How does the Swiss e-vignette work?

The electronic form of the Swiss motorway vignette. Instead of a sticker on the windscreen, your vehicle's number plate is registered in the FOCBS information system (Art. 6a NSAG).

The e-vignette has been available since 1 August 2023, alongside the vignette sticker. Both are valid for the same period, from 1 December of the previous year to 31 January of the following year (Art. 8(2) NSAG). Which vignette covers your travel dates is shown in the guide Vignette validity.

You receive nothing by post and do not need to put anything in the vehicle. The e-vignette is valid from registration, not only after delivery by post; with us, from the start date you choose. There is no automatic renewal.

Anyone who uses a Swiss motorway or expressway with a motor vehicle or trailer with a total weight of up to 3.5 t needs a vignette. This applies to foreign vehicles just as it does to Swiss ones (Art. 3 NSAG).

The vignette is only required on motorways and expressways, which are marked by green signs. Which roads you can use without a vignette is explained in the guide Driving without a vignette.

• Cars, vans and motorhomes up to 3.5 t: one vignette each. Motorhomes over 3.5 t pay the lump-sum heavy vehicle charge instead, see Vignette for motorhomes.
• Trailers and caravans up to 3.5 t: a separate vignette registered to the trailer's number plate, in addition to the towing vehicle's. Details in Trailers and caravans.
• Electric cars and hybrids: the same requirement as for vehicles with a combustion engine, see Electric cars and the vignette.
• Motorcycles: Motorcycles need a vignette. We are not currently accepting orders for motorcycles.

In the order form, enter the vehicle type, country of registration, number plate and start date, then pay via PayPal. Only drive on motorways and expressways once the registration confirmation has arrived by email.

1. 1Choose the vehicle type: “Car / motorhome” (up to 3.5 t permissible total weight) or “Trailer / caravan”.
2. 2Select the country of registration and enter the number plate exactly as it appears on the plate.
3. 3Choose the start date: today, tomorrow or a later date. The form then shows you how long the vignette is valid.
4. 4At checkout, enter your email address and billing details, and check the number plate and period in the order summary.
5. 5Pay via PayPal, with a PayPal account or by credit card without a PayPal account.
6. 6First email: the order confirmation. We then register your number plate in the electronic vignette system.
7. 7Second email: the registration confirmation. Only now may you drive on motorways and expressways with this number plate.

The order confirmation alone is not enough to set off. If no registration confirmation arrives, check your spam folder and contact our support team.

Character by character as it appears on the plate, and with the country in which the vehicle is registered. Hyphens and spaces do not matter.

An input error can only be corrected once, and for foreign number plates only within 24 hours of registration. If you ordered through us, contact support straight away. All cases, from a typo to a new plate, are explained in the guide Changing or correcting your number plate.

• Country of registration: What counts is the country in which the vehicle is registered.
• Mix-ups: O and 0 or I and 1 are easily confused. Compare your entry with the plate or the vehicle registration document.
• Hyphens and spaces: According to the FOCBS, incorrectly placed hyphens or spaces are irrelevant and do not need correcting.
• Different format: If your number plate does not fit into the fields provided, select “Use a different registration format” in the form and enter it in full.
• Trailers: For a trailer, register its own number plate, not that of the towing vehicle.

What is checked is the number plate: the police or the FOCBS check whether it is registered in the FOCBS information system. You do not need to carry any proof.

Inside Switzerland, checks are carried out by the cantons; at the border and in the border area, by the FOCBS (Art. 11 NSAG). If the check shows that the number plate is registered, the data collected during the check is destroyed immediately (Art. 12f(2) NSAG).

If the number plate is not registered, you pay a CHF 200 fine and must also buy the vignette (Art. 14(1) NSAG). How to check for yourself whether your e-vignette is valid is explained in the guide Check your e-vignette.

The requirement and the validity are the same. The e-vignette is tied to the number plate, the sticker to the vehicle it is stuck to.

• Changing vehicles: If the number plate stays the same, the e-vignette automatically applies to the new vehicle. The vignette sticker may only be transferred together with the vehicle (Art. 7(3) NSAG).
• New number plate: The e-vignette can only be transferred if the vehicle and keeper stay the same. A new number plate does not affect the vignette sticker.
• Interchangeable plates: With a Swiss interchangeable plate, one e-vignette is enough for all vehicles lawfully registered with it (Art. 7a(2) NSAG). With stickers, each vehicle needs its own.
• New windscreen: This does not affect the e-vignette. With a vignette sticker, you need a new one after the windscreen has been replaced (FOCBS Regulation R 15-01, section 7.4).