Pet Relocation to 🇨🇭 Switzerland

Pet birds may enter Switzerland but face strict avian influenza controls. Before departure birds must either be kept separately under official monitoring for at least 30 days, or held in quarantine for at least 14 days with an official avian-influenza examination, since Switzerland has no quarantine facility. Entry is limited to Zurich or Geneva airports. CITES-listed parrots also need permits.

• Pre-export health control: birds must either be kept separately and officially monitored for at least 30 days, or be held in quarantine for at least 14 days, with examination for avian influenza by an official vet before departure (no Swiss quarantine facility exists, so this happens before entry)
• Vaccination against avian influenza is not permitted
• Veterinary health certificate and an owner's declaration of ownership accompanying the bird
• For CITES-listed species (most parrots, many parakeets, macaws, cockatoos): a CITES export permit from the country of origin plus an FSVO import permit
• Entry only through Zurich (ZRH) or Geneva (GVA) airports, and only during border veterinary office regular opening hours (birds arriving outside hours are held at an animal facility for next-business-day inspection)
• No participation in shows, fairs, exhibitions or other bird events until at least 30 days after arrival
• From the USA, an APHIS-endorsed export health certificate is required (Switzerland accepts English-only certificates)

A few species are exempt from import permit and CITES rules when travelling with their owner: cockatiel, budgerigar, blossom-headed parakeet and rose-ringed parakeet. Poultry/fowl (chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, pigeons, ratites, etc.) are handled under commercial import rules, not pet rules. The official FSVO page reviewed states the isolation/quarantine and avian-influenza examination requirement but did not specify an exact H5/H7 PCR sampling window, so confirm the current testing protocol and any tightened protective measures during outbreaks with the FSVO before booking. Exact permit fees and processing times were not published on the pages reviewed; apply to the FSVO well in advance.

Horses can be imported into Switzerland. Switzerland is outside the EU but applies EU-aligned equine health rules. Horses need a valid equine identification document (passport), an official health certificate, EIA (Coggins) and other disease testing, and TRACES notification. Veterinary checks occur at the border inspection point on entry.

• Valid equine identification document (equine passport/UELN) and microchip identification
• Official veterinary health certificate; Switzerland applies EU-aligned certification and accepts English-only certificates
• Negative EIA (equine infectious anaemia / Coggins) blood test before export, per EU-aligned equine rules
• Additional blood testing as required for diseases such as glanders, dourine and piroplasmosis (and EVA/equine viral arteritis screening for breeding stallions) depending on country of origin
• TRACES electronic notification by the official vet in the country of origin; the Swiss destination holding and importer must be registered in TRACES before the first import
• Veterinary border control at an approved EU/Swiss border control point on entry, plus Swiss customs clearance (FSVO and the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security both involved)
• From the USA, a USDA APHIS-accredited vet must issue and APHIS must endorse the export health certificate

Routing matters: horses arriving by air with a European stopover get the main veterinary check at the first EU airport of entry, then continue to Switzerland; land arrivals from a third country via the EU are checked on EU entry. EU equine import rules require origin freedom from key diseases (African horse sickness; dourine and glanders for at least 6 months; Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis for at least 2 years) and documented pre-export residency. Exact test windows, isolation duration and fees vary by origin country and were not fully specified on the FSVO pages reviewed, so a USDA-accredited or origin-country vet and the FSVO should confirm the current protocol before shipping.

Reptiles can legally enter Switzerland, but it is permit-heavy and many species are restricted. An FSVO import permit and, for protected species, a CITES export permit are required, with a CITES inspection at the border (carried out at Bern, Zurich Airport, Geneva Airport or Mendrisio). Some reptiles also need a separate keeping permit, making private import slow and complex.

• FSVO import permit required for reptiles, plus a CITES export permit from the management authority of the country of origin for CITES-listed species
• A CITES inspection is carried out at import at a designated border point (Bern, Zurich Airport, Geneva Airport or Mendrisio)
• Submit the FSVO 'Import permit application (CITES / JSG)' form plus the supplementary sheet before travel
• Proof of legal/captive-bred origin and, for protected species kept long-term, the relevant ownership documentation
• A separate keeping permit (Haltebewilligung) may be required for species such as chameleons, venomous snakes, and certain giant snakes; confirm the species' category with the FSVO before booking
• Check the relevant CITES species index to confirm the specific species' permit category before booking

Allowed in the legal sense, but generally impractical for routine private pet relocation and best handled by a specialist. Most reptiles require an import permit, CITES Appendix I species are effectively prohibited for commercial/pet import, and species needing a keeping permit add a separate authorisation step. The keeping-permit (Haltebewilligung) species list was not shown on the FSVO CITES-import page reviewed, so verify which species need a keeping permit directly with the FSVO/cantonal authority. Allow long lead times. Exact fees, processing times and the full restricted-species list were not published on the FSVO pages reviewed; contact the FSVO before any shipment.