Parcels in Switzerland: missed deliveries, lockers and parcels from abroad
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What to do with a Swiss Post pick-up slip, how long the Post keeps your parcel, how to redirect it to a My Post 24 locker or a PickPost point, and what you pay when a parcel arrives from abroad. Orientation only; Swiss Post's own terms apply.
Key facts
- Missed delivery: you get a pick-up slip (invitation à retirer un envoi). Collect at the place printed on it, with the slip or the QR code in the Post-App.
- How long: at the post office, parcels generally 7 days, international items 15 days; registered letters 7 days. You can extend the period (Swiss Post). In a My Post 24 locker, parcels wait 10 days (PickPost and My Post 24 terms).
- Redirect a parcel while it is still on its way to you: free with "Mes envois", to a My Post 24 locker, a PickPost point or another address in Switzerland or Liechtenstein (Swiss Post, manage a delivery). After a missed delivery (pick-up slip), redirecting costs CHF 8.00 Monday to Friday, CHF 15.00 Saturday delivery (Swiss Post).
- My Post 24 and PickPost are for private customers living in Switzerland and need a verified "Ma Poste" customer account (verification code by post within three working days).
- From abroad: VAT and customs duty may apply (nothing charged if the taxes are under CHF 5), plus a Post clearance fee: CHF 13.00 (EU) or CHF 16.00 (other countries) + 3% of the value, before VAT. Pay online for CHF 1.50 off the base fee. The Post clearance price is capped at CHF 70.00.
1. Missed delivery and pick-up slips
When nobody was home, the postman leaves a slip. Your options (Swiss Post):
- Collect within the period at the location on the slip, with the slip or the QR code in the Post-App. Find the exact address at poste.ch/sites.
- Extend the collection period.
- Second delivery of a parcel to the same address: same options as the first delivery: left at the door or with a neighbour free, to your floor CHF 3.30, Saturday CHF 7.00, early or late delivery from CHF 7.00. For a registered letter: free Monday to Friday, CHF 5.00 on Saturday.
- Redirect the parcel to a My Post 24 locker, an address in Switzerland or Liechtenstein, a post office, a My Post Service point or a PickPost point: CHF 8.00 Monday to Friday, CHF 15.00 Saturday or early-morning delivery.
- Redirect a registered letter to another post office or PickPost point: CHF 5.00; to another address, CHF 5.00 Monday to Friday or CHF 6.00 Saturday.
Collection periods (Swiss Post FAQ): "En général, les colis peuvent être retirés pendant 7 jours, ou 15 jours pour les envois pour l'étranger. Ce délai peut être prolongé." Registered letters: generally 7 days. If you do not collect in time, the item is marked "not collected" in tracking and goes back under Swiss Post's general terms, parcels not collected within the period are sent back to the sender at the sender's cost (Swiss Post, general terms for private customers, 2.6).
With a free "Mes envois" login (in the Post-App or online) you can manage these options, see incoming items and set permanent instructions. Moving house: see Mail redirection.
A text message asking you to pay to release a parcel is usually a scam: see Phishing, fake parcel SMS and phone scams.
2. My Post 24 lockers and PickPost points
- My Post 24: parcel lockers open 24 hours a day. Some have a screen (scan the QR code from the e-mail or SMS; you can sign and pay fees at the locker's payment terminal); others work only with the Post-App.
- PickPost: pick-up points (for example in stations or shops) where you collect parcels.
- Sign up: open a customer account on the "Ma Poste" portal at poste.ch. Within three working days you get a code by post to verify your address; then you can use My Post 24 and PickPost without restriction.
- Collection period at a locker (PickPost and My Post 24 terms): 10 days for parcels, 7 days for tracked letters and small goods, generally 15 days for items from abroad. If no compartment is free, the item goes to the nearest post office.
3. Parcels from abroad: VAT, duty and the Post clearance fee
Every goods shipment from abroad must in principle be declared, and VAT and customs duty are charged. If the taxes are under CHF 5, nothing is billed (Swiss Post FAQ). For the duty and VAT rules themselves (thresholds, gifts, moving your household goods), see Customs and moving household goods.
Ordered online from a shop abroad? How VAT and duty are worked out, foreign shops that charge Swiss VAT, and refunds when you send goods back: see VAT and customs on online orders from abroad.
On top of the taxes, Swiss Post charges for doing the clearance (prices in CHF, excluding VAT):
| Origin | Base clearance fee |
|---|---|
| EU countries and their overseas departments | CHF 13.00 |
| Other countries | CHF 16.00 |
Plus a 3% surcharge on the value of the goods (including shipping and duty), and VAT. If the paperwork is missing or incomplete, the Post may open the parcel or ask you for details: if you answer in writing within three working days this is free; from the fourth working day the Post charges CHF 20.00 (Swiss Post FAQ import). The whole Post clearance price is capped at CHF 70.00 (Swiss Post, import clearance).
Paying before delivery: sign up free for "Mes envois". You can then pay import charges online through the link sent by SMS or e-mail, or in the "Ma Poste" portal. Online payment gives CHF 1.50 off the base clearance fee. If you have not paid after 20 days, you get a paper reminder with a QR-bill and can no longer pay online (Swiss Post FAQ). Paying a QR-bill: see Swiss QR-bill and eBill.
Couriers other than Swiss Post (DHL, UPS and similar) charge their own fees: check with the carrier.
4. EPFL campus mail
EPFL's mail service page describes mail for EPFL units: incoming internal and external mail is handled at the postal station, and parcels are put in the station cabinet once a pick-up slip arrives by ordinary mail. It is written for units and staff. Whether students can have personal parcels sent to campus is To verify; use your home address, a My Post 24 locker or a PickPost point.