What you should know about Switzerland's new electronic motorway sticker
The motorway toll stickers have been in circulation in Switzerland for nearly four decades. Now the electronic version is available in addition to the old, self-adhesive paper one.
If you don’t like your windshield to be ‘decorated’ with a sticker, you now have the option of buying a paperless version instead.
That’s because from August 1st, the vignette, which is obligatory when traveling on the country's highways for residents and tourists alike, is also available in the digital form.
Just like the self-adhesive paper version that has been in use since the mid-1980s, the e-vignette will be valid from January 1st to December 31st of each year, and will continue to cost 40 francs.
The cumulative price of the sticker is used to maintain the road infrastructure, which in the past was financed by tolls.
Today, Switzerland still has some paid roads which are not covered by the vignette, though there are far fewer of them than elsewhere in Europe.
READ ALSO: What you need to know about Switzerland’s motorway charge sticker
How does this new sticker work?
Even though its format has changed, the vignette remains mandatory for all motor vehicles traveling on Swiss highways, including automobiles, motorbikes, trailers, caravans, delivery vans, and campers that weigh up to 3.5 tonnes.
(Lorries and buses weighing over 3.5 tonnes don’t need a vignette. They are subject to a special heavy vehicle charge instead.)
How, and where, can you buy the e-vignette?
The digital sticker, which will be linked to the vehicle’s registration number, can be purchased at any time on the website of the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security.
You can do so by selecting a vehicle category, country where it was registered, and number plate. No personal data like your name or address is needed.
You can pay for e-vignette online or by a credit card.
You will then receive confirmation, which is your proof of purchase.
What else should you know about the e-vignette?
A digital version is not transferable from one vehicle to another; you must purchase one for each vehicle your own, just as is the case with the physical sticker.
Motorists have the option of choosing which type of sticker they prefer, as both are valid.
How will police know if you have the e-vignette?
It will no longer be visible on the windscreen, but the verification of e-vignettes will be carried out at the borders for people entering the country, and within Switzerland by the cantonal police by means of random number plate checks.
If you don’t have either a paper or digital version, you are liable for a 200-franc fine.
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If you don’t like your windshield to be ‘decorated’ with a sticker, you now have the option of buying a paperless version instead.
That’s because from August 1st, the vignette, which is obligatory when traveling on the country's highways for residents and tourists alike, is also available in the digital form.
Just like the self-adhesive paper version that has been in use since the mid-1980s, the e-vignette will be valid from January 1st to December 31st of each year, and will continue to cost 40 francs.
The cumulative price of the sticker is used to maintain the road infrastructure, which in the past was financed by tolls.
Today, Switzerland still has some paid roads which are not covered by the vignette, though there are far fewer of them than elsewhere in Europe.
READ ALSO: What you need to know about Switzerland’s motorway charge sticker
How does this new sticker work?
Even though its format has changed, the vignette remains mandatory for all motor vehicles traveling on Swiss highways, including automobiles, motorbikes, trailers, caravans, delivery vans, and campers that weigh up to 3.5 tonnes.
(Lorries and buses weighing over 3.5 tonnes don’t need a vignette. They are subject to a special heavy vehicle charge instead.)
How, and where, can you buy the e-vignette?
The digital sticker, which will be linked to the vehicle’s registration number, can be purchased at any time on the website of the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security.
You can do so by selecting a vehicle category, country where it was registered, and number plate. No personal data like your name or address is needed.
You can pay for e-vignette online or by a credit card.
You will then receive confirmation, which is your proof of purchase.
What else should you know about the e-vignette?
A digital version is not transferable from one vehicle to another; you must purchase one for each vehicle your own, just as is the case with the physical sticker.
Motorists have the option of choosing which type of sticker they prefer, as both are valid.
How will police know if you have the e-vignette?
It will no longer be visible on the windscreen, but the verification of e-vignettes will be carried out at the borders for people entering the country, and within Switzerland by the cantonal police by means of random number plate checks.
If you don’t have either a paper or digital version, you are liable for a 200-franc fine.
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