Moving to Thun: planning customs driving bans and registration within 14 days
Planning Berlin – Thun
Moving to Thun: border, journey and residents' services
Guide
A move to Thun takes you out of the EU: Switzerland is not part of the EU customs union, so your household goods are declared at the border as relocation goods (Übersiedlungsgut). They are duty-free if you move your residence to Switzerland and have used the items yourself for at least six months. For this you need the signed Form 18.44, an inventory list and proof such as an employment or tenancy contract. The town where the Aare flows out of Lake Thun is considered the gateway to the Bernese Oberland; more on cross-border moves under international move.
With a long-distance move to Switzerland, the schedule matters too. From Berlin-Moabit it is around 985 km via the A9, A4 and A5 to Basel and on via the Swiss A2, A1 and A6 to Thun. By lorry we reckon on about 14.5 hours including breaks, meaning two drivers or an overnight stop. In Switzerland, a night-time and Sunday driving ban applies to lorries over 3.5 t, and the customs office clears removal goods during office hours. The route in detail: Moving Berlin – Thun.
A fixed price for your move to Switzerland
Survey, inventory list, fixed price
After a survey we quote you a fixed price for your move to Thun – including the LSVA heavy vehicle fee, a second driver or overnight stop and the time at the border. We go through the inventory list for customs with you at the same time. Call us to arrange an appointment for your long-distance move.
Offers available individually, depending on effort, scheduling and the scope of services required.
What we take care of when moving to Thun
Transport from Berlin, customs papers together
We have no branch in Switzerland; for long-distance moves we drive the lorry from Berlin-Moabit all the way to Thun. On request we take care of packing, transport and assembly, and we plan the border crossing around the customs office's opening hours and the journey around the night-time and Sunday driving ban. You sign Form 18.44 yourself; we compile the inventory list together during the survey. Our liability for your goods under § 451e HGB is €620 per cubic metre; transport insurance with higher cover is possible.
Packing service
Office move
Senior moves
Furniture transport
What is due before and after the border
For a move to Thun you need an inventory list, Form 18.44 and proof of the change of residence. After arrival, two deadlines run: registration within 14 days, health insurance within three months.
Inventory list
Six months of use
Deregistering in Berlin
Driving bans from 3.5 t
Registration within 14 days
Health insurer within three months
Part load to Switzerland
A part load shares the transport costs on the long route to Thun because your goods travel with other consignments. For customs you still need your own inventory list and Form 18.44; instead of a fixed date, a delivery time window applies.
Customs,
journey and arrival
A move abroad such as to Thun has three focal points: customs with Form 18.44 and an inventory list, the journey of around 985 km with the LSVA and driving bans, and the first weeks with registration at the residents' services, health insurance and the car. EU citizens do not have to apply for a residence permit in advance. What life in Thun is like is described in our guide to Thun and its neighbourhoods; private moves can be found under private move.
Deadlines around the border
Inventory list and packing
Costs across the border
Common questions
Customs and permits when moving to Switzerland
As Switzerland is not part of the EU customs union, your removal goods are declared on entry. They remain duty-free as relocation goods if you move your residence to Switzerland and have used the items yourself for at least six months and continue to use them. You present the signed Form 18.44 and an inventory list; proof can be, for example, an employment or tenancy contract or the deregistration confirmation from Berlin.
As an EU citizen you do not have to apply for a residence permit in advance: you register with the municipality within 14 days of arrival and before starting work, and the permit follows afterwards. For a job of at least one year or an open-ended one, this is usually the B permit.
985 km via Basel: journey and driving bans
Thun lies where the Aare flows out of Lake Thun, is Switzerland's eleventh-largest town and has been connected via the A6 with the Thun Nord and Thun Süd exits since 1971. From Berlin-Moabit the route runs via the A9 and A4 to Hesse, via the A5 past Frankfurt, Karlsruhe and Freiburg to Basel and then via the Swiss A2, A1 and A6 – around 985 km.
