Moving to Switzerland

The India–Switzerland corridor is defined by two facts that shape every move on it. The first is geography: Switzerland is landlocked, so a sea shipment from Nhava Sheva, Mundra, Chennai or Cochin travels to a northern European or Mediterranean port and continues overland into Zurich, Geneva, Basel or Zug. The second is regulatory: Switzerland is not a member of the European Union, and the customs framework that applies when your goods arrive is Swiss, not EU. Those two facts determine the route plan, the documentation, and the timeline for every household, corporate and commercial shipment from India to Switzerland.

Seemleius runs this corridor for professionals relocating from Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Pune and Hyderabad to Switzerland’s finance, pharmaceutical and international-organisation hubs. This page explains how the corridor operates. From here, choose the guide matched to your specific move.

Who is making this move

The India–Switzerland corridor carries a distinctive professional profile. Zurich is one of the world’s foremost financial centres — UBS, Credit Suisse’s successor entities, Julius Baer and Pictet draw quantitative analysts, private banking professionals and risk managers from Indian financial firms and from India’s IITs and IIMs. Basel anchors the global pharmaceutical industry; Novartis and Roche have made the Indian-to-Basel pipeline a consistent one, hiring chemists, regulatory affairs professionals and clinical researchers from Hyderabad, Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Geneva’s international-organisation sector brings Indian professionals working in trade, health and development policy. Zug attracts entrepreneurs and technology founders drawn by Switzerland’s tax environment and its fintech and crypto-valley cluster. The moves that follow these careers tend to be well planned, involve high-value goods, and are managed against firm deadlines.

The India–Switzerland route

India’s export side — what leaves first

A move from India is not only a Swiss customs question — it is also an Indian export question, and the Indian export question is the one most often underestimated. Personal effects and household goods leaving India require a properly filed shipping bill through ICEGATE, an Authorised Dealer (AD) code registered with the gateway port, and compliance with the RBI/FEMA framework governing emigration. Commercial cargo additionally requires GST LUT (Letter of Undertaking) for zero-rated export, and where eligible, drawback or RoDTEP claims are filed against the shipping bill. We prepare the India-end documentation as part of every move, so the shipment clears Indian customs before it boards, not afterwards. That discipline on the origin side is what keeps the transit clean.

Swiss customs — the part that surprises Indian movers

Switzerland is in a customs union with the EU for many practical purposes, but it is not an EU member, and EU Transfer-of-Residence rules do not apply at the Swiss border. The Swiss equivalent is Übersiedlungsgut — transfer of residence — filed on Form 18.44 with the EZV, and granted for used personal effects owned for at least six months and brought in within two years of taking up Swiss residence. Goods routed through Genoa enter Switzerland directly under T1 or T2 transit; goods routed through Hamburg or Antwerp transit the EU on the same documents before clearing into Switzerland. Swiss VAT at 8.1% applies to non-qualifying imports. Where Übersiedlungsgut is granted, that VAT — and import duty — falls away on qualifying personal effects.

How the move unfolds

1. Survey and plan. We assess what is moving in India, recommend sea freight, air freight or a combination, and explain the Swiss customs process and the Übersiedlungsgut application specific to your situation.
2. Document both ends. Indian export paperwork — shipping bill on ICEGATE, AD code, FEMA-aligned declaration, GST LUT where applicable — and Swiss import documentation (Form 18.44 or commercial import file) are prepared concurrently so neither end holds up the other.
3. Ship. The consignment leaves the Indian gateway on the booked route; sea containers transit to Genoa, Hamburg or Antwerp; road freight under T1/T2 completes the journey into Switzerland.
4. Clear and deliver. We manage EZV clearance — Übersiedlungsgut for households, full commercial import for business cargo — and coordinate final delivery to your address in Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Lausanne or Zug.

Select the guide below that fits your situation — household, corporate, employee relocation, commercial cargo, or pets and vehicles — or request a quote and a coordinator will begin from where you are.