Entering switzerland with lots of baby milk formula

Visas, Permits, Passports and Naturalization
1
Dear All,

I will be travelling to zurich with my family (wife and 9 month old baby) and since we will be staying for 5 months. We have now bought all the baby formula which is about 13 kg as the baby is allergic to other kind of milk formula.

I would like to know if there are any restrictions on the amount of baby milk allowed to bring in Switzerland.

Do we have to declare the baby milk formula with the swiss immigration / customs when entering switzerland?

Thank you for your replies and inputs

2
I believe the rules are that you can bring in up to 2 kg per person of "baby milk powder, baby food, special medical food and medical animal feed, provided these are packaged, brand-name products which do not have to be refrigerated"

...so you could bring in 6kg, but would have to declare if you are bringing in more than that, and pay duties etc for the excess.

Are you sure you can't buy the formula here? If not, could you get some posted here ahead of your arrival?

3

I’d double check with the Swiss Customs Office about whether you can or not because I found this under the food allowances section.

“The importation of animal products coming from countries other than EU states and Norway is prohibited.”

http://www.ezv.admin.ch/zollinfo_pri…x.html?lang=en

Unless it’s a brand made in the EU and exported to South Africa I don’t think you’ll be able to bring it in.

Have you checked the websites of the food stores here to make sure you can’t get it here? What’s it called? Migros, Coop, Denner, Aldi, Lidl, Manor, Globus are all worth checking.

4
Hi kiwigeek,

thank you for your response.

The baby formula (S26 Gold) is quite specific and I checked the online groceries stores but none of them (aldi, coop, le shop.ch) have it.

Would you perhaps know how much duty fees I may pay per kg of excess.

Thank you

5
If it is just ordinary s26 gold, which is the common brand in Australia, then it is not a 'special' formula. It should be easily replaced with a very similar formula as s-26 is owned by Nestlé and Nestlé is a Swiss company. Maybe you can email the manufacturer on the tin and ask them if they have an equivalent brand in Switzerland.

Personally, given that your baby is already 9 months old, and assuming that they were born full term and healthy, your baby should be making large improvements in the solids side of things and can move on to normal cows milk and lots of other foods by 12 months... So you might be Be able to cut down the amount of powdered formula milk and make it last longer.

Secondly, I would declare it on arrival and then see what they say. Worst case they take away or fine you for importing the over-quantity, which should cost less than the cost of replacing the formula in Switzerland.

If you are blocked from importing that quantity, then you go to the local Paediatrician on arrival and ask them to recommend an equivalent.

Are you coming over on a work assignment with proper Swiss health insurance ? If so, you will pay a 10% gap on all doctor-medical for the child, but I do not think the cost of powder formula milk is included...as it is considered a 'food'....

6
Swiss customs import info is here:

http://www.ezv.admin.ch/zollinfo_pri...x.html?lang=en

7
If you had a very young baby and a letter from your peadiatrician explaining the absolute need for that particular formula for allergy reasons- you should be ok as long as you declare. But I agree with Sky's excellent advice above. This is unlikely to work for a 9 month old baby as the amount of formula required at that age would be normally quite small, maybe morning and evening bottle- so 13kg will probably be deemed excessive and perhaps deemed for re-sale. 6kg should be ok surely as at 12 months + formula use will be minute or none.

8
I don't see how a letter would make any difference at all. If duty is payable it will be payable, if it's not legal to import it will be confiscated. Swiss customs officers don't make up rules as they go along, flexibility has never been a strong Swiss trait either.

9
Duty may be payable, but they would probably allow it in and perhaps wave duty for a very young baby with a doctor's letter- I can assure you. In between writing my last post and now, I had a chat with 2 customs officers over the garden fence- who both said the same They do make it up as they go along, I can assure you, depending on mood or the attitude and the ability to speak local language of the 'client'- and they can be very flexible when they feel like it honest (they can also be **ggers if they don't like the look of you, if you can't or won't speak their language and if your 'attitude' is not to their liking, etc...and they are more powerful than the police !!!).

