of wine Switzerland lets in at the in-quota duty rate: 1,700,000 hectolitres per calendar year, under quotas 23, 24 and 25 for white, red and rosé wine, according to the Federal Office for Agriculture.
It is allocated at the border in the order customs accepts the declarations, first come first served, and the condition is the importer's GEB.
When is the GEB needed to import wine into Switzerland?
From 20 kg gross upwards, that is about 17 bottles of 0.75 litres, as stated by the Federal Office for Agriculture. Gross weight includes glass, cork, capsule and carton.
The GEB is free and has no time limit, and the importer applies for it through the eKontingente application after registering with the SWK.
What VAT does wine imported into Switzerland pay?
The standard rate of 8.1%. The reduced 2.6% rate, which applies to foodstuffs and additives, excludes alcoholic beverages.
The base includes the value of the goods, transport to destination and duty, and the importer pays the VAT.
Who applies for the GEB, the Italian winery or the Swiss importer?
The Swiss importer. The GEB is issued by the Federal Office for Agriculture to whoever imports, after registration with the Swiss Wine Trade Control.
For the winery, the question to ask straight away is whether the importer already has the GEB and what its number is.
Notes on sources
- Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG/BLW), importing wine and grapes for winemaking, published 6 January 2025: quotas 23, 24 and 25, allocation at the border, the GEB from 20 kg gross, about 17 bottles, free of charge, SWK registration and eKontingente. The quotation marks enclose the text verbatim.
- Federal Tax Administration (FTA): VAT rates in force from 1 January 2024, 8.1% standard and 2.6% reduced with alcoholic beverages excluded, as reported and cited in exporting food to Switzerland.
- The sources were read on 25 September 2026. The duty rate for wine is not given: it is read in the Swiss electronic customs tariff, with your own heading code.
In Switzerland the first question is the importer's GEB number.
If they have one, the rest is weight and rate. If they don't, the shipment doesn't leave. With Itria we start from the outside to build custom digital systems for exporters. For you that translates into more requests, fewer losses and less manual work. Write us a line about what weighs on you. We take the first step: what a buyer sees when they look you up, and what we found there. Even if we don't end up working together.