You should use the EF/Google search function, as this is a recurring theme, and there should be several similar threads, which may contain an answer.

On vague recollection, I'm sure I've previously read that the process of changing a US licence to Swiss one has run smoother by having a confirmation of first licence date from DMV (US), even if not required - although I also seem to remember that Kanton Vaud may be a bit more "fussy", when it comes to correct paperwork.

I also believe this can be done on-line, with the relevant state DMV, with any required payment by c.c. Failing that - telephone.
But do have a search.

Hey, I did this just a few months ago. You can only do this in the first six months of your time in Switzerland, just so you can double check that.

You have to take an eye test first. You can take the eye test at any of the glasses shops such as Fielmann, Ammann's, etc. I would not go to an eye doctor for this, because the money and the time you will spend will be exactly 10 times more at the doc.

You mail in your eye test result, a form you fill out, and your US driver's license in to the Strassenverkehrsamt (equivalent of DMV) in your Kanton. It looks like you are in Vaud, so I guess they call it SomethingFrenchSpinachCan'tPronounce there.

Make a photocopy of your US driver's license and all the forms you send in, so that you have them while you wait for your Swiss license. Your new license will arrive along with a bill for 100Chuffs in 4-6 weeks.

What was your US driver's license dates? issue and expiry dates?

Hey, I don't remember the exact issue and expiration dates, sorry. I also don't have the US license on me. However, it wasn't my first license (since I moved states and renewed, etc.) and it had less than a year left before expiration.

For insurance purposes, we were only asked to declare where our international licenses were from and when they were first issued. We were not asked for documentation. My husband's first license is also not from Switzerland. We use Zurich Insurance. What it boils down to is asking directly. The specific insurance agent can make a difference.

I had the same issue as you. I had renewed my US (NJ) driver's license a few months before moving to CH, and you have to prove that you have been driving for a certain period of time.

I got my first DL in NM, and my family still lived there, so I had to order a fax of my driving records from NM and send it to my parents, who scanned it and sent it to me. Then I printed it out and gave it to the Strassenverkehrsamt, along with my current driver's license, the eye exam form, the other forms, and the hefty fee (for me was, I think, 100 CHF).

If you saved your first driver's license out of sentiment or hoarding impulse, then you just need to turn that driver's license in along with your current one. My wife saved her first DL and didn't have to go the convoluted route I did.

No, they have the date of issue of the current licence.

Actually it depends on the date of issue on your licence.
We had to deal with this just a few months back and the letter said that since the issue date is less than 6 months from our arrival date (we had already been here for 11 months) then you need to prove that you had a licence prior to this licence or go on probationary licence.
My hubby had his licence expire 3 months before we shifted over here so he had to renew it - we didn't get the chance to keep the old one. So we contacted the oldies to walk into the government department and get a letter (with official letterhead) stating the date he originally got his licence. They scanned this letter and I emailed it in.

I have a Dutch Driver's License. What would the procedure be in this case?

some more information:

My Dutch license was issued in April 2010 and I am non-EU citizen.

Fixed that for you. Everyone has ONE YEAR to switch to a Swiss license. However, they do caution that it can take a long time, so don't wait until the day before your anniversary... Here it is in black and white (and English thanks to Google translate!) directly from the Strassenverkehrsamt Zurich.

As for the eye test - thanks for the tip. No one else has mentioned this. Did others also need an eye test when switching from a US drivers license? Does this apply to everyone or only those who wear corrective lenses? Thanks in advance for your responses!!

On all EF threads, down at the bottom are listed similar threads.

Please note there are 4 other relevant threads, which will save you asking the same questions again and again.

Top right is a box "Search" try typing "Driving License" there, click on Search and see what you get!

60! Yes 60 relevant threads about driving license !!!

Funny you should suggest using the "Search" box...that's EXACTLY how I found this thread, which seems to be the most relevant to my situation given I have a US drivers license. Thanks for answering my questions!

Everyone has to have a vision and hearing test when switching licences. All you do is take the form you get from the vehicle office to an optician, they do the sight test with the usual letter board then whisper something from the back of the room to see if you hear it (not very hi-tech) which tests your hearing.

I'm going back a few years now so the process might have changed since then but I believe the rule still stands that you need to have your vision and hearing checked.

THANK YOU!! Just looked at the German form and saw the section where it describes what you say. Good to know ahead of time!!

For anyone reading this thread who needs the form, you don't have to go to the vehicle office first, you can print it out here.

Happy license switching everyone!

I have had a license since I was 15, as that was the age wheeee I grew up when you could first get it (and, no, it was not a learner's permit). I've been licensed in 6 states since then.

I know that Switerland won't recognise any years of driving experience before 18, but how the heck do I get my current state to document my licensing history beyond their records? Would a letter from my US insurance company suffice? My relationship with them is longer than the State.

Yes, they do.

My Swiss license states that I have had my car and motorcycle licenses since my 16th birthday!

Tom

When did they start that?

It wasn't the case when I got mine back in 1986.

Tom

.... pardon? .... what? .... who said that?

Not sure if the insurance docs will work, but every state should have records for every driver (dates of issue of DL, violations, etc.) so you should just go to the state that issued you your DL and get this record. You might have to do a few gymnastics with some friends back home to get the record (like I did), though, or get a DMV official to help you out (good luck with that). If you want to know if the insurance docs work, the best thing to do is go to the Strassenverkehrsamt and ask them yourself.

You may not need to get it from the state that issued it, however. I think they just want to know that you have been driving for a certain period of time, like, say, 5 years. In that case, you'd just have to get a copy of your DL or driving record showing you were issued the license prior to this date. Again, though, I'd double check with the Strassenverkehrsamt beforehand.

How do deaf people pass it?

They do drive cars and ride motorcycles (we've a guy at work).

Tom

Well, I changed my licence over in 2001 so I guess sometime between 1986 and 2001.