Swiss driving licence: exchanging a foreign licence and importing your car
Which licences swap without a test, the steps and documents, what five cantons charge, and how to bring a car in: customs, taxes and Swiss plates.
In short
After 12 months of living in Switzerland you need a Swiss driving licence, whichever country issued yours. Holders from the EU, EFTA, the UK and 14 further countries, including the USA, Canada and Japan, exchange without a driving test. Everyone else takes one control drive. A car you have used for over six months can come with you duty-free.
How long can you drive in Switzerland on a foreign licence?
For 12 months. Once you have lived in Switzerland for twelve months, without a break abroad of more than three months in a row, you need a Swiss licence. Since 1 March 2024 this applies to EU and EFTA licences too. Zurich and Geneva state that after the deadline you may not drive until the exchange is done.
The rule is VZV Art. 42 para 3bis (VZV, checked ). Until then, a valid national licence covers the categories it shows clearly in Latin script; an international driving permit counts only together with the national licence (VZV, checked ). EU and EFTA licences have been covered since 1 March 2024 (ASTRA, checked ).
Zurich counts the 12 months from the entry date, Geneva from taking up residence (Canton of Zurich, checked ) (Canton of Geneva, checked ). Zug asks for the exchange to be started about nine months after entry, once you have registered at your commune (Canton of Zug, checked ). The exchange is one of the deadlines in your first 90 days.
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Exchange deadline
12 months
of residence, with no break abroad of over three months in a row.
-
EU/EFTA licences
Since March 2024
subject to the same 12-month rule.
Source ASTRA (opens in a new tab) ↗
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Professional drivers
First drive
non-EU/EFTA licence holders driving C, C1, D or D1 vehicles for work.
Which foreign licences can you exchange without a test?
Licences from the 27 EU states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and the UK are exchanged without a control drive or theory test. Licences from 14 further countries, including the USA, Canada, Japan and Australia, need no control drive either; a theory test applies only to keep lorry, bus or professional passenger-transport categories.
The Federal Roads Office (ASTRA) may waive both tests for states with equivalent training and testing (VZV Art. 150 para 5) (VZV, checked ). Its lists are Annex 2 of a circular on licences of people resident abroad: list A has 31 states, list B 14 (ASTRA country lists, checked ). List B names the USA as a whole, with no distinction between states, and covers Taiwan for categories A1 and B only (ASTRA country lists, checked ).
Which route applies to your licence
| Licence issued in | Control drive | Theory test | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| EU states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, UK (list A) | No | No, for any category | 12 months of residence |
| Andorra, Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, Korea (Rep.), Monaco, Morocco, New Zealand, San Marino, Singapore, Taiwan, Tunisia, USA (list B) | No | Only to keep C, C1, D, D1 or professional passenger transport | 12 months of residence |
| All other countries, for example India, Brazil or South Africa | Yes, once | For professional categories | 12 months of residence |
ASTRA circular of 1 October 2013, Annex 2; VZV Art. 42, 44 and 150. Professional drivers with a non-EU/EFTA licence: before the first professional drive.
What happens if your country is not on the list?
You take a control drive (Kontrollfahrt), a practical check that you know the Swiss traffic rules and drive safely. It cannot be repeated. If you fail it, or miss it without an excuse, your foreign licence is withdrawn for Switzerland and you start again as a learner: theory test, learner licence, traffic course and driving test.
These rules are in VZV Art. 44 (VZV, checked ). Zurich lists the restart after a fail (theory test, learner licence, traffic skills course and driving test) and suggests taking the control drive in a driving school’s car (Canton of Zurich, checked ). For a car it costs CHF 90 in Zug, CHF 130 in Vaud, CHF 132 in Bern and CHF 134 in Zurich (Canton of Zug, checked ) (RE-SAN, checked ) (Canton of Bern, checked ) (Zurich fee ordinance, checked ). Zug provides no test vehicle and charges CHF 250 for withdrawing a foreign licence (Canton of Zug, checked ).
How do you exchange a foreign driving licence, step by step?
Fill in your canton’s form, have the eye test done by an optician or doctor in Switzerland, add a passport photo, and hand it in with your original licence and residence permit. If no control drive is due, the Swiss licence comes by post: within 10–14 working days in Zurich, two to three in Geneva.
Zurich takes applications at its road traffic offices or through your commune; first-time applicants confirm their identity in person, for CHF 20 (Canton of Zurich, checked ) (Zurich fee ordinance, checked ). Geneva’s vehicle office (OCV) in Carouge and Zug’s office in Steinhausen take them in person without an appointment (Canton of Geneva, checked ) (Canton of Zug, checked ).
