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Knowledge base
Destinations and markets
Practical guides on transport to the UK, customs clearance, exhibition logistics and warehousing.
What is in the OTSL knowledge base?
The OTSL knowledge base is practical articles on international road freight: customs clearance and border procedures (SIVEP, GMR, PBN, ATA carnet), transport to the United Kingdom, Ireland and Switzerland, trade fair logistics, warehousing and returns. We cover the real risks and how to prevent them before they hit your cargo.
Articles are coming soon.
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Machinery to Switzerland: Duty-Free, 8.1% VAT, Oversize
Shipping a machine to Switzerland has changed: since 2024 machinery enters duty-free, so the main fiscal cost is import…
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Swiss de minimis: when imports are duty and VAT free
Switzerland waives import tax when the calculated amount stays at or below CHF 5 per declaration. We explain the CHF 5…
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Passar: Switzerland's new customs system after e-dec
Passar is the new customs platform of the Swiss BAZG authority that is gradually replacing e-dec. We explain step by…
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Swiss e-commerce customs: the CHF 100,000 threshold and Swiss VAT
Selling to Switzerland from an online shop? Once you pass CHF 100,000 in turnover from small consignments you become…
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Swiss Customs Duty Is Charged by Gross Weight, Not Value
Switzerland charges import duty by gross weight (a rate per 100 kg), not on the value of the goods. Industrial goods…
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How much does transport to Switzerland cost: what makes up the rate
Switzerland sits outside the EU, so every delivery is an export and an import, with two customs clearances, the LSVA…
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Transport to Switzerland in winter: passes, the night driving ban and route planning
Night driving ban, Sunday ban, border clearance and Alpine weather: a winter delivery to Switzerland needs a different…
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VOEC mishandled on a Norway shipment: double VAT, returns and a lost customer
When VOEC is mishandled, the Norwegian border charges VAT a second time. The result is double tax, delay, a refused…
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EUR.1 or origin declaration error on shipments to Switzerland: why the Swiss importer pays full duty
One mistake in the preferential origin proof and your Swiss importer loses the zero or reduced rate and pays full…
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Transport to Portugal: the longest road route in the EU
From Poland to Portugal you cross the whole width of Europe: Germany, France and Spain. How such a long route is…
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Transport to Cyprus and Malta: how freight to the EU islands works
You cannot drive to Cyprus or Malta, you have to sail there. How island freight works: a road leg, a ro-ro sea leg, a…
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Transport to Romania and Hungary: corridors, e-tolls and borders after Schengen
Romania and Hungary sit on the same corridor from Poland but differ in everything: toll systems, distance and market…
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Transport to the Baltic states: Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia via the Via Baltica
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia sit along one road: the Via Baltica. It is a fast, groupage-friendly direction, provided…
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Poland as a sourcing base: one transport instead of five shipments
A foreign importer buys from several Polish suppliers and suddenly manages five dispatches at once. Here is how…
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Transport to the Balkans: Croatia, Slovenia, Bulgaria and Greece from Poland
The Balkans are one direction on the map but four different routes in practice. Which way trucks run to Croatia and…
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Transport from Poland to Western Europe: what the forwarder does at origin
The receiver in Germany or the Netherlands only sees the truck at the ramp. The real work happens earlier: collection…
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Transport to Scandinavia: ferry or road to Sweden, Denmark and Finland
Scandinavia is where road meets sea. Here is when cargo to Sweden sails from a Polish port, when the land route through…
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Customs clearance for transport to Norway step by step
Norway is in the EEA but outside the EU customs union, so transport from Poland needs the full customs path. Step by…
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Transport to Ireland: direct ferry or the landbridge through Great Britain
You can reach Ireland on a direct ferry from France or drive the landbridge through Great Britain. We compare both…
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Transport to the Isle of Wight, Anglesey and Scilly: domestic UK islands
The Isle of Wight, Anglesey and the Isles of Scilly are part of Great Britain, so no clearance against the UK. We…
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Transport to Northern Ireland: the rules of the Windsor Framework
Northern Ireland belongs to the United Kingdom but for goods it works under the special rules of the Windsor Framework…
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Transport to Ireland (the Republic of Ireland): an EU market with no clearance
The Republic of Ireland is in the European Union, so transport from Poland runs with no customs border. We explain the…
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Transport to the Scottish islands: the Hebrides, Orkney (Kirkwall) and Shetland (Lerwick)
The Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland are part of Great Britain, so once inside the UK the transport is domestic. We…
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Transport to Jersey and Guernsey (Channel Islands): clearance outside UK VAT
Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney and Sark are outside the European Union and outside the UK VAT area. We explain why…
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Transport to the Isle of Man: customs and the crossing
The Isle of Man is in a customs and VAT union with the UK but outside the EU. We explain how transport from Poland…
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Deliveries to Norway outside the EU, what to know | OTSL
Norway is often confused with the EU because it is close and in the EEA. Why it is still export outside the customs…
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What makes deliveries to Switzerland specific, Passar, LSVA and charges
Switzerland has its own clearance system and its own road charges. What to know about Passar, LSVA and costs before you…
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Export to Switzerland outside the EU, customs procedures
Shipping to Switzerland is export outside the EU customs territory. What procedures apply, what to watch with duty and…
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