Customs at Basel train station

Finance, Taxes, Banking, Insurance and Retirement
1
Would anyone know when customs are open at Basel train station (going into Switzerland from France)?

I know there's a document that gives the opening hours of the customs at the German/Swiss border crossings, but I haven't found the equivalent for the French side.

Thanks

2
I would imagine that when a train from France into Basel arrives, that the customs post would be open. Otherwise everyone could walk straight through. They could hardly keep all the folk from the train milling around that small area waitiing for the customs post to open. I seem to remember it being open at five in the morning... but that was a long time ago and things might have changed.

3
The reason I ask is that most of the times I've taken the train back from France in the past year, there were no customs officers, and people did walk straight through... We've only been asked to show our passports and the contents of our bags once. This is why I was wondering if there were specific opening hours, in case we want to declare items bought in France.

4
I seem to remember at Basel Badische Bahnhof there is a 'we have something to declare/nothing to declare' division. I wasn't really looking when I walked through though so maybe I am just thinking of an airport somewhere. Is there a division at Basel SNCF? Whether there is or not, there might be a couple of Customs Officers hiding away behind the scenes waiting for some suspicious person to come through with loads of forbidden goods. Try and look suspicious next time and then you can let us know.

5
Just an update... we traveled back from France this evening, arrived in Basel SBB at 21:05, and there were two customs officers checking passports and bags.

They asked us if we had anything to declare, we said no, and they let us through

So they are open quite late, but they don't check bags systematically...

6
You obviously just weren't trying hard enough to look suspicious.

Glad you didn't have to empty your cases though - the stuff never seems to want to go back in again afterwards.

7
I've been across the border many times over the last three years going from Basel to Mulhouse and vice versa. From experience, there are no special times when the custom officials are there although Saturday and Sunday evenings tend to guarantee someone looking for your passport. Otherwise, it's hit and miss.