For a licence not in Latin script, Zurich wants a translation from a consulate or embassy in Switzerland, Zug a certified one (Canton of Zurich, checked ) (Canton of Zug, checked ). EU and EFTA licences go back to the issuing authority after the exchange (VZV Art. 44 para 4) (VZV, checked ).
Exchanging a foreign licence, step by step
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Before month 12
Check your route
Find your licence’s country in ASTRA’s lists A and B.
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Before applying
Form and eye test
Get your canton’s form; an optician or doctor in Switzerland does the eye test.
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When you apply
Hand in the file
Form, photo, original licence and residence permit; identity check in person for a first Swiss licence.
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If required
Control drive
Only for licences outside lists A and B, with a single attempt.
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Days later
Licence by post
Within 10–14 working days in Zurich, two to three in Geneva.
Documents most cantons ask for
0 of 6 done
Your ticks are saved in this browser only.
What does a licence exchange cost in Zurich, Geneva, Bern, Vaud and Zug?
Each canton sets its own fees. For a car licence without a control drive, Zurich lists CHF 50 in its 2026 fee ordinance, Zug charges CHF 75 plus CHF 30 for the card, Bern CHF 120 and Geneva CHF 150. Where a control drive is due, the drive itself costs CHF 90 to CHF 134 for a car.
Where a canton names one exchange fee and no card fee, the table does not say whether the card is included (Canton of Bern, checked ) (Canton of Geneva, checked ). Zurich: the canton’s fee web page still shows CHF 42 for processing the application, but the fee ordinance in force since 1 January 2026 abolished several processing fees for foreign licences and has no such item. The table follows the ordinance, which also lists CHF 40 for a driving licence without saying whether it is added to the exchange (Zurich fee ordinance, checked ).
Licence exchange fees in five cantons
| Canton | Exchange or processing | Licence card | Control drive | Extra theory test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bern | 120 | Not listed separately | 132 (96 to 264 by category) | 40 |
| Geneva | 150 (200 with C, C1, D) | Not listed separately | Not published there | Not published there |
| Vaud | 50, only when a control drive is prescribed | 45 | 130 | 40 (C1, D1, professional transport); 50 (C, D) |
| Zug | 75 | 30 | 90 | 30 |
| Zurich | 50, plus 20 identity check for a first Swiss licence | 40 listed; not stated whether added | 134 | 45 |
Bern SVSA fee page; Geneva OCV page (updated 18 August 2026); Vaud RE-SAN 741.15.1 (in force 1 January 2026); Zug Merkblatt (1 January 2026); Zurich fee ordinance (in force 1 January 2026).
Do you get a probationary licence after the exchange?
Sometimes. A foreign car or motorcycle licence becomes a Swiss licence on probation only if it was issued on or after 1 December 2005 and had been valid for less than a year when you moved to Switzerland. The probation lasts three years, minus the time between the foreign issue date and your exchange deadline.
How do you get a Swiss driving licence from scratch?
Take a first-aid course, pass the theory test, get a learner licence, attend the eight-hour traffic skills course (VKU) and pass the practical test. You then hold a probationary licence and attend a one-day further-training course within 12 months. From 1 January 2027 the VKU must be done before you register for the theory test.
The first-aid certificate may be no more than six years old, a car learner licence is valid for 24 months, and the VKU lasts eight hours with a driving instructor (VZV Art. 10, 16 and 18) (VZV, checked ). Learners under 20 hold the learner licence for a year before the practical test; from 20 there is no waiting time (VZV, checked ) (ASTRA, checked ).
From 1 January 2027 the VKU also covers driver-assistance systems (ASTRA, checked ). Zurich charges CHF 40 for the learner licence, CHF 36 for the theory test and CHF 134 for the practical test (Zurich fee ordinance, checked ).
Can you bring your car to Switzerland free of duty and tax?
Yes, if you are moving to Switzerland and have used the car yourself for more than six months: it then enters free of duty and tax as household effects. Otherwise you pay 4% automobile tax and 8.1% VAT; there has been no customs duty on cars since 1 January 2024. Declare the car when it first crosses the border.
BAZG (the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security) lets a car in free of duty and tax as household effects when you move here and have used it for more than six months (BAZG, checked ). Declare it the first time it crosses the border; BAZG calls the idea of a year’s grace for customs incorrect. Arriving at the weekend, you get form 15.25 at the border and have two working days to declare (BAZG, checked ).
