Relocation to Zurich from Dubai and Abu Dhabi

Movers from Dubai to Zurich, door to door

Planning a relocation to Zurich from Dubai or Abu Dhabi? We take care of the whole move: the survey and export packing in the UAE, Form 18.44 for Swiss customs, shipping, and delivery and unpacking at your new address in Zurich, with one coordinator throughout.

Seemleius Mobility and Cargo L.L.C is based in Dubai Investment Park. The rules that apply everywhere in Switzerland are on our page for household moves to Switzerland.

Moving service to Zurich: what's included

One fixed, itemised quote covers the full relocation service to Zurich, delivery and unpacking included:

• A free in-home or video survey anywhere in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah.
• Export packing by trained crews, crating for fragile items and art, and furniture dismantling and reassembly.
• Form 18.44 and the list of goods, prepared in Dubai, plus the export documents.
• Sea freight in a full or shared container, depending on volume, and air freight for essentials.
• Customs clearance through our destination partner.
• Delivery to your Zurich address, placement room by room and unpacking.
• Transit insurance available (terms confirmed with your quote).
• Storage in Dubai, short or long term, if your dates don't line up.

Swiss customs: Form 18.44 for your household goods

Household effects of people moving their domicile to Switzerland come in free of duty and VAT. For a Zurich move, these are the rules that matter:

• Use: at least 6 months of use abroad before the domicile transfer. Transport time counts, and use matters rather than ownership.
• Timing: the new domicile needs an available flat or house, and used goods sent ahead of the domicile transfer are dutiable. You then have up to 2 years to import; later shipments are declared at the first import.
• Form: Form 18.44, "Antrag/Zollanmeldung für Übersiedlungsgut (Umzugsgut)", in duplicate with an original signature, with a list of the goods, foreign vehicle papers and proof of the domicile transfer, such as your Zurich lease or purchase contract.
• Registration: customs needs proof of the domicile transfer, not specifically your registration – deregistration abroad plus employment and rental contracts can be enough. That matters in Zurich, where you can only register once you have actually moved in.
• Allowances: alcohol up to 200 litres at up to 25% vol plus 12 litres above 25% vol per household, and tobacco up to 1,000 cigarettes (2,000 per household), 200 cigars or 1 kg of tobacco; above that, duty applies.

If a document is missing, customs can clear the goods provisionally against a deposit; the documents are then due within 6 months, and the deposit is refunded minus a fee. Weapons, ivory and protected species, animals and plants from outside the EU follow separate rules.

Who does what: we prepare Form 18.44 and the list of goods in Dubai, and our destination partner presents them to customs. You sign both copies and provide your lease or purchase contract and any vehicle papers.

Routes and transit times to Zurich

Since 28 February 2026 the Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed to commercial shipping, so UAE containers go by road to a port outside the strait, such as Khor Fakkan or Fujairah on the east coast or Sohar in Oman, and sail from there.

From a European sea port, goods for Zurich continue inland by road, rail or Rhine barge. The Rhine-Alpine corridor links Rotterdam and Antwerp with Genoa via Basel, and a barge from Rotterdam to Switzerland takes about 90 hours of sailing time. Under the common transit procedure, clearance can take place at the destination rather than at the port.

Schedules are longer and less predictable than before 2026. As a guide, CMA CGM's September 2026 schedule starts at Duqm in Oman and shows 40 days – nearly six weeks – from there to Rotterdam, port to port; the road and feeder legs from the UAE, the inland leg to Zurich, customs clearance and delivery come on top. We confirm the routing and dates at your survey and again at booking.

How your move to Zurich runs

As your moving company for Zurich, we run the whole move: our crews pack in the UAE, and our destination partner clears the goods and delivers.

• Survey: a coordinator walks through your home in Dubai or Abu Dhabi with you and notes what goes, what stays and what needs crating.
• Fixed quote: an itemised quote covering the volume, the shipping option and the services at both ends.
• Paperwork: we prepare Form 18.44 and the list of goods; you provide your lease or purchase contract and any other proof of the move.
• Packing day: trained crews pack, crate fragile pieces and art, dismantle furniture and load.
• Departure: the container goes by road to the departure port and sails, timed to arrive after you have moved in.
• Arrival and clearance: our destination partner presents the file to Swiss customs and agrees the delivery date with you, leaving enough notice for the parking reservation.
• Delivery: furniture is placed room by room and reassembled, and your boxes are unpacked.

Delivering in Zurich: parking and access

We deliver across the city – Seefeld, Enge, Wiedikon, Hottingen, Oerlikon and every other district – and to the lake communes such as Küsnacht and Kilchberg, as well as to Zug. The parking rules below are the city of Zurich's:

• Moving-van parking: a space for the van is reserved with the city police (Stadtpolizei), at least 7 working days ahead in blue zones and 3 in white zones, for up to 14 days. Residents' parking cards are a separate matter, handled by the Dienstabteilung Verkehr.
• Driving times: across Switzerland, lorries over 3.5 tonnes may not drive between 22:00 and 05:00 or on Sundays and public holidays, so deliveries are planned for daytime on other days.
• Access: at the survey, tell us the floor, lift size and stairs at the new address, and any building rules for moving day; the destination crew plans around them.

Pets and cars

Animals and means of transport are part of the Swiss household relief, but each has its own paperwork and moves as a separate service: see pet relocation and vehicle shipping. The car question below covers Form 15.30 and Swiss registration.

Storage in Dubai

Used goods sent ahead of your domicile transfer are dutiable, so if your Dubai lease ends before the Zurich flat is ready, keep them in storage in Dubai, short or long term. You have up to 2 years after the transfer to import them duty-free.

Book your free in-home survey

The survey is 100% free, with no obligation. A coordinator visits your home in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, looks at every room, asks about the Zurich address – floor, lift, street – and your move-in date; your fixed, itemised quote follows.

Zurich's parking rule is a good test for any relocation service: ask how each company plans around the 7 working days' notice the city police need for a moving-van space.

Book through the quote form on this page or on our quote page, or call or WhatsApp +971 56 899 2011.