Car registration

Car registration in Switzerland

In Switzerland a car is registered by the road traffic office (Strassenverkehrsamt) of the canton where its holder lives. Two things identify it on the road. The vehicle registration document (Fahrzeugausweis) belongs to the car and passes from seller to buyer. The plates (Kontrollschilder) belong to the holder: they stay with the seller and go on their next car. A car already on Swiss plates pays no registration tax when it changes hands. Only an imported car pays the federal automobile tax.

Buying a new car

The automobile tax was paid when the car was imported or built in Switzerland, so it is already in the price. Registering the car, which issues the Fahrzeugausweis and the plates, usually costs CHF 50 to 100, depending on the canton. You need proof of liability insurance from your insurer.

Buying a used car in Switzerland

The seller hands you the Fahrzeugausweis and keeps the plates. You then register the car in your name at the road traffic office of your canton of residence, with:

  • proof of liability insurance from your insurer
  • the previous holder's Fahrzeugausweis
  • the test report on form 13.20 B, if the car has been re-tested
  • an identity document
  • proof of residence, the first time you register a car

The office issues a new Fahrzeugausweis once it has the insurance proof and the old document. Whether a car has to be re-tested when it changes holder is up to each canton.

Before you pay, look at the Fahrzeugausweis:

  • Field 18 is the Stammnummer, the car's permanent number in the Swiss register, which stays the same whoever owns it
  • A holder who leases a car out or lets others use it can have the Fahrzeugausweis marked so that a change of holder needs their consent. With that note, typically from a leasing company, you cannot register the car without the consent

Selling a car

Keep the plates; they are yours. Put them on your next car or, if you are not replacing it, return them to the road traffic office. If no other car goes on the road with them within 14 days, they have to go back straight away. A scrapped car's Fahrzeugausweis is cancelled.

You can also lodge the plates with the office for a while. As long as they are lodged, no insurance or vehicle tax is due.

Moving to another canton

A change of canton needs a new Fahrzeugausweis, issued by the new canton. Holders have 14 days to report anything the Fahrzeugausweis has to show, and from then on the annual tax follows the new canton's rules.

Bringing a car in from abroad

  1. Declare it at customs. The Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (BAZG) charges the 4% automobile tax and 8.1% import VAT. There is no customs duty. The customs clearance certificate costs CHF 20.
  2. Get form 13.20 A. Customs stamps this test report as proof that the car has been cleared and the automobile tax paid. Since 3 December 2024 it can also be issued digitally.
  3. Pay any CO₂ sanction. A car first registered abroad within the last 12 months, or within the last 6 months with up to 5,000 km, may owe a CO₂ sanction to the Swiss Federal Office of Energy before it can be registered.
  4. Register it at the road traffic office of your canton, with proof of insurance, the customs clearance confirmation, the foreign registration certificate, form 13.20 A, an identity document and proof of residence.

If you are moving to Switzerland with a car you have used yourself abroad for at least 6 months, it can come in as household goods, free of automobile tax, within about two years of the move. The taxes are covered in the car tax guide.

What you will need

  • An identity document, and proof of residence the first time you register
  • Proof of liability insurance from your insurer
  • The Fahrzeugausweis or, for an import, the foreign registration certificate, the customs clearance confirmation and form 13.20 A
  • Form 13.20 B, if the car has been re-tested or modified

Periodic inspection (MFK)

Swiss cars take a periodic roadworthiness test, known in German as the MFK:

  • The first is due 5 years after first registration, and at the latest after 6
  • The second 3 years later
  • Then every 2 years

The road traffic office summons the holder when a test is due, and the cantons run the tests. They cover identification, brakes, steering, visibility, lights and electrics, the chassis, axles, wheels and tyres, other equipment, and exhaust emissions. A car that has been modified needs an extraordinary test, recorded on form 13.20 B.

References