Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Switzerland to restrict private animal imports from UK

Swiss airport customs
People travelling from the UK to Switzerland will have to forgo putting meat and dairy products in their luggage starting on January 1. © Keystone / Gaetan Bally

Travellers from the United Kingdom entering the Alpine country with animals or animal products will face stricter rules once the UK officially leaves the European Union.

Starting January 1, people travelling from England, Scotland and Wales will no longer be able to import products containing meat or dairy, including cheese, the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office announced External linkon Thursday.

However, they are still permitted to carry up to 20kg of fish, 2kg of honey and 125g of caviar per person.

The Swiss veterinary office said dogs, cats and ferrets being flown into Switzerland would be allowed entry only via Geneva, Zurich and Basel airports. The import of birds would be possible only through Geneva and Zurich airports.

Owners of dogs, cats and ferrets wishing to bring them from the UK to Switzerland by car or train via EU countries would be subject to the appropriate EU paperwork and regulationsExternal link, a veterinary office spokesperson told swissinfo.ch.

Regulations on rabies applicable to “third countries” such as the United States will now also apply to the UK, which is classified as a low-risk country.

Rules applicable to people arriving from Northern Ireland are not yet clear, the veterinary office told news agency Keystone-SDA.

Coming soon Lost Cells A podcast uncovering the human stories behind private stem cell banking's promises and failures. Get notified

Most Read
Swiss Abroad

Most Discussed

News

Grand Prix Art for art casters, artists and architects

More

Winners of top Swiss art award announced

This content was published on Felix Lehner, Pamela Rosenkranz and Miroslav Sik have been awarded the Swiss Grand Award for Art/Prix Meret Oppenheim 2025.

Read more: Winners of top Swiss art award announced
Watch exports down 2.8% in 2024

More

Swiss watch exports down 2.8% in 2024

This content was published on The watch industry had to contend with a weakening of its exports last year, which reached a volume of CHF25.9 billion ($28.5 billion).

Read more: Swiss watch exports down 2.8% in 2024

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR