Hi there

Having recently moved to Switzerland, I called the UK embassy in Bern and the lady I spoke to said that I could drive here in Switzerland for one year using my UK license and after I would have to contact the local canton/council to exchange/transfer to a Swiss license.

Having said that, I have had my license since 1998 so not sure if there are any exceptions but I cannot see it being any different for you. The DVLA in the UK will (or at least they should) have records to back you up.

It is sometimes possible to exchange a US or other non-EU/EEA/Swiss licence for a Swiss cantonal one. I didn't do so when I could have, but the issue is irrelevant now. My wife did, and she still has an old-style grey-blue one which she will be required to exchange for our new canton once we are re-established in Switzerland.

She tried to exchange it for a UK one, but DVLA checked and found she had never taken a road test and so refused.

I had a French one, but never took a test for that either.

Recently I gave up, applied for a UK license and got it finally, passing the road test on the third try. This licence could be exchanged for a Swiss one which could be re-exchanged for any EU/EEA/Swiss one at any time.

Driving licences are one area where Switzerland has been drawn partially into EU law. Unlike an EU licence in an EU country however, you can't just keep and use your EU licence in Switzerland forever. I was told one month once establishing residence. (The period is longer for, say, a US licence).

The answers are all online but take quite some time to ferret out.

Probably been said before but when converting UK to Swiss you lose your 7.5ton classification on conversion, ie big van/ small lorry- bit of a pain, partic if you want to hire one in the UK to transport stuff across.

No you dont. But you do have to have a basic medical to keep it.

I believe you do, just checked the back of my Swiss one , circa 6 months old compared to my paper copy of the UK one and it has gorn, nicht, nada, the Swiss one only has 3.5t on it for class D1. Unless class D1E (with trailer) is 7.5t but does not have weight classification for this class.

Nope, like Swissbob said, you CAN keep all your UK categories about large trucks, minibuses and the like, but you need to tick the correct boxes on the form, have a medical and supply a Criminal Records check proof.

Hubby and I did exactly this earlier this year, and retained all our UK C/D categories along with the ones for cars and motorbikes. I did a big post about it further up this thread.

kodokan

The categories are exactly the same since 01.06.2002 as follows:

C1: vehicle 3.5t to 7.5t + up to a 750kg trailer if included
C1E: Trailer and vehicle can't be more than 12t combined and subject to trailer/vehicle weight comparable restrictions.

C: vehicle over 3.5t (no vehicle limit) again with 750kg trailer
CE: No limit on vehicle or trailer total limit subject to trailer/vehicle weight comparable restrictions.

If you had a car license issued in the UK before 10.09.2009 then you can qualify for C1E once you reach 18. You have 5 years to do CPC training to keep it.

If issued before 01.01.1997 this CPC requirement didn't apply.

You do however require a medical every five years to retain C and/or D categories/subcategories.

check asa.ch and dvla.gov.uk or dvlni.gov.uk for more info.

Yes provided it hasn't expired for more than 1 year.

This means your license can expire on the day you arrive and you still have a year to exchange it and for it to be recognized.

Remember having an L permit doesn't require you to exchange your license, only an EU-B/C permit or B/C permit does.

Of course if your license is expiring and you live here, you may apply for a CH one in order to continue to be able to drive especially in the case of an EU-L permit issued before quota restriction removal for the "newer" EU countries.

If you have a full proper UK licence then this can be transfered to a Swiss licence without having to take any driving test. The Swiss licensing authority will however will send your UK licence back to DVLA and it will be invalid by DVLA when you get your Swiss driving licence because under the EC treaty, you can only have one EC issued licence. If you ever go back to the UK, you can do the reverse again or better still apply for another UK licence with your Australian licence perhaps.

What about this "one year" thing? I've read if you've been here longer than that, you cant just exchange it. I've been here two years. Will I have to take the test?

I think I applied for my Swiss licence after two years and had no problems.
I don't recall there being a question on the Swiss Licence Application form asking when I became a resident of Switzerland. If that was the case, how would they know unless they investigated?

The form had to be notarized by the commune we live in - obviously they know the date we moved in, but I can't recall now if they wrote it on the form or not, sorry.

kodokan

Thanks for that, as I recall we could not be bothered with the medical etc, however if and when we do go back to Blighty, God forbid, then we still have paper copies of UK licence as we never handed those in.

That was our paranoia too - lose the categories now, lose them for ever, what with the change in the rules in the 90s.

Hope they write and remind me when the medical needs renewing after 5 years - anyone?

kodokan

That will not be a problem.
As long as you know your UK driving licence number you can always get confirmation form from DVLA of all the categories you have on your licence for a fee of about £15.
If you are older like me and can drive a 10 tonne ridgid lorry on your UK licence (I can't remeber the letters for it) and you want this on your Swiss licence, you will have to take a medical (about 50 to 100CHF) at an authorised official doctors to get this and I believe this medical has to be taken every five years in Switzerland.

kodokan and cashboy, thanks very much.

If it's an EU/EEA license and the test was made in an EU/EEA country you have 3 yrs (provided of course you haven't been driving after the end of the 1st year). You are also absolved from a CH Theory Test even if adding another category like motorbikes for 5 years from the pass date. (I have done this personally).

http://www.pom.be.ch/site/index/pom_...scheine-Anchor

Other non-EEA/EU countries have other rights/recognition.

Your uk license was cancelled as soon as you converted to the Swiss one so your paper license is, at best, worthless .

As mentioned by Cashboy though, it's all on the computer so no problem going back to your old categories in the UK.

Absolutely correct, although I have heard of some StrassenVerkehrsamt offices that just simply don't inform you about it (Zug is one depending on who serves you at the counter). So if you need to keep it, ask, they won't volunteer the info and will just assume you dont need it anymore if you don't ask.

They will also have a list of Doctors certified to give you the trucking medical, again, if you ask.