The transit of animals and animal products in which the EU is possibly involved in addition to Switzerland is governed by various provisions which require a differentiated approach.
General provisions
If the border veterinary service at the airports in Zurich or Geneva or at a border control point in the EU is required to inspect a shipment, the following applies in all cases:
The shipment must be notified in advance to the border control point. The advance notification must be given at least one day before the shipment arrives at the border control point if it contains animals, prior to arrival for all other shipments.
If the importer responsible for the shipment is domiciled in a Member State of the EU, in Iceland or in Norway, the advance notification of the shipment must be made through the TRACES electronic system. Otherwise page 1 of the Common Veterinary Entry Document (CVED) can be completed by hand ("More information").
The transport of cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, horses for slaughter and poultry for slaughter by road through Switzerland is prohibited for animal welfare reasons.
Third country – Switzerland – EU
Third country - EU - Switzerland - EU - Third country
Third country – Switzerland – Third country
Third country – Switzerland – EU
Landing in Switzerland following transport by air and onward transport to the EU by road or rail
Switzerland performs veterinary border controls of animals and animal products on behalf of the EU at the airports in Zurich and Geneva. The same import regulations apply as for import into Switzerland.
The general provisions (see above) must be observed.
Landing in Switzerland following transport by air and onward transport to the EU by air
Living animals
All living animals must be examined by the border veterinary service on arrival in Switzerland and before their onward journey to the EU. The same import regulations apply as for import into Switzerland.
Note: Not all animals can be imported through Geneva or Zurich since these airports are not approved for all animal categories.
The general provisions (see above, particularly advance notification) must be observed.
Animal products
The same import regulations apply as for import into Switzerland. The border veterinary service performs a partial or full inspection of the products depending on how long they remain at the airport. The necessary certificates must accompany the shipment in all cases and must be shown to the border veterinary service.
The general provisions (see above) must be observed.
Third country - EU - Switzerland - EU - Third country
Goods are transported by road, rail and/or air or using a combination of these modes of transport.
Landing in the EU following transport by air and onward transport to Switzerland by road or rail
In this case, the goods must be inspected by the border veterinary service on arrival in the first EU Member State. The border veterinary service will not perform an inspection at Switzerland's external border.
A CVED (Common Veterinary Entry Document) is issued to document the inspection that has been performed and this must accompany the shipment throughout the transport (see "More information").
The general provisions (see above) must be observed.
Landing in the EU and onward transport to Switzerland by air
Living animals
All living animals must be examined by the border veterinary service on arrival in the EU and before their onward journey to Switzerland. The same import regulations apply as for import into Switzerland (internal link to new import database).
Note: Not all animals can be imported through Geneva or Zurich since these airports are not approved for all animal categories.
The general provisions (see above) must be observed.
Animal products
The same import regulations apply as for import into Switzerland (internal link to new import database). On arrival in the EU, the border veterinary service performs a partial or full inspection of the animals at the EU airport, depending on how long they remain there. The necessary certificates must accompany the shipment in all cases and must be shown to the border veterinary service.
The general provisions (see above) must be observed.
Third country – Switzerland – Third country
Landing in Switzerland and onward transport to a third country by air
The provisions of the country of destination apply. However, animals and animal products from third countries, the import of which into Switzerland is forbidden for animal health reasons may not be shipped.
The general provisions (see above) must be observed.
Legislation, see "More information".
More Information
Last modification 05.10.2016