Otherwise the automobile tax is 4% of the vehicle’s value and import VAT 8.1%, on the price including the tax and costs to the destination (BAZG, checked ). Electric cars have paid the automobile tax since 1 January 2024 (FDF, checked ). Tariffs on industrial goods (customs tariff chapters 25 to 97) were abolished on that date, and BAZG lists only these two charges for an imported vehicle (BAZG, checked ) (BAZG, checked ).
A car used for under six months can stay duty-unpaid for up to two years with customs permit form 15.30, with Swiss plates after one year at the latest (BAZG, checked ). Customs issues inspection report form 13.20 A as proof of clearance for registration, and charges CHF 20 for issuing a customs clearance certificate (BAZG, checked ). Shipping the car with your furniture: see international movers.
Duty-free or not: three cases
| Case | At the border | Automobile tax and VAT | Swiss plates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moving, car used by you for over 6 months | Declare at first crossing as household effects | None | Within one year of the move |
| Moving, car used for under 6 months | Pay duties, or form 15.30 for up to two years | 4% and 8.1% when cleared | After one year at the latest |
| Car bought abroad | Declare at a customs office for goods | 4% and 8.1% | Zurich: one month; Basel-Stadt: 30 days |
BAZG vehicle FAQ and import page; Zurich and Basel-Stadt road traffic offices.
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Automobile tax
4%
of the car’s value when it is not duty-free.
Source BAZG (opens in a new tab) ↗
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Import VAT
8.1%
on the price plus automobile tax and transport costs.
Source BAZG (opens in a new tab) ↗
How do you register an imported car and get Swiss plates?
Book the official vehicle inspection in your canton, bringing customs report form 13.20 A, the foreign registration papers, a certificate of conformity if you have one and proof of Swiss liability insurance. A car brought as household effects needs Swiss plates within one year of the move; a car bought abroad, within one month in Zurich.
Foreign vehicles must be officially inspected before Swiss registration (VZV Art. 115) (VZV, checked ). Zurich inspects each directly imported car individually; a certificate of conformity (CoC) helps but is no guarantee. Its page explains how to check in ASTRA’s portal whether an electronic CoC (eCoC) exists (Canton of Zurich, checked ) (ASTRA, checked ).
Motor liability insurance is mandatory before plates are issued: registration needs proof of cover from a Swiss insurer (Canton of Zurich, checked ) (Canton of Basel-Stadt, checked ). To compare cover, see expat-savvy.ch (opens in a new tab). Cars above the CO2 target pay a sanction before first registration unless registered abroad over 12 months before the customs declaration, or over six months with more than 5,000 km (BAZG, checked ).
Basel-Stadt gives one year from your entry for a car brought when moving and 30 days from import for one imported later (Canton of Basel-Stadt, checked ); Zurich gives one month for a car bought abroad (Canton of Zurich, checked ). Zurich charges CHF 42 for the vehicle licence, CHF 40 for a pair of plates and CHF 30 for checking form 13.20 A (Zurich fee ordinance, checked ). Car import services that work in English are listed under car import.
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Household-effects car
1 year
after the move to get Swiss plates.
Source BAZG (opens in a new tab) ↗
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Car bought abroad
1 month
from the import date, in Zurich.
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Zurich registration
CHF 42 + 40
for the vehicle licence and a new pair of plates (2026 ordinance).
Car import services
Auto Kunz
Car import · WohlenAargau garage offering full vehicle import handling: export papers, customs, taxes, homologation without CoC, MFK and registration.
Checked by our editors · not yet confirmed by the business.
Is this your business?Autociel
Car import · La ConversionCar service for expats near Lausanne: buying, leasing and selling vehicles, long-term rental, and help importing cars including paperwork.
Checked by our editors · not yet confirmed by the business.
Is this your business?Import-Butler
Car import · WinterthurPrivate vehicle import agent: appraisal, transport, customs formalities, CO2 levy, MFK inspection and cantonal registration support.
Checked by our editors · not yet confirmed by the business.
Is this your business?My Swiss Relocation (car import)
Car import · GenèveRelocation firm founded 1990 offering vehicle import help: feasibility check, customs declaration, inspection, insurance and cantonal registration.
Checked by our editors · not yet confirmed by the business.
Is this your business?Supercar Sharing Import Center
Car import · ZürichZurich firm importing high-end, classic and special vehicles: transport, customs and taxes, homologation, MFK and Swiss registration.
