Destination file · canada

Buy from Switzerland,
delivered to Canada.

The agreement does most of the work, but not for food

Switzerland and Canada trade under the Canada–EFTA free trade agreement, which takes duty on industrial goods to zero when Swiss origin is declared. It deliberately leaves out the supply-managed agricultural sectors, so dairy is not merely dutiable in Canada — it is effectively closed. A watch and a wheel of Gruyère leave the same warehouse and meet completely different borders.

Provisional · awaiting verification

Rates and thresholds on this page are drafted from the Canada–EFTA agreement and the CBSA tariff schedule but have not yet been checked line by line against the current Customs Tariff by a Canadian broker. Treat the quote as indicative until that review is recorded here.

0%Duty on most Swiss industrial goods, once origin is declared
CAD 20De-minimis threshold — among the lowest in the OECD
5–15%Sales tax at the border, depending on your province
3–5Working days, Geneva to most Canadian cities

What duty actually costs

Two rates, and a form between them.

Canada charges a most-favoured-nation rate to anyone who turns up without paperwork, and zero to Swiss goods whose origin is declared under the EFTA agreement. The gap is the whole story of importing here: it is not a discount you negotiate, it is a declaration somebody has to file.

Duty on Swiss goodsCanada–EFTA in force since 1 July 2009 · verified 11 Aug 2026
0%3%6%9%12%4.5%20085.5%20090%202020260%
Duty you actually payMFN rate paid when origin is not declaredWhat the declaration is worth
  • 1 July 2009Canada–EFTA enters into forceDuty on industrial goods of Swiss origin falls to zero. Fish and processed agricultural goods get partial treatment; supply-managed sectors are excluded outright.0%
  • OngoingSupply management holdsDairy, poultry and eggs stay outside the agreement. Over-quota tariff rates on cheese remain in the hundreds of percent, which is a prohibition written as a number.245%+
  • OngoingCAD 20 de-minimisUnchanged for decades and among the lowest in the OECD. The higher CUSMA thresholds apply to goods from the United States and Mexico, not to Swiss ones.—
  • OngoingProvincial tax at the borderCBSA collects 5% GST everywhere, and the full HST where a province has harmonised. Provincial sales tax in the non-harmonised provinces is generally not collected on personal imports.5–15%
  • The rate you pay depends on a declaration, not a negotiation. Swiss-origin industrial goods enter duty free under Canada–EFTA, but only if origin is declared on the commercial invoice — turn up without it and CBSA applies the ordinary MFN rate. We quote the MFN figure and file the origin declaration, then refund the difference once the entry clears. Quoting zero and hoping is how a customer ends up with a bill.

Sources: Canada–EFTA Free Trade Agreement, in force 1 July 2009; CBSA Customs Tariff and Memorandum D11-4-2 on proof of origin; CBSA Memorandum D19-13-2 on prohibited weapons; CFIA and Health Canada import requirements. Drafted 17 August 2026 and <b>not yet verified line by line against the current tariff schedule</b>. Rates are re-checked on the morning of every purchase and confirmed before anything is charged.

Landed cost

What it actually costs to land in Canada.

Every figure updates live. The duty basis, tax base and de-minimis rule change with the destination — that is the whole reason this page exists.

Goods, Swiss retail1 × CHF 1'649.00 incl. VAT1'649.00
Swiss VAT refunded8.1% reclaimed on export− 123.56
Net declared valuethe customs value1'525.44
Service fee8% of net · min. CHF 20122.04
Handlinginspection and extras25.00
Air freight14.8 kg chargeable · 3–5 days170.22
Import dutyMFN rate applied without proof of origin · 4.5% on FOB · HS 8516.7168.64
GST (+ provincial)5% federal · provincial tax varies by address88.22
Total landed, DDP
Nothing owed on arrivalCHF 1'999.55≈ 3,319.26 CAD

Most requested

What Canadians buy from Switzerland.

A market that mostly wants what Canadian retail carries badly or prices punitively. Watches lead, but the steady volume is in parts, outdoor kit and the pharmacy lines.

