Moving to Winterthur: planning customs old-town delivery times and registration

When moving to Winterthur, you declare your household goods as removal goods when crossing the border. They remain duty-free if you transfer your residence to Switzerland and have used the items personally for at least six months. If documents are missing, the BAZG says provisional clearance against a deposit is possible.

As an EU citizen you do not need to apply for a residence permit in advance. You register within 14 days of arrival with the Winterthur residents’ registration office, and the canton of Zurich then issues the permit. Schedule the border crossing for a working day: lorries over 3.5 t are subject to a night-time and Sunday driving ban.

With just over 120,000 residents, Winterthur is the sixth-largest city in Switzerland and the second-largest in the canton of Zurich; Zurich lies around twenty kilometres to the south-west. From Berlin-Moabit the route does not go via Basel, but via the A9 to Nuremberg, the A6 and A7 southwards, the A96 to Lindau, briefly through the Austrian Rhine valley and from the border via St. Gallen on the A1 to Winterthur – around 831 km.

By lorry that is around 12.5 hours including breaks. Because a driver may drive for no more than nine hours a day, we plan two drivers or an overnight stop; with customs, loading and unloading it usually takes two to three days. In Austria the GO toll applies to vehicles over 3.5 t, and in Switzerland the LSVA.

From a small 1-room flat to a large villa – we have the right price for every move. 1 room from €365, 2 rooms from €615, 3 rooms from €889, 4 rooms from €1,299. For a house or villa you receive an individual quote tailored precisely to your requirements. For long-distance moves the rate is from €3.80/km. It is best to clarify all the details during a free survey.

We calculate fairly and transparently: the decisive factors are volume, distance (from €3.80/km), floor and lift. A parking restriction zone is planned in if needed. On request we also take care of furniture assembly or a part load.

We support you at every step of your move.

We plan moves from Berlin (Stromstraße 21), including to Switzerland. Places with their own pages are in the locations overview, and further routes under long-distance moves. We plan the return journey to Berlin with an export list.

Switzerland is not part of the EU, so you need a customs declaration for the move from Berlin to Winterthur. The Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (BAZG) names the transfer of your residence to Switzerland as the most important requirement. As a rule, household goods must have been used by you personally for at least six months and continue to be used after import.

According to the BAZG FAQ, the declaration works like this:

• No advance notification: on entry you report to a competent customs office during opening hours, usually Monday to Friday.
• You must present the signed form 18.44.
• The inventory list can be drawn up on plain paper; valuable items, appliances and restricted goods such as alcohol or weapons are listed individually.
• Proof of residence can be, for example, a deregistration, employment contract and tenancy agreement; the customs office decides.
• If documents are missing, provisional customs treatment against a deposit is possible; the documents must be submitted within six months.

Separate rules apply to vehicles (form 15.30 if used abroad for less than six months), as well as to animals and weapons. For vehicles over 3.5 tonnes the BAZG mentions the LSVA and a night-time and Sunday driving ban, which you should take into account when scheduling. More is in our guide to customs and formalities when moving to Switzerland.

After arrival, register within 14 days with the Winterthur residents’ registration office (Einwohnerkontrolle, Pionierstrasse 7, 8400 Winterthur). According to the city, anyone coming from abroad must appear in person at the counter. The city states 40 francs per adult; for foreign nationals, fees from the Migration Office of the canton of Zurich are added. You need to bring, among other things, a valid passport or identity card and proof of accommodation such as a tenancy agreement or move-in confirmation.

The old town is particularly important: it has been a pedestrian zone since 1999. According to the city, goods handling is allowed in Marktgasse, Untertor and Münzgasse until 11.00 am, and from 11.00 am to 6.30 pm a general driving ban applies. If you need to load during that time, you need an old-town day permit. On Tuesdays and Fridays, because of the weekly market, a driving ban applies in Steinberggasse, Metzggasse and Spitalgasse from 6.00 to 11.30 am. Only the time spent actually loading and unloading counts as goods handling.

The city does not mention a separate removal permit (Zügelbewilligung) on this page. So ask at Traffic Monitoring & Parking Cards (Verkehrsüberwachung & Parkkarten, Obermühlestrasse 5, [email protected]). It is best to plan your time window outside market hours and to discuss access with us. More on the process across the border: Long-distance move to Switzerland and Long-distance move.