Navigation auf uzh.ch
Navigation auf uzh.ch
If you would like to bring your own car with you when you move to Switzerland, and you have a foreign driver’s license, there are a few things you should note:
Vehicles which have been used abroad for at least six months can be imported duty-free as household effects. Providing you have a customs permit, newer vehicles can be used duty and tax-free for a maximum of two years from the first day on which they enter Switzerland. Detailed information is available from the Federal Customs Administration.
Once you have registered your vehicle with customs as household effects, and it has been cleared, you have 12 months from the date of entry into Switzerland in which to register it with the Strassenverkehrsamt (DMV) of your canton of residence. If you take up residence in the Canton of Zurich, then the Canton of Zurich Strassenverkehrsamt is the one that is responsible for you.
Holders of foreign driver’s licenses who settle in Switzerland must exchange their driver’s license for a Swiss license within 12 months of entering the country. The conditions differ according to your country of origin. The Strassenverkehrsamt will notify you of the steps to take and the documents you need to exchange your driver's license.
You must pay a specific tax to drive on Switzerland’s national motorway network (motorways and other high-speed roads). You do this by buying a special sticker from outlets such as post offices, petrol stations or garages for CHF 40 (as at March 2022), and fixing it to the inside of your windshield.
Disclaimer: The content of this website is for information purposes only. UZH offers no guarantee that it is correct, complete, or up to date. For legally binding information, please contact the Federal Customs Administration or the Strassenverkehrsamt of the Canton of Zurich directly.
