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Switzerland is not in the EU customs union, so distance is irrelevant. A move from St Gallen to Feldkirch crosses a customs frontier exactly as one from London does, and an export entry, an import entry and a valued inventory are all required.
Serving international removals, relocation and shipping between the UK and Austria. Switzerland sits outside the EU customs union, so a move into Austria is a full customs job with a declaration and inventory, even though St Gallen to Feldkirch takes forty minutes. Allow time for clearance, not just for driving.
We match you with one vetted moving company for your route, free. We are not a removal company and we are not a quote comparison service, so you get one mover, not ten sales calls.
Switzerland to Austria looks like the simplest move on the map and is among the more involved in practice. Zurich to Bregenz is under two hours. St Gallen to Feldkirch is barely forty minutes. And none of that matters, because Switzerland is not in the EU customs union.
This is a full customs movement. A declaration is required, a valued inventory is required, and the goods can be examined at the crossing. A mover treating it as a short European hop because the distance is short has misunderstood the job, and the place you find out is the border.
It catches cross-border commuters hardest, and the Rhine valley is full of them. Feldkirch and Dornbirn have among the highest concentrations of Grenzgaenger in the country, and a great many of them cross daily without a thought. Moving a household across is a different matter entirely.
Send your collection town, the delivery address, move date and rough volume. One vetted moving company checks the route and comes back with a real figure.
Send your move detailsBecause Switzerland is a third country for EU customs purposes, your goods leave one customs territory and enter another. That means an export declaration on the Swiss side and an import entry on the Austrian side, with a numbered inventory that matches both.
Uebersiedlungsgut relief still applies if you qualify: residence outside the EU for at least twelve consecutive months, goods owned and used six months, imported within twelve months of the residence change, and the local Meldezettel within three days of arrival. Living in Switzerland counts as living outside the EU for this purpose.
From St Gallen and the east, the Rhine valley crossings at Hoechst or Diepoldsau put you in Vorarlberg within the hour. Zurich adds another hour. Basel and Geneva are longer runs, and if Vienna is the destination the vehicle usually goes through Germany rather than over the Arlberg.
Build clearance into the schedule rather than the mileage. A forty minute drive with a customs entry either side is a day's job, not a morning's, and that is normal rather than a sign of a slow mover.
Transport on the short Rhine valley crossings is cheap. The customs handling is what you are paying for, and it is a fixed cost rather than a distance one, so it weighs proportionally more on a small shipment than a large one.
Ask for the customs handling fee to be shown separately from the transport. A quote that bundles them makes it impossible to tell whether the declaration is being done properly or optimistically.
One enquiry, one vetted moving company, no obligation to book. Send your collection postcode, the delivery address, your date and a rough inventory.
The euro is the currency, so moving money is part of moving home. We have helped customers with currency exchange in any currency for many years, through trusted partners, and it is included in what we do. Mention it on the quote form and we will make the introduction.
This guide is maintained by Darren Benjamin, who has run International Removals Companies since it launched in 2010 and has over 20 years in the logistics industry. Since 2013 he has also been Secretary and Manager of a UK removal company, a role verifiable on Companies House.
The movers we match you with hold the industry's recognised credentials, including FIDI FAIM Certified (audited by Ernst and Young), BAR Overseas, IAM, EUROMOVERS and FEDEMAC membership. Read more on our about us page.
Cost ranges compiled August 2026 from published competitor route rates and reviewed annually. Customs rules checked against UK and Austrian government guidance in August 2026. Read our Google reviews.
Because Switzerland is not in the EU customs union. Distance is irrelevant. A move from St Gallen to Feldkirch crosses a customs frontier exactly as a move from London does, so an export entry, an import entry and a valued inventory are all required, and the goods can be examined.
Not for the customs entry. What matters is where the goods move from and to, not where you are employed. If belongings are leaving a Swiss address for an Austrian one, that is a customs movement whichever side your job sits on.
Yes, if you qualify. Living in Switzerland counts as living outside the EU, so the usual conditions apply: residence outside the EU for at least twelve consecutive months, goods owned and used for six months, imported within twelve months, and the local Meldezettel within three days of arrival.
Treat a short Rhine valley crossing as a full day's job rather than an hour's drive. The customs entries either side take time regardless of distance, and a mover allowing for that is being realistic rather than slow.
Yes. Liechtenstein sits in the same customs position as Switzerland, outside the EU customs union, so a move from Vaduz or Schaan into Austria needs the same declarations despite the border being minutes away.
Because it is a fixed handling cost rather than a distance or volume one. That means it weighs proportionally much more on a two cubic metre shipment than on a full household, and it is worth asking for it itemised so you can see what you are paying for.
They can be. It is not routine, but a customs officer is entitled to examine a shipment crossing into the EU. A properly numbered and valued inventory is what turns an inspection into a short delay rather than a long one.
Confirm it before booking, because it varies. A Swiss-based mover may quote in francs and an Austrian one in euros, and the exchange spread on a large move is real money. Currency exchange is included in what we help with if it would be useful.
Send your collection address, the delivery address, move date, inventory and service type. One vetted moving company checks the route, access, paperwork and price range, then contacts you with the quote. Free, with no obligation to book.
Send your move detailsWe match removal enquiries with one vetted, FIDI FAIM and BAR Overseas certified international moving company from the AGM Group network, free of charge. We are not a removal company.
All costs shown are planning ranges. Prices, transit times, customs and insurance are confirmed by the mover before booking.