Our flight lands in Geneva, we spend 2 weeks in Switzerland, then we will be in Italy for a week. After the Bernina Express we will take the train from Tirano to Varenna, then we go to CT and finally fly home from Milan. Do we have to worry about having to pay duty in Italy for things we buy in Switzerland? Are there any paperwork we should fill out? Do we need to go thru Italian custom arriving in Varenna? I doubt we'll be buying much gifts from Switzerland but I want to be prepared crossing the border.
Thank you for your kind response in advance.
Posted by
Green Bay
20081 posts
Short answer. No. I rode from Geneva to Milan on the EC train in Sept and there absolutely no formalities. Now having said that, Switzerland is not part of the EU, but they are, for the lack of a better term, on the honor system. If you were packing 10 cases of Swiss wine with you (why anyone would import wine from Switzerland to Italy I have no idea), or a suitcase full of watches, you would be expected to declare it. Commercial vehicles have to stop for customs clearance, but they are not really interested in that cuckoo clock you're carrying for your own personal use.