Long-Distance Move Berlin – Montreux: Customs Route & Process

As Switzerland is not part of the EU, your household goods are declared at customs. You can import them duty-free as household effects if you transfer your place of residence to Switzerland and have used the items for at least six months. For this you fill in Form 18.44; according to the BAZG, the inventory may be written on ordinary paper, and no advance notification is necessary. The declaration is made on entry, generally Monday to Friday during opening hours.

As proof of the transfer of residence, the BAZG lists for EU citizens, for example, an employment contract, a tenancy agreement or the deregistration certificate from Germany – a promised residence permit is not a requirement for this. New goods and items you have owned for a shorter time may be subject to duty. We go through the list together with you.

Montreux lies in the Riviera-Pays-d’Enhaut district of the canton of Vaud on Lake Geneva; around 27,000 people live here. The shore is built up from Territet in the south-east to Clarens in the north-west, with Glion and Caux above. The official language is French, and the municipality's pages are in French too. The town is known internationally for the Montreux Jazz Festival.

Registration is handled by the Office de la population at Avenue des Alpes 18; you can also report a move via the virtual counter. The municipality's overview page does not state a deadline – ask directly. More about the neighbourhoods can be found in the Montreux guide.

The cost of a move depends heavily on the size of the flat. We move a 1-room flat from €375, a 2-room flat from €594, a 3-room flat from €909 and a 4-room flat from €1,309. For houses or villas we prepare an individual quote. For longer distances: long-distance moves from €4.20/km. The best thing is to arrange a free survey straight away.

For an exact price, the moving volume, the number of kilometres (from €4.20/km) and the floor and lift play an important role. We also take into account whether a parking restriction zone (Halteverbotszone) has to be set up. On request we also take care of furniture assembly or a part load.

We plan moves from Berlin (Stromstraße 21) for private and business customers. The locations overview lists places with their own pages, and details on long routes are under long-distance moves. We also plan moves in the opposite direction, to Berlin, with a survey and a fixed price.

Anyone moving to Montreux registers with the municipality. The Office de la population is at Avenue des Alpes 18 (Case postale 2000, 1820 Montreux); according to the municipality it can be reached on +41 21 962 78 50 and by e-mail ([email protected]). The counters are open on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 8.00 am to 2.30 pm and on Wednesdays from 8.00 am to 4.00 pm. The general administration is at Grand-Rue 73 and is open Monday to Friday from 8 am to 12 noon and from 1 pm to 4.30 pm.

According to the municipality, you can also report a move via the virtual counter (montreux.eadmin.ch) after creating a citizen account. The PDF "Catalogue des démarches" on the municipality's website lists the individual procedures; the overview page itself does not state a deadline for registration, so ask the Office de la population directly. The municipality's pages are in French, so allow some time for this or bring someone along.

For proof of the transfer of residence at customs, the BAZG does not list a promised residence permit as a requirement for EU and EFTA nationals; accepted documents include an employment contract, a tenancy agreement or the deregistration certificate from the country of departure. Everything about entry is collected in our guide Long-distance move to Switzerland; everyday life and neighbourhoods are described in Living in Montreux.

Montreux lies on Lake Geneva. For addresses on a slope it is worth clarifying access and a parking area for the lorry before moving day. For parking, the municipality refers to the portal parkings-riviera.ch, which shows free spaces in real time as well as the opening hours and tariffs of the car parks. A residents' parking permit (macaron) can be ordered online via Sécurité Riviera (securite-riviera.ch).

Parking spaces for the move are reserved by the Office de la mobilité of Sécurité Riviera; in the menu of securite-riviera.ch this is listed as "Stationnement – Déménagement". The application must arrive 3 working days in advance. General questions are answered by the municipal administration (+41 21 962 77 77). For police matters, the municipality gives Sécurité Riviera on +41 21 966 83 00. Roadworks, closures and diversions are shown on the municipality's interactive map; take a look before the move so that access on moving day is not blocked by a closure.

For an address on a slope, measurements of the access road, photos of the street and details of the carrying routes help us to realistically assess the vehicle size and process in advance. At the departure point in Berlin we secure the space outside the front door with a parking restriction zone. If you are comparing Swiss destinations, Long-distance move to Neuchâtel describes the location on Lake Neuchâtel.