Important customs and tax information for customers in Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein
Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein are members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). EFTA is not part of the European Union, and it is not part of the EU Customs Union. Although Artisan Furniture operates two fulfilment centres within the European Union — one in Magdeburg, Germany and one in Madrid, Spain — orders shipped from either of these centres to an address in Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein are treated as an international export from the EU, not as a domestic or intra-EU delivery.
As a result, every order delivered to these four countries will be subject to import charges collected in your own country. Please read the points below carefully before placing your order.
What you will be charged
1. Import VAT
Local Value Added Tax (or equivalent import tax) will be charged by your country’s customs authority at the point of import, at the rate applicable in your country of residence. This applies to every order, with no exceptions.
2. Customs Duties (where applicable)
Depending on the product and its customs classification, import duty may also be charged by your country’s customs authority in addition to VAT.
Providing a VAT number does not remove these charges
If you provide us with a business VAT number, this does not exempt you from import VAT or duties. VAT registration is not relevant to shipments from the EU into EFTA countries, because these shipments are treated as exports outside the EU VAT area regardless of the buyer’s VAT status. Import VAT and any applicable duty will still be assessed and collected by customs in your country.
Country of origin of the goods
Our furniture is manufactured in India. Even though your order is shipped to you from one of our fulfilment centres in the European Union, the products themselves do not qualify as EU-origin goods. Origin is determined by where the product was manufactured, not by the country it was shipped from. Because the goods originate in India, they are not eligible for any preferential EU–EFTA tariff treatment, and standard duty rates may apply based on the product classification and your country’s customs rules.
Who pays these charges — current terms
At present, we ship on a Delivered At Place (DAP) basis for these destinations. This means:
- We do not prepay VAT or duty on your behalf.
- You, the customer, are responsible for paying any import VAT and duty directly to the courier or customs authority at the time of delivery or customs clearance.
- Your order may be held at customs until these charges are paid.
We are working towards offering Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) shipping for these destinations in the future, which would allow VAT and duty to be calculated and paid at checkout instead. Until that option is available, please budget for these additional charges separately from your order total when shipping to Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein.
