Vehicle

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If you move to Switzerland with your car, you’ll need to observe a few important regulations. Your vehicle must be declared and cleared at customs, if necessary, and registered in Switzerland within 12 months. In addition, third-party liability insurance is mandatory, and you must have your driving licence converted to a Swiss licence within one year.

Convert driving licence within 12 months

Third-party liability insurance is mandatory

Regular technical inspections

Convert driving licence within 12 months

Third-party liability insurance is mandatory

Regular technical inspections

Tip

Importing a vehicle to Switzerland

To import a vehicle to Switzerland, you must pay customs duties and adapt the car to Swiss regulations. It can be expensive if it is not declared as household goods.

Your vehicle in Switzerland

The most important steps at a glance:

Vehicle registration: your vehicle must be registered in Switzerland within 12 months of arrival.
Customs clearance: when entering the country, you must declare your car at Swiss customs. Depending on the length of ownership, different customs regulations apply.
Converting the driving licence: Your foreign driving licence must be converted to a Swiss licence after 12 months at the latest.
Vehicle insurance: third-party liability insurance is mandatory for registering a vehicle.
Motor vehicle inspection: a technical inspection may be required before registration.
Motorway vignette: in Switzerland, use of the motorways is only permitted with a valid vignette.

Tip

make sure you meet all deadlines to avoid penalties or driving bans.

1. Customs declaration of your vehicle

When entering Switzerland, you need to declare your vehicle at Swiss customs without being asked to do so. The procedure depends on how long you have owned the vehicle:

Ownership for more than six months: the vehicle can be declared as part of your moving items, which means that no customs duties or taxes are incurred. Form 18.44 is required for this.
Ownership for less than six months: in this case, the vehicle is considered a new car and the following charges apply:
- Import duty: between CHF 12 and CHF 15 per 100 kg of unladen weight.
- Automobile tax: 4% of the value of the vehicle.
- VAT: 8.1% of the purchase price or market value.

You can find more information on the website of the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security.

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2. Registration and technical motor inspection

After clearing customs, you must register the vehicle with the responsible cantonal road traffic office within 12 months. Before registration, a technical motor vehicle inspection is required. Make sure that your vehicle is thoroughly cleaned before the inspection, especially the underbody and the engine compartment. The inspectors expect your vehicle to be in clean condition.

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3. Motor vehicle insurance

Proof of valid liability insurance is required to register your vehicle in Switzerland. Contact a Swiss insurance company. They will send the proof of insurance directly to the road traffic office.

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4. Converting your driving licence

As a new arrival, you may drive in Switzerland for a maximum of 12 months with your foreign driving licence. You’ll need to convert it to a Swiss driving licence within this period. To do this, you’ll need the following:

The completed application form from the responsible road traffic office.
Your original valid foreign driving licence.
A valid ID (residence permit).
A recent passport photo.
An eye test certificate from an optician in the canton of residence.

You can find more information about converting your driving licence on the website of the Federal Roads Office.

Please note that the exact requirements may vary depending on the canton. Check with the relevant authorities in good time to ensure that everything goes smoothly.

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