# Swiss road tolls



## Don_Madge

There seems to be a few first timers to Switzerland this year so airing the the road tolls might help some stay within the law.   

Swiss Road Tolls
Most, if not all, Swiss motorways are toll roads, and it is difficult and not really worth trying to plan an itinerary to avoid them. You will need to pay the toll charges before or when entering Switzerland.

For vehicles up to and including 3500 GVW.
Applicable to Swiss motorway toll roads.
Proof of payment is by a 'vignette' (plastic windscreen sticker) which is stuck to the inside of your windscreen. The charge is a one-off payment of SF40.00 which is valid from the 1st December of the year previous to that shown on the vignette through to the 31 January following the year shown on the vignette.

Payment and receipt of the vignette are carried out by personnel as you drive through the Swiss border control, or, if you prefer, you can buy the vignette from petrol stations approaching the border or from the Swiss Tourist Board online. If you are towing a caravan you need to purchase a second vignette.

For vehicles over 3500 GVW (The vignette system does not apply - but see towed vehicles below) 
This charge is not a toll but a general heavy vehicle tax and applies to all Swiss roads.
You will be asked to park up at the border control and take your V5 vehicle documents to the adjoining customs office. Here you fill in a simple declaration form (permit 15.91) stating how long the vehicle will be in Switzerland, used on the roads or not, and you will be charged on that basis. You will get a duplicate copy of the form back as a receipt. 

The charges (correct at January 2011) are;
Per Day - SF3.25 (subject to a minimum charge of SF 25.00).

Per 10 Days - SF32.50. Per Month SF58.50. Per Year SF 650.00.

If you are towing a caravan or trailer under 3500kg you will need a vignette for the caravan or trailer.
If you are towing a caravan or trailer over 3500kg you pay a further heavy vehicle tax.

The 10 day permit allows you to freely choose your days of travel before entering Switzerland and is valid for a year. The permit is aimed at people making frequent visits, so as to avoid them keep having to report to the border customs office.
If you want to extend your visit over the stated time you take your duplicate copy permit to the nearest main post office and pay for a further period.

Unmanned Border Crossings. It is illegal to drive into Switzerland via an unmanned border
crossing without a proof of payment (vignette if required or permit 15.91). Drivers arriving at such crossings are required to telephone the Swiss customs who will normally authorise their entry to proceed directly to a designated payment point, usually a post office.

Note. If your vehicle is under 3500kg you can enter the country on any non-toll road, manned or not, but if you wish to subsequently use toll roads you will need a vignette from petrol stations or post offices.

I put this together from the official Swiss road information.

Safe travelling.

Don


----------



## teemyob

*Avoid*

As far as I am aware, if you are over 3,500kG's, you cannot avoid the toll charges any more.

TM


----------



## apxc15

Thanks Don, very useful info.

As I weigh in at 4.6Tonnes I will make sure I never go to Switzerland.


Pete 8)


----------



## Sideways86

*hi*

We have just come back from Switzerland and for the cost you get one of the most beautiful countries to visit and explore, we took out Goldwing on the trailer behind and yes I paid two lots of charges and it was worth every penny.

We stayed at Lazy Rancho Interlaken and have booked to go back next year, it was superb in every way

Regards


----------



## olley

As Don posted TM, over 3.5t is not a toll its an HGV tax, and unless its changed is payable for all the days you spend in Switzerland, whether on the road or not.

Ian


----------



## provencal

Good one Don.

It is worth adding that the quickest way at the border is to pay in cash, otherwise you need to go into a separate building. At the booth, they accept Euros and give change as two Swiss francs from €40.

You need to stick the vignette onto the windscreen immediately or you are committing an offence. This fact and that the vignette will self destruct on removal is in small print on the vignette backing paper.

We got our money's worth by using the vignette to go via the St Gottard tunnel and back using about 260 Km of motorway in each direction.

Brian


----------



## ob1

An interesting post Don which you claim you put together from "official Swiss road information." In fact your post is a word for word copy of a previous post of mine (Swiss Road Tolls - Amended) of 25/3/09 which is also contained in the 'Guide To Interlaken And Surroundings' currently in the Members Motorhoming Guides section of this website.

The reason I wish to put the record straight is that any members having read your post, and then also downloading the above guide, might be forgiven for thinking that I am claiming undue credit for your work when in fact it is the other way round.

Ron


----------



## Sideways86

*hi*

We used OB1's guide as our bible on our recent tour and it has lots of vauable information in there and pretty dam accurate also

A great country and going back next August again!

Regards


----------



## 100127

Just as a matter of interest, the Swiss vignette is designed to split in small pieces if you try and remove it from the windscreen. We have just changed Motorhomes and I managed to get it off the old one in one piece using a stanley blade. Job done and money saved as we are going there in September.


----------



## Don_Madge

ob1 said:


> An interesting post Don which you claim you put together from "official Swiss road information." In fact your post is a word for word copy of a previous post of mine (Swiss Road Tolls - Amended) of 25/3/09 which is also contained in the 'Guide To Interlaken And Surroundings' currently in the Members Motorhoming Guides section of this website.
> 
> The reason I wish to put the record straight is that any members having read your post, and then also downloading the above guide, might be forgiven for thinking that I am claiming undue credit for your work when in fact it is the other way round.
> 
> Ron


Hi Ron,

I sincerely apologise for copying from your post and not giving you the credit. I do trawl around the web looking for info that will be useful to members.

I try to give credit where it is due, but on this occasion my memory has played me falsely. I honestly do not remember the exact source, but believed it to be as I said. Please accept my apologies and I will try to remember more accurately in the future.

Regards

Don


----------



## ob1

Many thanks for your reply Don and I fully accept what you say. To be honest this did not seem to be your normal style at all and I am glad we have got it sorted. Keep up the good work.

