# European Free Trade Association (EFTA)

*Last updated: 2026-06-22*

> When an exporter ships goods to Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein, the consignment enters the territory of an EFTA member state – the European Free Trade Association.

When an exporter ships goods to Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein, the consignment enters the territory of an EFTA member state – the European Free Trade Association. Founded in 1960, EFTA links these four countries through a free-trade framework and has separately negotiated a broad network of free-trade agreements with third countries, sometimes offering tariff concessions that differ from those available under comparable EU agreements. A key point for freight forwarders and customs practitioners: EFTA is not a customs union. Each member state sets its own external tariffs on imports from third countries – goods from the United States, for example, face different duty rates in Switzerland than in Norway. This sets EFTA fundamentally apart from the EU, which operates a common external tariff. Origin documents – EUR.1 movement certificates or REX declarations – must therefore be managed with care in EFTA trade flows.

**Source:** [https://www.efta.int](https://www.efta.int)

## Quick Facts

| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Term | European Free Trade Association (EFTA) |
| Language | EN |
| Word count | 144 |
| Last updated | 2026-06-22 |
| Source | https://www.efta.int |

---

*Logistics Glossary — Freight Academy: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/european-free-trade-association-efta](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/european-free-trade-association-efta)*

*Markdown mirror: [https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/glossary/en/european-free-trade-association-efta](https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/glossary/en/european-free-trade-association-efta)*

*JSON summary: [https://www.freight-academy.com/api/v1/glossary/european-free-trade-association-efta/llm-summary?lang=en](https://www.freight-academy.com/api/v1/glossary/european-free-trade-association-efta/llm-summary?lang=en)*