Market guide · Europe
Selling in Switzerland
Swiss shoppers have high spending power and expect prices in francs with duties shown upfront. TWINT has become the everyday mobile payment method alongside cards.
| Currency | Swiss franc (CHF) |
|---|---|
| Languages | German, French, Italian |
| Region | Europe |
| Local acquiring | Cross-border for now |
| Settlement | T+2 |
| Payout rail | SIC · Same day |
| Import consumption tax | VAT (MWST) · 8.1% |
Popular payment methods
Share of online payments by method. Illustrative figures.
| Visa, Mastercard, Amex | 45% (45% of online payments) |
|---|---|
| TWINT | 35% (35% of online payments) |
| PayPal | 8% (8% of online payments) |
How to launch in Switzerland
- 1Open a sandbox accountTest every flow for Switzerland with test cards and methods before you sign anything.
- 2Turn on local methodsStart with TWINT, PayPal.
- 3Process cross-borderWe process Switzerland cross-border today. Smart routing still retries soft declines.
- 4Settle in your home currencyPayments convert at a published margin before settlement.
- 5Show duty-inclusive pricesQuote VAT (MWST) and duties at checkout so nothing is due on delivery.
- 6Go liveVerify your business, switch your keys and watch the first orders arrive.
Duties and import tax
VAT (MWST) at 8.1% applies to most imported goods.
Thresholds: Import VAT waived when the tax due is under CHF 5
Regulatory notes
- Switzerland is outside the EU, so imports go through Swiss customs and VAT on arrival.
- Larger foreign sellers of low-value goods may need to register for Swiss VAT themselves.
- Checkout should be available in the language of the shopper's region.
Placeholder notes for the prototype, not legal advice.
Customer story nearby
Northwind Outfitters
Retail & Ecommerce
+3.4 pts
card acceptance in Germany · Illustrative
We stopped guessing which fees would land on an order. Duty-inclusive prices took returns down with them.
Mara Lindqvist, Head of Ecommerce Read the story: Northwind Outfitters