By lorry that is about 14.5 hours including breaks. Because a driver may drive for a maximum of nine hours a day and in Switzerland vehicles over 3.5 t are banned at night from 22:00 to 05:00 and on Sundays, we plan two to three days with an overnight stop or two drivers. On top of that comes the LSVA, the Swiss heavy vehicle fee.
Moving prices - transparent & fair
| Size | Starting price |
|---|---|
| 1-room flat | €354 |
| 2-room flat | €599 |
| 3-room flat | €915 |
| 4-room flat | €1,299 |
| House/villa | individual quote |
| Long-distance move | from €3.80/km |
Transparency starts with a free survey.
Understanding the moving price: the key factors
- Distance from €3.80/km
- Volume
- Floor without a lift
- Parking restriction zone required
Also available: furniture assembly, part load.
What sets us apart: our services
You can book these services for the move to Thun individually or together:
- Part load – save cleverly with our part-load option.
- Furniture transport – whether sofa or wardrobe, we transport it safely.
- Business move – professionally organised for your company.
- Private move – a complete service for your move to your new flat.
- House clearance – fast and clean household clearance.
- Move with assembly – furniture assembly and dismantling included.
More routes from Berlin
We plan long-distance moves from Berlin (Stromstraße 21), including to Switzerland. More on this under long-distance moves; places with their own pages can be found in the locations overview. We also plan the return trip from the Bernese Oberland to Berlin, with an export list.
Thun: pedestrian zone, access permit and parking cards
For the centre of Thun the town requires an access permit (Zufahrtsbewilligung): anyone wishing to drive into the pedestrian zone to load or unload goods outside the permitted times needs one per number plate. It can be applied for online. The responsible office is the Tiefbauamt (civil engineering office) of the town of Thun (telephone 033 225 83 37, [email protected]). This is particularly relevant if your new flat is in the town centre.
According to the town, tradespeople's parking cards are only valid for businesses with an integrated workshop or spare-parts store; they cost CHF 5 (half day) or CHF 10 (day). For questions about parking for a move, the town names the office for parking cards and fines (telephone 033 225 84 98, [email protected]). The town's page contains no specific information on a parking ban for removal vans.
On entry: Switzerland is not part of the EU, so the procedure of the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (BAZG) applies to removal goods. On entry you report to a customs office during office hours; with a lorry you use the lorry lane. The BAZG requires Form 18.44 and an inventory list. The removal goods must have been used by you personally for at least 6 months.
We clarify access to the destination address in Thun before loading day and plan the loading window and customs time together. How we secure the loading zone can be read under parking restriction zone; the article Moving to Switzerland explains the customs process in detail.
Thun: residents' services, registration deadline and health insurance
The town of Thun requires registration with the residents' services (Einwohnerdienste) within 14 days of moving in. According to the town, the fee is 20 francs. The residents' services are at Hofstettenstrasse 14, 3600 Thun (telephone 033 225 82 49, [email protected]). You can register in person at the counter with an ID card or passport or online via eUmzugCH; with eUmzugCH you should check beforehand whether your previous municipality uses the portal.
- According to the town, EU/EFTA nationals present a valid ID card or passport; depending on the case, a deregistration confirmation from the previous Swiss municipality, a foreign national's ID card and, where applicable, the assurance of a residence permit are also required.
- Third-country nationals need a valid passport.
- Within three months of taking up residence you must take out insurance with a Swiss health insurance fund.
For vehicles, according to the BAZG: the vehicle is declared directly on import, and Swiss registration takes place no later than one year after the change of residence at the cantonal road traffic office. For vehicles over 3.5 t, the BAZG also lists a night-time driving ban from 22:00 to 05:00 and a ban on Sundays and public holidays.
Plan your documents early: the more complete your proof of tenancy, deregistration and inventory list, the more smoothly entry will go. Further information on how a journey to Switzerland works can be found under long-distance move to Switzerland.
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