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SWISS MOTORWAY TOLLS
By Don Madge, July 2011 (edited by Margaret Williamson)
Most, if not all, Swiss motorways are toll roads, and it is very difficult to plan an itinerary to avoid them. You will need to pay the toll charges before, or when, entering Switzerland. The toll also covers free passage through the 17-km St Gotthard Tunnel (the longest Alpine tunnel).
VEHICLES UP TO AND INCLUDING 3500 kg GVW
The Vignette System
An annual toll is 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 SF 40.00 and the vignette is valid through to 31st January following the year of purchase shown on the vignette. If bought during December, it is valid for the whole of the next year plus the following January. In other words, it could be valid for a maximum of 14 months.
Payment and issue of the Vignette is 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. Payment can be made by credit card, in Euros or in Swiss currency, and the current exchange rate is 1.27 SF = £1 sterling.
Towing a Caravan
If you are towing a caravan you need to purchase a second Vignette for the caravan (also costing SF 40.00) with the same validity.
Unmanned Border Crossings
If your vehicle is under 3500 kg 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, obtainable at petrol stations or post offices. Border crossings on motorways are manned.
VEHICLES OVER 3500 kg GVW
The Vignette system does not apply
This charge is not a toll but a general heavy vehicle tax which applies to all Swiss roads.
You will be asked to park 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 buy a permit on that basis. You will get a duplicate copy of the form back as a receipt.
The charges (correct at April 2011) are:
Per Day – SF 3.25 (but subject to a minimum charge of SF 25.00).
Per 10 Days – SF 32.50.
Per Month - SF 58.50.
Per Year - SF 650.00.
When in Switzerland in our motorhome (over 3.5 tons) we buy the 10 day permit, which does allow you to freely choose your days of travel while you are in the country. You fill in the date of each day you are on the road as you go, to a maximum of 10 entries. You do not need not fill in any date on which you didn't drive, if parked or camped and stationary, so you can actually be in Switzerland for more than 10 days. As the permit is valid for a calendar year, any remaining days can be used on a later visit, or as you return, without further payment – useful if just in transit. 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. The Police can stop you at any time, or as you leave the country, to check that you still have unused days on your permit.
A Vehicle over 3,500 kg which is Towing a Caravan
If you are towing a caravan or trailer that is under 3500 kg you will also need to buy a vignette for the caravan or trailer.
If you are towing a caravan or trailer over 3500 kg, you need to pay a further heavy vehicle tax.
Unmanned Border Crossings
If your vehicle is over 3500 kg it is illegal to drive into Switzerland via an unmanned border crossing without a proof of payment (that is, having the Permit 15.91 still legal from a previous visit). Otherwise, 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.
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