International Standards

International trade has always been a key of success and prosperity in Switzerland. The country is absolutely independent on the international market and maintains its large export sector selling raw materials for the domestic manufacturers and a large variety of goods and services. It is well known, that Switzerland has traditionally very liberal trade and investment policies. The country’s commercial law and legal system are highly developed. All foreign investments are protected by solid domestic policies. Regarding the currency, the Swiss franc is considered to be the strongest currencies in the world. Due to its financial prosperity, the country is known for the soundness of the banking industry. This fact has a great impact on the international trade.

The Swiss Association for Standardization (SNV) is the Swiss umbrella organization, established in 1919 as non-profit organization under private law. SNV is responsible for coordination, publication, distribution, registration and sale of standards and relevant documents, organizing meetings and seminars and representing sectoral and national interests in the field of standardization.

The main Swiss exports include machinery, chemicals, metals, watches, textiles, agricultural products, and imports include raw materials, machinery, chemicals, vehicles, metals, agricultural products, and textiles. In order to protect the local market and motivate the Swiss manufacturers, the country elaborated a number of export and import international standards.  These standards have to be respected by the importer and exporter to get approval for selling the products on the country’s territory as well as out of its borders. 

Standards and Technical Regulations

Switzerland is not a member of the European Union, but the member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). To facilitate free trade with the EU and non EU countries, Swiss legislation is adapted to International Trade law in several areas.

Switzerland has different requirements related to product safety. Suppliers and manufacturers have an obligation to make sure products are safe under Swiss regulations. All the imported products have to:

1. meet relevant safety standards;

2. have clear instructions for proper use;

3. include warnings against possible misuse

If a seller or a manufacturer does not comply with mandatory standards, he/she risks to be taken against  under the Federal Act on Product Safety. Once the person decides to join the Swiss market, he/she has to adapt at the required documentation to one or more of Switzerland’s 4 main languages (German, French, Italian and Romansh).

Product Certification, Labelling and Packaging

1. All the information about the product has to be printed on a label securely affixed to the package or printed on the package itself;

2. All lables on the package have to be printed only in one of the official languages;

3. All the products with only one standard EU or the USA label are not allowed to be placed on the market;

4. All products with false, misleading or deceprive representation are not allowed to be placed on the market;

5. The content on the label has to be clear, prominent, indelible, and readily legible by the consumer.

All the potential allergens have to be mentioned on labellings. There are currently 14 of them, that must be identified on food labels in Switzerland. These are:

1. Celery

2. Crustacean shellfish (i.e., crab, lobster, and shrimp)

3. Eggs

4. Fish

5. Gluten (i.e., wheat, rye, barley, oats and spelt)*

6. Lupine

7. Milk

8. Mollusks (i.e., oysters, clams, mussels, or scallops)

9. Mustard

10. Peanuts

11. Sesame (FYI: There’s a new petition to include sesame among the required allergens for food labels in the United States).

12. Soybeans

13. Sulphur dioxide or sulphites

14. Tree nuts

Product Safety

In order to import products in Switzerland, the seller has to comply with the Swiss requirements regarding product safety. The distributor (manufacturer or importer) is responsible for the safety of the product. The requirements concerning product safety (of products to be imported into Switzerland) are laid down in:

1. Federal Act on Product Safety SR 930.11 of 12 June 2009 (original title: Loi fédérale sur la sécurité des produits).

2. Ordinance on the Marketing of Products Manufactured According to Foreign Requirements SR 946.513.8 of 19 May 2010 (original title: Ordonnance réglant la mise sur le marché de produits fabriqués selon des prescriptions techniques étrangères et la surveillance du marché de ceux-ci).

In principle, products that are authorized in Switzerland are described by product-specific regulations. 

Documentary Requirements

In order to import or export different products, the person has to present a large number of documents and quality certificates. These are: 

1. Pro-forma Invoice (This may occasionally be requested by the importer. A minimum of two copies is required);

2. Commercial Invoice (No prescribed form and a minimum of two copies is required. The invoice must include: the name and address of both buyer and seller; method of packing; marks and numbers; number of containers; description of the merchandise (including HS description); net and gross weight; free on board (FOB) value (Incoterms 1990); freight; insurance and other charges);

3. Bill of Lading (No special requirements. To Order bills are acceptable);

4. Packing List (Not obligatory but simplifies clearance if a variety of goods are packed in different cases);

5. Certificate of Insurance (Normal commercial practices apply);

6. Weights and Measures (Metric measurements (grams, kilograms, milliliters or liters) are used when selling packaged or loose goods).