Procedure and guidelines on species conservation in import

When importing animals, plants, and their parts and derivatives, species protection rules apply. Find out when CITES documents and protected species inspections are required and what happens before, during and after import.

Consignments of plant and animal species that are protected under Swiss species conservation legislation (CITES) are subject to a permit and/or inspection requirement on import. CITES not only applies to live animals and plants, but also the parts and products derived from them.

Before import

Check beforehand whether your consignment is subject to species protection rules and which CITES documents are required.

• Affected animal and plant species

  To find out whether a species is protected under CITES, look up its scientific name in the official list of species:

  CITES: Checklist of CITES species

• Permit and inspection requirement

  If a species is listed in the CITES appendices, the following requirements apply for import into Switzerland:

  • Export permit or re-export certificate from the exporting or re-exporting country, or pre-Convention certificate.
    For readability reasons, the FSVO website uses the term ‘CITES certificate’ to refer to these documents.
  • Import permit from the FSVO
  • Protected species inspection

  However, the permit and inspection requirement does not only apply to CITES-listed species. With a few exceptions, all live specimens of non-domesticated mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians also require an import permit from the FSVO and a protected species inspection.

  Legal framework for the permit and inspection requirement:

  • Art. 7, Art. 8 and Art. 13 FA-CITES
  • Art. 3 and Art. 30 O-CITES
  • Art. 7, Art. 10 and Annex 1 to the CITES Control Ordinance

  More information:

  Permits for import

  Travel

  In addition to the species protection regulations, depending on the consignment animal health regulations must also be complied with:

  Importing animals and animal products from the EU

  Importing animals and animal products from third countries

  Import of foods from the EU

  Import of foods from third countries

• Special regulations for plants

  Additional or deviating species protection regulations apply to certain ornamental plants. Use the following documents to find out more before import:

  • Übersicht aller in den CITES-Anhängen gelisteten Pflanzenarten sowie hilfreiche Erläuterungen (CITES-Anhang I-III Flora)

    PDF420.25 kB6 May 2026

  • Details betreffend CITES-Zeugnispflicht häufig eingeführter Zierpflanzen und zugehörige Ausnahmebestimmungen (CITES-Zeugnispflicht Zierpflanzen)

    PDF266.22 kB16 June 2026

  Useful information on all wood species (common commercial names, distribution area, CITES protection status etc.)

Import procedure

The import can only take place once all required CITES documents are available.

• Import procedure and protected species inspection

  Once the necessary CITES documents are available, the import can proceed. The proper import procedure involves two steps.

  More information:

  • Process for protected species inspection

    PDF301.26 kB16 April 2026

  Storage in duty-free warehouses is deemed import under species protection regulations. Here, too, the relevant CITES documents must be presented, and a protected species inspection is required before the goods are placed in storage.

  Consignments that are not properly imported will be declared non-compliant by the FSVO.

  Video: Is this souvenir legal in Switzerland?

• Protected species inspection offices

  There are six protected species inspection offices in Switzerland. On import you choose at which post you will present the consignment within two working days.

  Consignments from countries outside the EU, Norway and Iceland that are also subject to animal health inspections can only be processed at the control posts at Zurich and Geneva airports.

  Contact details and opening times of individual protected species inspection offices:

  • Process for protected species inspection

    PDF301.26 kB16 April 2026

  Site maps of protected species inspection offices:

  • Plan of the protected species inspection office Bern

    PDF540.91 kB6 July 2026

  • Plan of the protected species inspection office Zurich Airport

    PDF450.15 kB6 July 2026

  • Plan of the protected species inspection office Geneva Airport

    PDF675.64 kB6 July 2026

  • Plan of the protected species inspection office Mendrisio

    PDF488.65 kB6 July 2026

After import

Keep the receipt for the protected species inspection in a safe place. For species protected under CITES, this is the so-called ‘Passierschein’. This document is required in order to apply for the corresponding CITES certificate from the FSVO for a subsequent re-export.

More information:

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