Shopping Across the Border: Savings, VAT Refunds and Customs Rules
How much you can save, what the allowance is and how to declare goods.
4 min read · Currency & Economics
Life situations: Budgeting and saving
Prices in neighbouring countries are often lower, but check the full cost.
The savings
Subtract foreign VAT through the refund form and add travel costs and exchange rate effects.
Example with default values. Open the calculator →
Customs rules
- A VAT allowance applies per person and day.
- Meat, alcohol and tobacco have separate limits.
- Declare goods above the allowance.
Is it worth the trip?
Small purchases rarely justify the travel time and cost. Big-ticket items, regular grocery runs and goods that are much cheaper abroad are more likely to pay off.
Compare prices with the cross-border shopping calculator.
Try it yourself: Cross-Border Shopping Savings
Change any input and the result updates instantly. Nothing you enter is sent to a server.
Price abroad after VAT refund, in CHFCHF 234
- Swiss import VAT (only above CHF 300 per day and person)
- CHF 0.00
- Total cost abroad incl. travel
- CHF 254
- Saving vs. Swiss price
- CHF 95.55