Resources · Glossary
The glossary
of transport and customs.
The terms you come across between Switzerland and the European Union, explained simply. Where a concept relates directly to FretCom, we say so.
A
- ADRRegulation
- European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road. It sets the rules for classification, packaging, labelling, documents and driver training. On FretCom, ADR authorisation is one of the vehicle and driver criteria.
- Approved exporterCustoms
- Status granted by the customs authority that allows origin declarations on invoices to be made with no value limit.
C
- CabotageRegulation
- Transport carried out entirely within one country by a vehicle registered in another country. In Switzerland, domestic transport is reserved for vehicles cleared through customs and registered in Switzerland, with very limited exceptions. See our guide to empty returns.
- CharteringRole
- Contract by which an intermediary (the charterer) entrusts all or part of a transport to a carrier, who performs it with its own vehicles.
- CMRDocument
- Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road, signed in Geneva in 1956. The CMR consignment note accompanies international road transport and proves the contract of carriage.
- Consignment noteDocument
- Document that evidences the contract of carriage and the taking over of the goods. In international road transport, it takes the form of the CMR.
- Customs brokerRole
- Professional who completes customs formalities on behalf of clients and often organises international transport.
- Customs clearanceCustoms
- All the formalities that allow goods to cross a customs border: declaration, payment of any duties and taxes, inspection. In Switzerland, the competent authority is the FOCBS.
D
- DAP and DDPTrade
- Two common Incoterms. Under DAP, the seller delivers to the agreed place without clearing the goods for import. Under DDP, it also handles import clearance and duties, and becomes the importer in the destination country.
E
- Empty returnTransport
- Journey a vehicle makes without a load, usually on the way back from a delivery. On FretCom, the carrier can publish this journey so that shippers on the corridor can book the capacity.
- EORICustoms
- Identification number for economic operators with the customs authorities of the European Union. Switzerland does not issue them: a Swiss company needs one only if it makes declarations in the EU itself, for example under DDP.
- ETAExecution
- Estimated time of arrival of a shipment. On FretCom, it is shown in the shipment tracking.
- EUR.1Customs
- Movement certificate that proves the preferential origin of a product. Required above €6,000 of originating products per consignment, except for approved exporters.
F
- FOCBSCustoms
- Federal Office for Customs and Border Security, the Swiss customs authority (BAZG in German, OFDF in French). It collects customs duties, import VAT and the HVF, among others.
- FreightRole
- Refers both to the goods carried and to the price paid for carrying them. A freight exchange connects those who have goods to move with those who have capacity.
- Freight forwarderRole
- Intermediary who organises transport in its own name on behalf of its customer and chooses the carrier that performs it. On FretCom, it can subcontract without its purchase price being shown to the customer.
G
- GLECEnvironment
- International methodological framework for calculating logistics emissions, aligned with ISO 14083. FretCom uses it for the CO₂ footprint of every shipment.
- GroupageTransport
- Carriage of several consignments from different customers in the same vehicle, also called LTL (less than truckload). The opposite is a full load, or FTL (full truckload), where a single consignment fills the vehicle.
H
- HVFRegulation
- Heavy vehicle fee (LSVA/RPLP), a distance-related charge levied in Switzerland by the FOCBS. It is calculated on the kilometres driven in Switzerland, the vehicle’s maximum permitted weight and its emission class, not on the load.
I
- IncotermsTrade
- Rules published by the International Chamber of Commerce that allocate costs, risks and customs formalities between seller and buyer. The current version, Incoterms 2020, has 11 rules, from EXW to DDP. On FretCom, the Incoterm on the file shows who handles customs clearance.
M
- MRNCustoms
- Movement Reference Number: a unique number assigned by the customs system to a declaration, for example for transit or export. It is used to track and discharge the operation.
N
- NCTSCustoms
- Electronic common transit system used by the European Union and the common transit countries, including Switzerland, for T1 and T2 transit declarations.
O
- Origin declaration on the invoiceCustoms
- Statement of origin on the invoice that lets the European customer benefit from the preferential tariff. For an exporter without approved exporter status, it can be used up to €6,000 (CHF 10,300) of originating products per consignment. Above that, an EUR.1 is required.
P
- PassarCustoms
- New Swiss customs system, developed under the DaziT programme, which is gradually replacing e-dec. Processing exports in Passar is already part of day-to-day operations, and e-dec is due to be fully switched off at the end of 2027. See our export guide.
- Proof of deliveryExecution
- Document confirming that the goods were handed over to the consignee, also called POD. On FretCom, it is signed and time-stamped, and its validation triggers the invoice.
Q
- QR-billInvoicing
- Swiss invoice whose payment part contains a QR code read by the customer’s banking app. Since 22 November 2025, only structured addresses are accepted. See our QR-bill guide.
S
- Scope 3Environment
- Category of a company’s indirect emissions, which includes the carriage of its goods by service providers. FretCom lets you export the CO₂ footprint line by line for this reporting.
T
- T1 and T2Customs
- Transit procedures. T1 allows non-Union goods to move with duties and taxes suspended. T2 covers Union goods transiting through a common transit country, such as Switzerland, while keeping their status.
U
- UIDCustoms
- Business identification number of Swiss companies, in the format CHE-123.456.789. It is this number, not an EORI number, that identifies the company to the FOCBS.
These definitions are for general information. For a specific case, the FOCBS, your customs broker or your accountant is the authority.
Further reading
The right terms,
the right file.
FretCom prepares your customs files and transport documents together with the shipment.
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