ch.bev-cuvee.org · AS OF 2026-11-10

Switzerland

The business-to-business (B2B) hub for beverage alcohol: the trade rulebook for beverage alcohol, country by country, each section with its official sources.

The Library door agent-bev.ai Buyers' door bevgtin.ai

As of 2026-11-10

Market status

Licensed. Private beverage trade is subject to Swiss food law, wine-trade controls and applicable cantonal alcohol permissions. Wine imports have their own permit threshold; spirits imports do not require a federal import authorisation. Switzerland is outside the European Union.

Sources

Who can trade

Import, wholesale and distribution: Commercial wine importers register with the Swiss Wine Trade Inspection and obtain a general import permit for imports over 20 kilograms gross. Spirits do not require an import authorisation, but customs declaration and applicable taxes remain due.

Cantonal spirits retail licences cover shops, hospitality and online retail. The precise wholesale-only licensing boundary and additional cantonal permissions, beer/cider permissions and food-business notification requirements: Not yet sourced.

Business-to-business (B2B) online sale: Specific wholesale electronic-sale conditions: Not yet sourced. The Swiss food authority’s online guidance requires applicable food information before the consumer completes an order; it does not establish a separate wholesale exemption.

Sources

Customs and duty

Tariff headings: Beer made from malt: 2203. Wine of fresh grapes, including fortified wine and certain grape must: 2204. Other fermented beverages, including cider and qualifying mixtures: 2206. Spirits, liqueurs and other spirituous beverages: 2208.

Import duty: Apply the Swiss customs tariff in Tares, using the full eight-digit code, origin, date and relevant statistical key. Preference and quota eligibility must be checked; European Union tariff treatment is not the Swiss tariff. Commercial wine imports have tariff-quota arrangements.

Excise: Imported beer is subject to Swiss beer tax on release into free circulation, using hectolitres and degrees Plato, with three gravity categories and relief for qualifying small independent breweries. Spirits are subject to spirits tax based on alcohol content. Natural grape wine up to 18% is outside the spirits-tax regime. Precise cider, fortified-wine and mixed-product tax classification: Not yet sourced.

Territorial treatment: This row uses the Swiss customs and tax framework. Detailed customs-territory exceptions and Liechtenstein-related treatment for the proposed shipment: Not yet sourced.

Sources

Labelling

Required language(s): Mandatory food information normally appears in at least one federal official language: German, French or Italian. Wine guidance requires an official Swiss language.

Mandatory warnings: A general Swiss alcohol-health or pregnancy warning: Not yet sourced.

Alcohol strength: Drinks above 1.2% alcohol by volume declare strength as % vol.; the alcohol statement and product designation share the prescribed field of vision.

Allergens: Declare applicable allergens. Wine above 10 milligrams of sulphur dioxide per litre requires the sulphite statement. Detectable milk or egg residues from wine processing require disclosure under the Swiss rules.

Origin and wine particulars: State the production country and lawful wine designation/class and origin. The label identifies the responsible producer, bottler, importer or seller and address; net quantity, lot identification and sparkling-wine sugar category also apply. Foreign protected designations must satisfy the applicable designation rules. Current Swiss wine ingredient/nutrition requirements and transition dates: Not yet sourced; the European Union’s commencement date is not assumed to apply in Switzerland.

Sources

Age and sale limits

Legal purchase age: Federal minimum 16 for beer, wine and cider; 18 for spirits and mixed drinks containing spirits. Cantons can impose stricter rules; Ticino applies 18 for all alcoholic beverages.

Sale-hour and channel limits: Cantonal retail permissions and spirits trade restrictions apply, including online retail. The relevant canton’s closing/delivery hours and the wholesale-only application of retail restrictions: Not yet sourced.

Sources

Protected names

Protection framework: Swiss legislation protects indications of source. Agricultural designations of origin and geographical indications are registered federally; wine origin names also depend on federal and cantonal wine law. Recognition of a foreign name must be checked under the Swiss framework and applicable agreements.

Verified example: Abricotine/Eau-de-vie d’abricot du Valais is a registered protected designation of origin for a spirit. This is not an exhaustive list. Additional named wine, beer and cider protections and foreign treaty coverage: Not yet sourced.

Sources

GTIN authority

Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) member organisation: GS1 Switzerland.

Sources

https://gs1.eu/gs1-in-europe-member-organisations/

Not yet sourced

Wholesale-only and additional cantonal licensing; beer/cider trading permissions; food-business notification; wholesale electronic-sale conditions; cider, fortified-wine and mixed-product tax classification; customs-territory exceptions and Liechtenstein treatment: Not yet sourced.

General alcohol-health or pregnancy warning; current Swiss wine ingredient/nutrition rules and transition dates; local closing/delivery hours and wholesale-only application; additional named wine, beer and cider protections and foreign treaty coverage: Not yet sourced.

Library catalogue: bev-cuvee.org · this page as data: mcp.bev-cuvee.org/mcp (get_rulebook, code ch)

Artificial intelligence makes mistakes. agent-bev is an information source, not a recommendation.