Long-distance move Berlin – Biel/Bienne: route customs, duration

As Switzerland is not a member of the EU, you declare your removal goods to customs when you move to Biel/Bienne. With form 18.44 and a complete inventory list, your household goods remain duty-free if you move your place of residence to Switzerland and have used the items yourself for at least six months. You then register within 14 days; EU citizens do not have to apply for the residence permit in advance.

We set out in the quote who handles clearance at the border, and we go through the documents with you during the survey. The same six-month rule applies to your car, and dogs and cats need a microchip, a rabies vaccination and a pet passport. That way you avoid waiting at the border on your long-distance move.

Biel/Bienne is the largest bilingual city in Switzerland: German and French have equal status, and the city administration works in both languages. For newcomers this means forms and city web pages are available in German and French. Biel is also the most important centre of the watch industry – home to the headquarters of the Swatch Group, the Omega manufacture and a Rolex production site in Bözingenfeld.

The city lies at the north-eastern end of Lake Biel at the foot of the Jura, with direct train connections to Bern and French-speaking Switzerland. We drive from Berlin to Biel – places with their own pages are on our locations page. We plan the move according to the rules of the City of Biel/Bienne.

Your quote is most accurate after a free survey.

• Scope and volume
• Distance from €3.95/km
• Floor without a lift
• Necessary parking restriction zone
• Furniture assembly and shared load as extra options

You can also book these services for Biel/Bienne.

• Move with assembly: All-round service with dismantling and assembly. Move with assembly
• Private move: Personal and reliable. Private move
• House clearance: We create space where you need it. House clearance
• Shared load: Good value and efficient. Shared load
• Company relocation: For a smooth transition. Company relocation
• Furniture transport: Safely packed, safely transported. Furniture transport

We plan moves from Berlin-Moabit (Stromstraße 21). In the locations overview you will find places with their own pages; for longer distances – such as to Lake Biel – read more under Long-distance moves. We plan the return journey from Biel to Berlin in the same way.

According to the City of Biel, as an EU/EFTA national you register within 14 days of arrival. If you are moving from abroad, you fill in forms and send them, signed, to the Population Department, migration office (Dienststelle Migration), Neuengasse 28, 2501 Biel. The city lists four documents: the registration form for foreign nationals, the list of enclosures, the form «Determination of sufficient financial means» for people not in employment and, for minor children, the form consenting to the move.

The City of Biel only lists the online portal eUmzugCH for moves from within Switzerland. The residents' registration office is responsible for Swiss nationals, while the migration office is responsible for foreign nationals; it implements the Foreign Nationals and Integration Act and regulates entry, residence and employment. If you are bringing family members to join you or coming as a student, the city has separate sections for each. The city also has a separate section for third-country nationals. The city's pages are available in German and French, and under «New in Biel» the city brings together further tips for new residents. There it also links to a moving checklist from ch.ch and the platform hallo-bern.ch with information in 14 languages.

More on prices and neighbourhoods can be found in the Biel/Bienne moving guide; everyday life after moving in is described in Living in Biel/Bienne.

All parking cards of the City of Biel are ordered at the counter of the police inspectorate, Werkhofstrasse 8. For moving day the blue zone day card is relevant: it is valid on the chosen day in blue-marked parking spaces within the municipality, not in white or pay-and-display spaces, and according to the city costs CHF 7 per day. It is available at the counter, from the parking card machine on Mösliweg (the parking period starts immediately and lasts a maximum of 24 hours) or via parkingpay.ch. Online, you must buy the card immediately after parking; buying it afterwards is not accepted and results in a fine.

In the pedestrian zones (Nidaugasse, Sesslerstrasse, Marktgasse, the Old Town, Bahnhofstrasse and others), loading and unloading goods outside the signposted loading times is only possible with a special permit. The city issues these to businesses and their suppliers: CHF 14 for one day, CHF 110 per month, CHF 440 for twelve months, cash payment only. In addition, there are tradesperson parking spaces at seven locations in the city centre, where vehicles with a valid tradesperson parking card may stand for three hours. The pages we checked do not say whether a private removal van can get its own reservation; ask the police inspectorate. How we secure the space at your moving-out address in Berlin is explained under Parking restriction zone.