Checked by our editors · not yet confirmed by the business.
Is this your business?Driving licence and car import questions
Can I drive in Switzerland with a foreign driving licence?
Yes, for your first 12 months of living here, if the licence is valid and shows its categories in Latin script or comes with an international permit. After that you need a Swiss licence.
How long do I have to exchange my driving licence in Switzerland?
Twelve months from taking up residence, for EU and EFTA licences too since March 2024. Zurich counts from the entry date. After the deadline you may not drive until the exchange is done.
Do I need to take a driving test to exchange my licence?
Not if your licence comes from an EU or EFTA state, the UK or one of 14 listed countries such as the USA, Canada or Japan. Everyone else takes one control drive, which cannot be repeated.
Can I exchange a UK, US or Canadian driving licence without a test?
Yes. The UK is on ASTRA’s list A: no control drive, no theory test. The USA and Canada are on list B: no control drive, and a theory test only to keep lorry, bus or professional passenger-transport categories. The list names the USA as a whole.
How much does it cost to exchange a foreign driving licence in Switzerland?
Published fees are CHF 50 in Zurich (plus CHF 20 identity check for a first Swiss licence), CHF 75 plus CHF 30 for the card in Zug, CHF 120 in Bern and CHF 150 in Geneva. A control drive for a car costs CHF 90 to CHF 134.
Do I need an international driving permit in Switzerland?
Only if your national licence does not show its categories in Latin script; the permit then counts together with the licence. For the exchange, Zurich asks for a consulate or embassy translation.
Can I import my car to Switzerland duty-free?
Yes, as household effects, if you move here and have used the car for more than six months. Declare it the first time you cross the border. Otherwise you pay 4% automobile tax and 8.1% VAT, but no customs duty.
How long can I drive with foreign number plates in Switzerland?
Up to one year after the move for a car brought as household effects. A car bought abroad must be registered within one month of import in Zurich and 30 days in Basel-Stadt.
Sources
Last checked by the expat-services.ch editorial team
- Fedlex, SR 741.51 Road Traffic Licensing Ordinance (VZV), Art. 10, 16, 18, 22, 27a, 27c, 42, 44, 44a, 115 and 150 (in German) (opens in a new tab)
- Federal Roads Office (ASTRA) Circular “Führerausweise von Personen mit Wohnsitz im Ausland” of 1 October 2013, Annex 2: country lists A and B (in German) (opens in a new tab)
- Federal Roads Office (ASTRA) New traffic rules: EU/EFTA licences from 1 March 2024, eCoC from 2026, traffic skills course from 1 January 2027 (in German) (opens in a new tab)
- Canton of Zurich, Strassenverkehrsamt Ausländischen Führerausweis umtauschen: deadline, steps, documents, 10–14 working days (in German) (opens in a new tab)
- Canton of Zurich, Sicherheitsdirektion Gebührenverfügung des Strassenverkehrsamts, in force from 1 January 2026, and fee web page (in German) (opens in a new tab)
- Canton of Zurich, Strassenverkehrsamt Import-Fahrzeuge: registration deadlines, documents and eCoC check (in German) (opens in a new tab)
- Canton of Basel-Stadt, Kantonspolizei Import: der Weg zum schweizerischen Kontrollschild, October 2026 (in German) (opens in a new tab)
- Canton of Bern, SVSA Gebühren: exchange of a foreign licence, control drive and theory test (in German) (opens in a new tab)
- Canton of Geneva, Office cantonal des véhicules Echanger son permis de conduire étranger: deadline, documents, fees, 2–3 working days (in French) (opens in a new tab)
- Canton of Vaud (LexFind) RE-SAN 741.15.1: fees of the Service des automobiles et de la navigation, in force 1 January 2026, Art. 5–8 (in French) (opens in a new tab)
- Canton of Zug, Strassenverkehrsamt Merkblatt Umschreibung ausländischer Führerausweis, 1 January 2026 (in German) (opens in a new tab)
- Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (BAZG) FAQ vehicle customs clearance: household effects, first border crossing, forms 15.25 and 15.30 (opens in a new tab)
- Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (BAZG) Vehicles: permanently importing into Switzerland (automobile tax, VAT, form 13.20 A, CO2 rules) (opens in a new tab)
- Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (BAZG) Abolition of industrial tariffs from 1 January 2024 (opens in a new tab)
- Federal Department of Finance Automobile Tax Ordinance: end of the exemption for electric cars on 1 January 2024, explanatory report of 8 November 2023 (in German) (opens in a new tab)