I was stopped by the Police when driving outside Zurich for a random check.

They asked to see my documents when I produced my EU drivers licence they told me that as I had been in the country for longer than a year I should have swapped it to a Swiss one. They then proceeded to caution me with my rights and ask me a number questions. They then told me they would submit a report to the local Police station and that I will hear forthwith.

To compound matters it was only after the Police let me go did I realize that the car I had was still registered at my old address and I have not changed the details and therefore the address the Police have taken from the document is incorrect and they didnt check my resident permit to get the correct address.

To cut a long story short Im about 6 mths over the 1yr limit to exchange my licence. I know I should have known about this and it is my fault but unfortunately there is nothing I can do now. What I need to know is what is the most likely thing that is going to happen to me? Will I be taken to court or will I be fined, and if so how much fine would I be looking at ? Or would they look to suspend my licence? Or even ban me from getting a Swiss one.

Any input anyone with knowledge could provide to me on this matter would be greatly appreciated as Im really very scared at the moment about what could happen.

Step 1: get it converted. Apologise, say you misunderstood at the licencing office more info here: [Drivers licence] Conversion and questions
Step 2: get your car details updated in the same visit
Step 3: you may get a fine but they are unlikely to throw you in prison - so don't worry so much.

Thanks Lob, what sort of size fine am I looking at? Also are they income related?

I have a friend who is French and he didn't convert his French driver's licence until about after 18 months of living in Zurich. There was absolutely no problem in converting his French driver's licence into a Swiss one - the authorities did not ask him why it took him over 1 year to do so. Having said that, he didn't drive a car in Switzerland during this time, and nor did he own a car. Hence, if the authorities did question him at the time of applying for a Swiss driver's licence, I doubt there would have been an issue.

Given that you own a car, and have been driving without a Swiss driver's licence for 6 months, the authorities might take issue with that. I doubt that you will be banned from obtaining a Swiss driver's licence. Though, there's a good chance you will be fined. I recommend you apply for a Swiss driver's licence right away to demonstrate that you are doing your best to comply with local laws as soon as it was brought to your attention.

I would say it's not income-related but the worst case is that you must take the test again when you swap the licence over. As it's EU, you could've done it with no hassle before this problem arose.

You still have the licence in your possession?

For the change of address - is your post being forwarded? Get the car papers sorted ASAP before you bring more problems your way.

When i first came here i tried to move my licence to a swiss one from UK, but Canton Zurich would not change it because then i was on a L permit...
I think the 12 month rule is a bit flexable. But over all its best to have a swiss one, as from memory the car insurance was a little cheeper once i got one,( on my swisscar )

t

there you go - if you did not get a B immediately then you may have a get-out-of-jail card called an L permit.....

Thanks for the info, unfortunately although I did have a L Permit I dont think I can use that escuse as the Police asked me if I was aware that I needed to exchange my licence within a year and I told them I didnt know that. So dont think I can now say i didnt as I only had an L permit.... But thanks for the suggestion all much appreciated.

You did have an L permit? For how long?

You could plead ignorant if necessary and suggest you thought it was one year from a permit of (semi-)permanent residency. If you're polite and ignorant, you might be lucky.

I had the L permit for the usual 1 yr then then switched me to a B in August 2007.... So maybe can try the ignorance route on that.

Also when you say fine non income related? What would that possibly mean 200 chf ? 2000 chf? As I have heard stories of motoristd getting fined like 10000 chf for stuff

well try and change it and just say, you tried with the first year, but as you were only a L, as the "lady" at the police station told me they would not change it..... "well that is what you understood"

T

were you polite during this encounter? This will play a role in how it pans out.

Humble pie all the way and do what's been suggested on this thread and you should be ok.

My girlfriend (UK national) didn't change her license until she was stopped at the border - 3 years or so after she arrived in Switzerland. It was a few years ago now. Get it converted asap, nothing happened to her, other than the fact she had a lecture in German, which she didn't understand! Just be polite.

totally agree, just smile a lot and say lots of sorrys.....

I was so polite I even shook both the policemens hands which I think surprised them. But they did say he would submit a report to the station and implied it wasnt there decision what further action is taken.....
I dont really get the Swiss system how and who this relates to.
But the funny thing is they didnt tell me to go and get my licence changed over immediately or try and confiscate it... Its all very weird thats why I didnt have a clue if they are going to hit me hard and prosecute me or whether I was just going to get a rap on the knuckles or just the usual lets use this as an excuse to get some more money for the local Kanton with a fine.

As far as I can see, you may have an administrative violation, not traffic, therefore I cannot imagine a fine higher than CHF200, but more likely just the set fees for issuing the Swiss license, CHF 42.- and CHF15 for changing your address in the car registration.

As already said, the best is to go to the Strassenverhrsamt, hat in hand, tell them exaclty what happened and ask them to help you. I have never had any problems, even with the gruffiest bureaucrat or police as long as I was friendly, respectful, contrite as necessary and patient.

It may not quite go down like this, but whatever happens, don't lose your cool.

Go here: http://www.stva.zh.ch/internet/ds/st...o/stao_zh.html

I am in Zurich for 23 months on a B permit and just got my Swiss license today in the mail. I went to the Strassenverkehrsamt on Wednesday and it took only two days to get the new Swiss license and my CA license returned. I have to say I love the efficiency of CH sometimes!!

They did not ask any questions or make any comments about the amount of time passed. I was in and out in less than 10 minutes. I am not at all sure about this, but someone told me that while my CA license was only valid for 1 yr to drive with, I could have 2 years to apply for a Swiss one. Again, I do not know this for a fact, but my experience seems to support the conclusion.

They were very friendly in the Strassenverkehrsamt and the service person spoke excellent English. Maybe I am lucky, but I never seem to experience the customer service problems that I see in "Complaints Corner." :-))

Good luck,

fduvall

Yes, be sincere and very polite, and you will probably get off lightly. But I am not sure about the address problem, I hope they do not interpret that as if you were withholding the true one, which is a real problem potentially.

I swapped my licence after 6 months on an L permit.
Many EU folk were stitched up with "L"s because of the quota... whihc no longer exist...

My first post on this forum comes with an answer to the author of this thread.

A colleage of mine from my unviversity in Switzerland had the same situation. She had been living in Switzerland for more than 1 year, and recently drove her car from Bulgaria with Bulgarian plates on, and been driving it in Switzerland with a driver's license from Bulgaria. When she was stopped by the Kontrole / Random police checks, the police told her she has been living in Switzerland with a B-Permit for over a year already, and had to obtain a Swiss drivers license in order to continue driving legaly in the country. She said she had not known about law, and the police said, its her responsibilty to check the law rules. Well later, nothing really happened, and she proceeded to change her license to a Swiss one, but was also sent a fine of 600 CHF because she was driving with foreign license, and been in Switzerland for over a year.

I had a situation myself, when I was stopped by controle, I showed them my UAE drivers license, then they asked for the international booklet as well, that time it was at my apartment, and forgot to carry it with me. They were so nice as to follow all the way to my house, and to my home lol. I showed the international driving booklet, and my B-Permit, and everthing was ok. The police officer advised me that in 2 months, I need to get a Swiss license, because I will have surpassed more than 1 year in the country.