  • ✓Mechanical watchesCanadian boutique allocation is thin outside Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, and grey-market pricing is poor. Bought at the Swiss price with the warranty registered to you, duty free once origin is declared.
  • ✓Jura and Swiss appliance partsThe Canadian service network carries a fraction of the parts catalogue and quotes long lead times. Genuine parts matched to your serial number usually arrive faster from Crissier than from a domestic distributor.
  • ✓Victorinox, full rangeCanadian distribution is narrow. Engraving and Swiss-only editions are ordered direct — with the blade and lock check described below, which matters more here than almost anywhere else we ship.
  • ✓Mammut, Bächli and alpine equipmentTechnical mountaineering kit that Canadian outdoor retail carries in a fraction of the sizes. Duty free of Swiss origin, and the freight is worth paying on anything dense.
  • ✓Swiss pharmacy and dermatological linesLouis Widmer, Mibelle and the Coop Vitality range are not distributed in Canada. Personal quantities only; Health Canada rules decide what counts as personal.
  • ✓Caran d'Ache and Swiss stationeryLight, high-value against Canadian retail, and freight barely moves the total on an order of any size.

Restricted or refused

What we will not ship there.

We screen every request against this list before quoting. A refusal costs you nothing; a seizure costs you the goods.

  • ✕Cheese and dairy, in any quantityThis is the one to read twice. Dairy sits outside the Canada–EFTA agreement and inside Canadian supply management, and over-quota tariff rates on cheese run past 245%. We do not ship dairy to Canada. It is not a paperwork problem we can solve.
  • ✕Automatic and one-hand-opening knivesCanada prohibits knives that open automatically by gravity, centrifugal force or a button. CBSA has also seized one-hand-opening folders under the same heading. Standard Swiss Army knives with a nail-nick blade are fine; we check the specific model before purchase and swap it if the lock or opening mechanism is a risk.
  • ✕Alcohol outside the provincial boardsEvery province runs a liquor monopoly and importing alcohol around it is an offence, not a formality. Swiss wine, absinthe and kirsch have to go through your provincial board. We decline the order rather than declare it as something else.
  • ✕Meat, poultry and eggsCFIA prohibits or licenses these for personal import from Switzerland. Dried and cured products are included; vacuum packing changes nothing.
  • ✕Prescription medicines and most supplementsHealth Canada permits a limited personal importation in narrow circumstances, and a courier shipment from a purchasing agent is not one of them. We decline these for every destination, Canada included.
  • ✕Anything sanctioned or dual-useScreened against SECO lists at quote and again at payment, and against the Canadian Export and Import Permits Act where the goods are controlled at your end.

Transit

Geneva to your door in three to five days.

All routes are tracked and insured to full replacement value. Duty and tax are prepaid by us on every service, so CBSA never presents you or the carrier with a collect bill on arrival.

ServiceDoor to door
DHL Express WorldwideDefault for anything under 30 kg3–4 days
FedEx International PriorityBetter coverage outside the major metros3–5 days
UPS Worldwide SaverPreferred for business accounts with a broker4–5 days
Swiss Post PriorityEconomy, for low-value and non-urgent7–12 days

Questions

Shipping to Canada, answered.

Will I actually pay zero duty?

On most industrial goods, yes — once Swiss origin is declared under the Canada–EFTA agreement. We quote the MFN rate rather than zero, file the origin declaration with the entry, and refund the difference when it clears. That way a rejected declaration is our problem rather than a surprise on your doorstep. Food and dairy are outside the agreement and never reach zero.

Why is the de-minimis threshold so low?

Canada's CAD 20 threshold is among the lowest in the OECD and has not moved in decades. The higher CAD 40 and CAD 150 figures you may have read about come from CUSMA and apply to goods shipped from the United States and Mexico — not to a parcel from Switzerland. Assume duty and tax apply from the first dollar.

How much sales tax will I be charged?

CBSA collects 5% GST everywhere. In the harmonised provinces — Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island — it collects the full HST instead, so 13% or 15%. In British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Quebec the provincial portion is generally not collected at the border on personal imports. We quote 5% and tell you if your address changes that.

Can I really not order cheese?

Not to Canada, no. Dairy is excluded from the Canada–EFTA agreement and governed by supply management, with over-quota rates past 245%. A CHF 40 cheese order would arrive with a three-figure tariff bill, assuming CFIA admitted it at all. We would rather tell you now than take the order.

What about my Swiss Army knife?

Standard models are admissible. Canada prohibits automatic-opening knives, and CBSA has seized one-hand-opening folders under the same prohibition, so the model matters more here than in most destinations. We check the blade and lock against the current CBSA guidance before purchase and offer an alternative model if there is any doubt.

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