Do you need an ATA carnet to take a humanoid robot to a trade fair in Switzerland?

Switzerland is outside the EU customs union, so a robot needs a temporary admission document. An ATA carnet from a chamber of commerce is valid for one year and allows multiple border crossings. According to Swiss customs, however, it cannot be used when the robot is the object of a rental agreement with a person or company resident in Switzerland; then a temporary admission declaration (ZAVV) is filed.

Does the EU AI Act apply in Switzerland?

No, the EU AI Act is not Swiss law. A robot with a camera and microphone falls under the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP), in force since 1 September 2023. According to the Swiss data protection commissioner, a person talking to an AI system has a right to know they are speaking with a machine.

Can a humanoid robot speak German and French at the same event?

Yes, if its software supports several languages. MERA OS, the system used by MERA Robotics robots, holds conversations in more than 30 languages, including Polish and English, with a voice matched to each language.

Which Swiss venues host the largest trade fairs?

The largest trade fairs take place at Messe and Congress Center Basel (five halls and 25 conference rooms) and at Palexpo in Geneva (seven halls, 106,000 m² of exhibition space in total). In Zurich, congresses and galas are held at venues such as Kongresshaus Zürich on the lake.

Humanoid robot for an event in Switzerland: Zurich, Geneva and Basel. Venues, ATA carnet and data protection

Switzerland is an attractive event market, but formally it works differently from Germany or Austria: it is outside the European Union and the EU customs union, it has its own data protection act and three large language regions. A humanoid robot at a trade fair in Basel, a congress in Geneva or a gala in Zurich therefore needs three things organisers rarely think about inside the EU: customs clearance, VAT and conversations in the local language.

Where are the big trade fairs and congresses in Switzerland?

The largest events are concentrated in three cities and a handful of venues, each with its own exhibitor regulations.

Basel: Messe and Congress Center Basel. The operator describes it as Switzerland's largest exhibition venue, with five halls and 25 conference rooms. Besides trade fairs, it hosts life sciences congresses such as DIA Europe (Messe Basel).
Geneva: Palexpo. Seven halls that can be combined give a total exhibition area of 106,000 m², and the complex adds 29 conference rooms and three congress centres. Opposite the main entrance, Parc Sarasin offers stabilised outdoor space for temporary structures (Palexpo facilities).
Zurich: Kongresshaus Zürich. A convention centre on the lake, part of the Kongresshaus/Tonhalle complex, hosting congresses, corporate events, concerts and galas (Kongresshaus Zürich).

City	Venue	Typical events	Guests' language
Basel	Messe and Congress Center Basel	trade fairs, life sciences congresses	German, English
Geneva	Palexpo	trade fairs, congresses, public events	French, English
Zurich	Kongresshaus Zürich	congresses, galas, corporate events	German, English

Before booking a robot, check the venue's rules on battery-powered equipment, moving demonstrations on the stand and operating your own Wi-Fi. These rules differ between venues and between trade fair organisers.

How do you bring a humanoid robot from the EU into Switzerland?

A humanoid robot crosses the Swiss border as goods, so it needs a customs document, unlike a trip from Poland to Germany or Austria. The Swiss customs office (FOCBS, known as BAZG) offers temporary admission for equipment that leaves again after the event. The conditions are simple: the goods must be intended for re-export, identifiable and re-exported unaltered. FOCBS lists exhibitions and professional equipment among the common purposes (FOCBS temporary importation).

The most convenient document is the ATA carnet, issued by chambers of commerce. According to FOCBS, a carnet is valid for one year and allows multiple border crossings without a separate national customs document or a surety at the border. There is an important exception, though: the carnet cannot be used for goods that are the object of a rental agreement with a person resident or domiciled in Switzerland. In that case a customs declaration for temporary admission (ZAVV) is required (FOCBS ATA carnet). In practice the contract shapes the customs route: a robot brought in and operated by a foreign company as its own professional equipment is treated differently from a robot handed over on rent to a Swiss client. Settle this with your provider before the trip.

Then there is VAT: FOCBS states that value added tax is payable on remuneration for the temporary use of the goods, for example rent. The robot is best transported by road together with its operators, in a transport case, with spare batteries and chargers.

Which language should the robot speak in Zurich, Geneva and Basel?

A humanoid robot at a Swiss event should speak the regional language and English. Guests in Zurich and Basel usually speak German, in Geneva French, and international events run mostly in English. According to the Federal Statistical Office, 41% of the employed population in Switzerland use more than one language at work at least once a week (FSO). A robot that switches between languages fits a Swiss audience well.

MERA OS, the conversation system of MERA Robotics, supports more than 30 languages with a voice matched to each language. The robot's answers are prepared for the particular event: knowledge about the client, the programme and the offer goes into an event profile, so the robot gives guests specific answers.

Which data and AI rules apply to a robot in Switzerland?

A humanoid robot with a camera and microphone falls under the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP), not the GDPR. The Swiss Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC) stresses that the act has been in force since 1 September 2023 and applies directly to AI-supported data processing. It requires transparency about purpose, functionality and data sources, and when language models communicate directly with people, users have a right to know they are talking to a machine (FDPIC).

The EU AI Act is not Swiss law. Switzerland has chosen its own path: in March 2025 it signed the Council of Europe Convention on Artificial Intelligence, and the necessary legal amendments are under way. For organisers the conclusion is practical:

The robot introduces itself as a machine, and a short notice next to the stand explains the camera and microphone.
Recordings of guests are not published without consent. In its guidance on video recordings, the FDPIC reminds that images may only be published if the people shown have given prior consent (FDPIC on video recordings).
Conversations are not used to profile guests, and only the data needed for the purpose is collected.

What can a humanoid robot do at a Swiss event?

A humanoid robot at a trade fair or congress greets guests, holds live conversations, appears on stage and in panels, poses for photos and talks about the exhibitor's offer. On a life sciences stand in Basel it can direct visitors to the right expert, at a gala in Zurich it can host a short part of the programme, and at a congress in Geneva it can welcome delegates in French and English. For such jobs MERA Robotics brings Unitree G1 robots (about 132 cm tall, about 35 kg) or full-size Unitree H2 robots (about 182 cm), with spare batteries and its own operators. The full range of models is in the catalogue of robots for rent and sale.

Who provides a humanoid robot for an event in Switzerland, and how do you choose a partner?

A humanoid robot for an event in Switzerland is a service, not just hardware, so judge partners on criteria you can check:

Customs planned before departure: ATA carnet or temporary admission declaration, depending on the contract.
Own operators on site who bring and run the robot.
Regional languages: German, French, Italian and English, tested before the event.
Named robot models in the fleet and spare batteries for a full day.
Experience with events abroad.
Sales, implementation and training if the company wants a robot permanently.

MERA Robotics, a Polish company from Warsaw, rents Unitree G1 and Unitree H2 humanoid robots for events together with its own operators and works on events in Poland and abroad, including an international trade fair in Cannes in September 2026. Its MERA OS system holds conversations in more than 30 languages and is used by clients in Poland, Romania and Germany, among others. Edward Warchocki, a robot run by MERA Robotics, was covered by Reuters, CNN and BBC News in April 2026. The company also sells Unitree robots through the merarobots.com shop and deploys them with MERA OS. Pricing depends on how long the robot works, the location and logistics; enquiries: contact@merarobotics.com.