10
The same 2 customs guys that claimed you loose your 300chf allowance if you don't declare you goods below 300chf. I remember your thread well

Edit, I have come across a few idiot customs officers in my time, there is nothing they can do unless you have broken any rules. They also don't like it when you point out they have made a mistake & so I then ask them if they are stupid or just incompetent I have known the German ones turn into a dumb mute if you only speak English, my German GF in the car was most amused at the time.

11
See edit above- edit and reply crossed (yes).

BTW, I did check again about losing allowance if not declaring goods below 300CHF if the question is clearly asked and you lie (Avez-vous des marchandises? Do you have any goods?- If you do have goods,, but below 300CHF, then you are required to say so- I usually just hand them the receipt from the supermarket and tell them I also have fruit and veg from the market- and what meat I've got). If they find that you have excess meat or wine, etc- that you have not declared, they will then charge you tax + a fine + not give you allowance due to fraud).

12
You don't loose the allowance if your under the limit, the answer No is perfectly acceptable.

If you have an item costing over 300, you don't have any allowance.....so you don't loose it due to fraud, it never existed when the limit was 100chf you did get the 100chf regardless.

13
Oops, didn't read you were coming from SA - Medea is right, you can probably only bring it in if it comes from the EU or Norway..

A google search tells me that over this side of the world (well at least I know it's sold in the UK) S-26 Gold 1, 2 and 3 equivalent to SMA 1,2 and 3 (same manufacturer).

Now whether or not you can buy SMA in Switzerland, that I don't know.

14
Perfectly acceptable to you If the question is 'do you have any goods' and you say 'no' - and they then find you have got excess meat or whatever, they will consider your lie as fraud and not give you allowance, depending on mood, your attitude, your looks, or whatever. What is perfectly 'acceptable' to you is irrelevant to them, I can assure you . The allowance is if you tell them the truth only- and you are found to lie = fraud = a very different matter. You don't believe me, that is fine- your beliefs are not important here, those of the experienced customs officers seem more relevant to me, and straight from the horse's mouth. Your choice, end off.

15
Your talking about 'excess goods' in which case no is the wrong answer.

For some reason you did not quote me as it would have made you look foolish.

I really don't get the point of your post, other than wanting to get the last word as usual even if your wrong.

Edit,

I am adding a link, Odile's continue reference to fraud for loosing the allowance is incorrect, I don't believe the customs officer stated this either as he would know it's incorrect.

If the goods exceed 300chf then VAT is payable on the full amount.

http://www.ezv.admin.ch/zollinfo_pri...x.html?lang=en

16

I’m sure you two are enjoying yourselves, but it’s likely to be irrelevant if the OP can’t bring the stuff in in the first place. If it’s a milk (animal) based product that isn’t made in the EU or Norway then they can’t bring it in, period.

17
And if it is made in the EU or Norway it's probably easier to just bring a small amount initially to last a few weeks and buy more when they get here.

18
If the baby is lactose intolerant then the cow milk is no option. And if your child is a very poor eater as my son was (which means he basically ate close to nothing), you are happy he still drinks a bottle if that is all you can get into him, and he did until he was 5!

However, given the restrictions I would look at the ingredients and compare them with formulas on sale here. There is good quality and anti allergic milk powder for babies out there.

19
You can bring up to 2 kg of baby milk per person (>= 17 y.o.)

That means if you are two adults + 1 baby, then you can bring up to 4 kg of baby milk.

I did a Google.ch search in German and I got the following link:

http://www.ezv.admin.ch/zollinfo_pri...x.html?lang=en

To be on the safe side please print the German version (for Zurich Kloten Airport) or the French version (for Geneva Cointrin Airport) and bring it with you. The customs officers will appreciate that you checked this before boarding for Switzerland.

20
Hello,

I totally agree with Sweetpea and Odile. A reasonable amount with a cover letter from the child's doctor.

You can't buy this milk in Switzerland, believe me I have 2 very small children and looked everywhere for it!! Moreover, if you do decide to buy formula in Switzerland be very careful and read the labels, as all milks vary here, not so in the Uk where all brands of baby milk have the same governmentally standardised ingredients!! I'm not sure if it's the same case in SA.

Hope this helps,

Good luck.: