Swiss Paid Toll Roads
Vignette for Highways in Switzerland
A Swiss vignette is required on national highways which are considered toll roads.
About Swiss vignette for highways
A Swiss vignette for highways is a mandatory document to have when driving on highways and certain road sections in Switzerland.
The obligation of possessing a valid highway vignette in Switzerland applies to both international visitors and Swiss nationals. The Switzerland highway vignette must be purchased by all motor vehicles and trailers whose GVW is up to 3.5t.
From August 2023, drivers can obtain a digital highway vignette for Switzerland. Traditional toll stickers are still available for purchase, though. If you decide to purchase a Swiss motorway e-vignette, the vignette will be assigned to your vehicle’s registration number, not directly to the particular vehicle.
Why you should obtain a Swiss highway vignette
Like in other countries that have introduced the vignette system, Switzerland decided on this move with the aim of collecting money for the maintenance of the Swiss motorway network. It is possible to avoid the roads subject to the vignette requirement. Nevertheless, looking for roads exempt from the toll may be inconvenient.
If you drive the Swiss highways without having a valid vignette (traditional sticker or an e-vignette), you should expect a fine of CHF 200. The person fined for the lack of a valid vignette must also cover the cost of the vignette itself. Moreover, financial penalties also apply when misusing the highway vignettes and transferring them to another vehicle (traditional stickers). Forging traditional Swiss vignettes can also result in being reported to the Attorney General of Switzerland.
Vehicles covered by the Switzerland vignette for highways
The Switzerland highway vignette obligation covers the following motor vehicles (up to and including 3.5t):
- cars
- motorcycles
- campervans
- trailers
- caravans
- motorhomes
For vehicles exceeding 3.5t of the GVW, a heavy vehicle toll applies. These vehicles include:
- motorhomes
- lorries
- buses
Important: If you plan to drive a car with a caravan or a trailer, you will need to obtain two physical vignettes for Switzerland. If you choose its digital alternative, only one e-vignette will cover your two vehicles since the e-vignette is assigned to the vehicle’s registration number.
Online purchase of the Swiss highway vignette
Thanks to the introduction of the digital Swiss highway vignette, drivers no longer need to worry about where to find the nearest vignette sales point. Instead, they can easily purchase a Swiss vignette online using their mobile phone and receive its receipt via email.
The online purchase of the Swiss motorway vignette consists of the following steps:
- Enter necessary information: Provide all required details concerning your vehicle and make sure the data is correct.
- Pay the fee: Use one of the available methods of online payment and pay the fee.
- Refresh your email: Shortly after you make the payment, make sure to check your email inbox. The valid vignette confirmation will be sent to your email address.
As Switzerland has not introduced a camera system checking vehicles without a vignette, it is best to print out the vignette confirmation and have it at hand during the vignette control in Switzerland.
Duration of Switzerland vignettes for highways
No matter whether you plan a short drive through Switzerland on your way to another country or you plan to drive across Switzerland for longer, you should always obtain an annual vignette.
Switzerland introduced only one highway vignette type, which remains valid for 14 months. The validity of the annual Swiss vignette starts on December 1st of the previous year and ends on January 31st of the following year.
Note: If your trip through Switzerland takes only one day or a couple of hours, you still should purchase an annual vignette to avoid financial penalties.
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