GlossaryEN1 min readUpdated: Aug 1, 2026
Third Country
A freight forwarder declares a shipment from Switzerland for import into the EU – since Switzerland is not a member of the European Union, it is classified as a third country under customs law.
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Source: Frachtportal News: "FedEx führt neue Bearbeitungsgebühr für Sendungen in die EU ein"
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Passar Hub: Everything on the new Swiss customs system
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Definition & Explanation
A freight forwarder declares a shipment from Switzerland for import into the EU – since Switzerland is not a member of the European Union, it is classified as a third country under customs law. A third country is a state that is not part of a given economic or customs area under consideration – in the EU context, any country outside the 27 member states, regardless of geographic proximity or bilateral agreements. Shipments from a third country are generally subject to full customs declaration, import duties, and potentially additional fees such as courier processing surcharges. This status can be softened by free trade agreements, for example through preferential tariffs, but remains in place under customs law. Within the EU, by contrast, goods deliveries between member states count as intra-Community trade rather than import from a third country. The term is relative: from the perspective of Swiss customs law, the EU itself is a third territory. Not to be confused with third country in the migration or data protection context, which carries a similar but distinct meaning.
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