Ron


----------



## Helgamobil

Vignette can be removed- stanley blade, hairdryer and sharp knife - or just make sure you stick it onto some cling film/sticky back plastic before you stick it to the windscreen.


----------



## tonka

THANKS !!
Very usefull info and a bit clearer now for me..
We weigh in at 4100kg so at least now we know the score in case we visit or pass through later in the year..


----------



## spire2003

sysinfo said:


> Just as a matter of interest, the Swiss vignette is designed to split in small pieces if you try and remove it from the windscreen. We have just changed Motorhomes and I managed to get it off the old one in one piece using a stanley blade. Job done and money saved as we are going there in September.


Take it you already been to Switzerland once this year. We went on way to Italy in June & will be doing the same route in September so money well spent. We found it to be cheaper to go to Italy (Lido Di Jesolo) toll wise than to go to Spain. Cost including vignette to Lido return about 120 Euros. To Lloret at least 250 Euros. Didnt really save any money though as the missus spends the money saved at the local markets !!!!!!!!! Be even more for her to spend this time as we already have the vignette.


----------



## DavidDredge

Can I just check. I have a scooter on a rack on the back of my motorhome. Although I hope to use it is Switzerland it will not be on any toll roads. I assume I do not need a second vignette for the scooter?

David


----------



## JockandRita

olley said:


> As Don posted TM, over 3.5t is not a toll its an HGV tax, and unless its changed is payable for all the days you spend in Switzerland, whether on the road or not.
> 
> Ian


Ian, does that mean, that although not using toll roads, and weighing in at 5 tonnes, we were driving about illegally? :?

We travelled from Lindau round to Constance, along the south and western sides of the lake, but didn't pay a thing. :wink:

Regards,

Jock.


----------



## olley

Hi Jock as I understand the rules, yes you were. Its an HGV tax which also covers you to drive on the motorways.

This from a much longer article here: http://www.partnersindialogue.com/past-events/transport-policy-23032011.html

_Imposing the HGV tax on all trucks, on all roads in Switzerland made it possible to halt the upward trend of freight traffic,_

Ian


----------



## JockandRita

olley said:


> Hi Jock as I understand the rules, yes you were. Its an HGV tax which also covers you to drive on the motorways.
> 
> This from a much longer article here: http://www.partnersindialogue.com/past-events/transport-policy-23032011.html
> 
> _Imposing the HGV tax on all trucks, on all roads in Switzerland made it possible to halt the upward trend of freight traffic,_
> 
> Ian


Whoops a daisy. :wink:

Had we known this at the time, we might have paid the tax, and discovered a bit more of Switzerland. TBH, apart from different lettering on shop signage , it was hard to know that we had crossed the Austrian and Swiss borders. :?

Thanks for the link Ian. 

Cheers,

Jock.


----------



## barryd

I think it's goo value when you consider what other countries charge for single trips up a motorway.

When we entered Switzerland however this summer we just sailed through on the motorway near Basel and there were no signs about vignettes or reminders. It was only 2 days later in luzern that I remebered.

As regards the scooter we tend to stay off motorways on ours but have used them. I assume it doesn't apply as I haven't seem anything attached to any bikes from memory


----------



## eddied

*Vignette*

 Wow, you were lucky Barry. Several years ago did the same crossing at Basel during the night. Got stopped on the approach to the Gothard Tunnel, and fined several hundred SFR. No excuses, you have to stop and ask for a vignette if there is no one around selling them at the border.
saluti,
eddied


----------



## barryd

I guess I should have known better considering the perfomance they put on the first time visited weighing the van because they didn't believe it was under 3500kg! It was. Just!


----------



## Philippft

We will be enetering Switzerland at Basel and have alraedy purchased a Vignette, what happens when i get to the toll/customs area, I will be displaying my vignette, should i get in the same lane as all other motorhomes or just drive through, if a i can ? we are 3.3 tonnes.

Regards,
Philip


----------



## Don_Madge

The lanes are clearly marked for vehicles with or without vignettes if you have a vignette you just drive through. You will be in the lane signed for cars , don't go into the truck lanes.

Be aware that in Switzerland the motorway signs are green and the national road signs are blue, it can get a bit confusing if you have just come through France.

Safe travelling.

Don


----------



## rogerblack

Helgamobil said:


> Vignette can be removed- stanley blade, hairdryer and sharp knife - or just make sure you stick it onto some cling film/sticky back plastic before you stick it to the windscreen.


or smear a very thin film of Vaseline on the relevant section of the windscreen. I used to do this when driving there on business two or three times a year, invariably in different cars each time.


----------



## WhiteCheyenneMan

*Re: Vignette*



eddied said:


> Wow, you were lucky Barry. Several years ago did the same crossing at Basel during the night. Got stopped on the approach to the Gothard Tunnel, and fined several hundred SFR. No excuses, you have to stop and ask for a vignette if there is no one around selling them at the border.
> saluti,
> eddied


  Looks like we were lucky too having spent 3 days in Switzerland. For some reason, despite researching all the other countries, I seem to have missed out Switzerland when it came to tolls/tax. We returned our Go Box on the Austrian Border with Lichtenstein and obtained a refund. In Lichtenstein I bore right on a junction, when it should have been left and we took an interesting detour around an industrial estate and rail yard :lol: After that we followed the Motorway signs waiting for a Border Post. After 20mins on the motorway it was obvious that we were in Switzerland, but had seen no Border Control!
Our ignorance saved us SF25, but luck saved us from a much worse fate :roll:
By the way, am I correct that it's unladen weight that determines your speed limit in the UK, but GTW for the rest of Europe? And it's the same measure for determining the 3,500kgs limit for tax and tolls?


----------

