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What is required?
First of all you must have the customs tariff number of the product to be imported. Should you not know the number, the relevant Federal Office for Customs and Border Security FOCBS will be able to supply it, You can consult the online customs tariffs list at Customs Tariff - Tares (Customs tariff informations) aswell. The information on "Tares" are avaiable in German, French and Italian.
General import permits (GIPs)
A permit is required to import many agricultural products. Such permits, known as "general import permits" (GIPs), are issued by the Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG) upon applications from natural and juristic persons as well as companies that are resident or have their head offices on Swiss soil.
GIPs are issued without charge, are valid indefinitely and are not transferrable. A GIP authorises you to import agricultural products and is a necessary prerequisite for being included in various quotas. A GIP does not automatically give you the right to import a product at the lower quota tariff (QT) or duty-free, however; to do this, you must be allocated a quota share or have an agreement for use of a share (see AIO14online section) informations).
