Waste Transport to Switzerland: BAFU, Annex VII, Transit

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2026-11-13

Permitra • Switzerland • 2026–2027

Waste transport to and through Switzerland: BAFU, Annex VII and transit

Switzerland does not require waste carriers to register, but it is not in the EU. Two systems meet at the border: the Swiss VeVA and EU Regulation 2024/1157. Whether your loads start in Ireland, the UK or elsewhere in Europe, we explain when a shipment needs BAFU consent, what changed in 2025 and 2026 and where the pitfalls lie.

VeVA (SR 814.610)
Regulation (EU) 2024/1157
Legal status: 11.11.2026

The short answer

No registration in Switzerland does not mean no formalities

BAFU does not require carriers, including foreign carriers and carriers in transit, to enter a Swiss register. Whether a shipment may travel, however, depends on the procedure for the specific waste: BAFU consent for import, an export permit or a transit notification, and on the EU side Annex VII or notification.

On the stretch through EU countries, the carrier needs the authorisations those countries require.

Three directions

Each has different rules

EU → CH: export from the EU and import into CH.
CH → EU: export from CH and import into the EU.
EU → CH → EU: transit through CH.

Does the carrier need a Swiss permit?

No. The Federal Office for the Environment (BAFU; FOEN in English) states that neither Swiss nor foreign companies have to register in Switzerland merely because they transport waste. This also applies to transit.

That rule, however, concerns only the carrier. It does not decide whether a given shipment needs consent, and it does not replace registration in the EU countries on the route, for example the notification under §53 KrWG in Germany or EDM registration in Austria.

Cabotage is prohibited in Switzerland. A foreign carrier may not transport waste between two places in Switzerland. It may, however, bring waste into Switzerland or load it there and take it abroad.

We cover the requirements of the EU countries in our overview Waste transport across Europe.

Import, export and transit: what VeVA says

Switzerland is a member of the OECD, but not of the EU. On the Swiss side, the Ordinance on Movements of Waste (VeVA, SR 814.610) applies; on the EU side, Regulation 2024/1157. Both must be complied with in parallel.

EU → CH

Import into Switzerland

As a rule requires BAFU consent (Article 22 VeVA). Consent to import waste for landfilling is in principle not granted (Article 23).

CH → EU

Export from Switzerland

Requires a BAFU permit (Article 15 VeVA). Always for disposal.

EU → CH → EU

Transit

Notification to BAFU; BAFU may prohibit the transit within 5 days (Article 29 VeVA).

Exception in both directions: OECD green-listed waste for recovery, shipped from or to an OECD or EU country, does not need BAFU consent if it is neither special waste (Sonderabfälle) nor other waste subject to control (Article 14(3), Article 15(2), Article 22(2) VeVA). Transit of such waste for recovery does not require notification in Switzerland (Article 29(1bis)).

Transit: 5 days, not 30

Until 31 July 2025, BAFU had 30 days to object to a transit. Since 1 August 2025, the period is 5 days from the confirmation by the authority of the country of import that it has received the notification form. Older guidance may still state 30 days.

Annex VII or notification?

On the EU side, the procedure is set by Regulation 2024/1157: green-listed waste for recovery travels with Annex VII (Article 18), while hazardous waste, waste listed in Annex IV, mixtures not listed in Annex IIIA and shipments for disposal require prior notification and consent. The Swiss classification may add its own requirements.

Waste shipment involving Switzerland

Is the waste green-listed, going for recovery and neither special waste nor other controlled waste in Switzerland?

YES

Annex VII

Information procedure on the EU side, no BAFU consent on the Swiss side.

NO / UNSURE

Notification

Consents of the EU authorities and BAFU consent or permit; for transit, notification to BAFU.

If even one country on the route requires notification, Annex VII alone is not enough. The EWC code does not decide the procedure.

B3011 plastics and municipal waste: the 2026 exceptions

B3011: the same waste, two different procedures

Since 21 May 2026, exports from the EU to OECD countries of plastic waste under entry B3011 require prior notification and consent (Article 44(2)(c) of Regulation 2024/1157). This also applies to Switzerland. BAFU states that on the Swiss side such imports for recovery do not need a separate Swiss consent, and that in the Switzerland → EU direction correctly classified B3011 waste can still travel with Annex VII.

According to BAFU, PVC waste generally requires notification, because the former OECD entry GH013 is not included in Annex III to Regulation 2024/1157.

Mixed municipal waste

Regulation (EU) 2026/1703, applicable from 30 July 2026, excluded Switzerland from the ban on exporting mixed municipal waste for recovery (Article 44(2)(f)). Such shipments still require notification and consent.

DIWASS and Switzerland

From 21 May 2026, Article 27 of Regulation 2024/1157 provides for electronic exchange of documents for both notification and Annex VII. The Polish environmental inspectorate GIOŚ tolerates a paper Annex VII in the new template until 31 December 2026. This is the authority’s position, not a change in the law.

Swiss companies

According to BAFU, DIWASS is voluntary for them and they may sign Annex VII on paper. BAFU does not use DIWASS.

Carriers in the EU

A carrier that physically drives through the EU must be registered in DIWASS. The account is approved by an authority of an EU country, not by BAFU.

From 21 May 2027, an EU exporter must also show that the facility in the country of destination manages the waste in an environmentally sound manner (Article 46). In July 2026 BAFU stated that there is no EU–Switzerland agreement exempting shipments from this obligation.

Open and disputed questions

Old notifications. Regulation 1013/2006 continues to apply only to shipments for which the notification was submitted and its receipt acknowledged by the competent authority of destination before 21 May 2026 (Article 85(3)). The date of submission alone is not enough.
Classification of B3011. The entry depends on composition, sorting and contamination. The same batch may travel under different procedures depending on the direction.
Paper Annex VII in other countries. The GIOŚ tolerance concerns the Polish authority. The approach of authorities in other countries on the route must be assessed separately.
The Revia system. BAFU has announced that veva-online will be replaced by a system linked to DIWASS, but has not given a date.

At the border, customs formalities under the rules of the Swiss customs administration (BAZG) also apply.

Frequently asked questions

Does a foreign carrier, for example from Ireland or the UK, have to register in Switzerland?

No. Switzerland does not require waste carriers to register, including foreign ones. Authorisations are, however, needed in the EU countries on the route.

Is Annex VII enough for Switzerland?

Only if the waste is green-listed, going for recovery and not controlled waste in Switzerland. Otherwise notification and BAFU consent are required.

How many days does BAFU have to object to a transit?

Since 1 August 2025, 5 days from the confirmation by the authority of the country of import that it has received the notification form (Article 29 VeVA). Transit of green-listed waste for recovery does not require notification in Switzerland.

Can B3011 plastics travel to Switzerland under Annex VII?

Not from the EU: since 21 May 2026, exports of B3011 to Switzerland require notification (Article 44(2)(c)). In the Switzerland → EU direction, Annex VII is possible if the waste meets the conditions.

Does a DIWASS account replace BAFU consent?

No. DIWASS is an EU system for exchanging documents. BAFU consent or a BAFU permit is a separate decision of the Swiss authority.