They learn the universally accepted sign language of all road users.

would like to share my experience - had to exchange the license by passing the exam, canton FR, total costs around CHF500
in the end of the 1st year filed the papers (they also requested the notarised translation of my driving license which was partly in French (sic!), I was told that in GE they don't request it)
then took a couple of lessons with a driving instructor - the driving instructor normally says before the exam to the examiner how good you are so it's quite important that he is convinced that you're good enough to drive on the Swiss roads
it is possible to pass the exam in French, German, or "with gestures" (when the examiner shows with his hands "left", "right" etc.), it is not possible to bring the interpreter (at least in this canton)
i asked my examiner to say in English "left", "right" and to show with the hands as well, which he did and all went well
my overall impression is that if you drive well enough already, if you have experience of driving on the Swiss roads and your instructor is convinced that you're good, you're very likely to pass
the last but not least - the latest "fashion" in driving exams is that you have to twist your head round all the time to check the "blind spots", i mean - twist it round! even if there isn't a single soul on the roundabout....

I went today to Albisgütli thinking I had everything, but then they asked for a letter stating the day we arrived in Switzerland. So my husband and I just have to go to our gemeinde, get a letter stating our arrival and then we will be set. Just thought I'd share that tid-bit.

List of what to bring:
1. Auslanderausweis (Permit)
2. Completed and signed application
3. Vision test signed by an optician (on application)
4. Passport photo (or machine on-site)
5. Letter from Gemeinde stating arrival date in Switzerland
6. US Drivers License

Best wishes

• Handed in my US license with NO issue date on it
• License application + personal photo + copy of residence permit + 20 CHF (handed those at kreisburo)

2 days later:

• Received my Swiss driving license, valid for 14 months from now
• Received my US license with a red sticker "NOT VALID IN SWISS"

In this thread, some said I need to take a driving test by the expiry date of my license to get a life-time one.. Others said I need to take that 2-days course for ~500 CHF and thats it, I get my license.. Which one is the case I shall follow?

Another question. I have en Egyptian license (isn't treated as the US in the conversion process), thats valid since 2003.. Can it be of any help here?

Tranfer your license within a year of your arrival in CH. PM me and I will send you the translated document from the Strassenverkehrsamt for the process you have to follow.

I have read all the threads but specific question unanswered;

- Conversion UK licence to Swiss licence in Geneva:

Filled in the form, did the eye test, all OK. In small print (I guess to test your eye sight once more!), I see the "one day first aid course certificate" ("Attestation du cours premiers secours aux blesses") as one of the documents to provide. The wording is slightly ambiguous (i.e "Annexes, svp cochez ce qui convient" = tick what applies, yet nothing is ticked in the whole list), could be optional but I'm not sure, This requirement does not appear anywhere on the "Office cantonal des automobiles" website. Has anyone living in Geneva gone through the process recently and if yes, was this first aid course and certificate a requirement indeed?

Thanks for your help.

Hi there, new member here.

I browsed through this thread looking for an answer to my question but didn't see anything described that is similar to my situation.

I have a USA Instruction Permit (not a full license, it's the one where you can drive a car as long as someone is in the front seat next to you) that expired in September of 2007. I got it in 2006 before I moved to Switzerland but never got around to completing the driver's test in the US.

My question is, is an expired learner's permit worth anything here? I know how to drive a car, I did my time in driver's ed and paid for it all already in the US, etc. Can I exchange it for some type of swiss learner's permit/temporary license or do I really have to start all over again from scratch?

Provisional or learners licenses are worth nothing and cannot be exchanged.

You have to start from scratch - first aid course, theory test, practical test.

OK, sucks but that's what I figured the case would be. Thanks for the prompt answer though, you just saved me a trip to the Strassenverkehrsamt to go ask!

What happens to your licence when you deregister ? Is it still valid for a certain time after your leave Switzerland?
I don't see an expiration date on mine, but does that apply only if you are still living in Switzerland?

I have US driving license. Where do I turn it in for the Swiss one?

Any changes as of 2011? I know that it costs 100 Sfr + eye exam.

Anybody did this recently?

OK, first of all you can't do it if you've been here too long already (think the cutoff is two years. edit: no, it's one year, see below) Assuming that's not the case:

• Have the eye exam first (any optometrist in your canton can do it, and will probably have the form on hand already. Saves you a trip.)
• Get a passport photo (e.g. from one of the instant machines you find in train stations.)
• Go to the cantonal driver's license bureau. (Yours is apparently in Füllinsdorf.) Tell them what you want to do, fill out the forms they give you, hand them back.

That's it. You will get your license in the mail in a few days, along with a bill for CHF100.

Oh, be sure and tell them you need to keep the US license, otherwise they will dispose of it for you.

EDIT: If your US license has been recently renewed (i.e. since you've been resident in Switzerland), you might run into trouble. They want proof that you had a valid US driver's license as of the date you moved here. If you still have your old US licence kicking around, take that - otherwise you will have to order the records from your home state.

edit: no, it's one year. You can keep driving for up to 2 years on a foreign license, but if you want to exchange the foreign license for a Swiss one, that has to be done within one year.

I have a question regarding this topic.

I have been in Switzerland "officially" for 7 months now. I just applied to transfer my drivers license from US to Switzerland and I had just received a new DL right before i came here. After I applied they asked if i had an old drivers license to prove that i have had a license for over 1 year, which thankfully i did, but it was only issued only in 2009. The truth is i have had a drivers license for 8 years now (since i was 16). They have told me that i need to make a "controlled" driving test with a driving instructor just to make sure i am capable of driving. I'm not sure why this is considering i hear a lot of people on here have no problems just applying and getting the license with no test whatsoever.

My questions are-
Is this new? i haven't herd of this from other EF members...
IF i took the test in an automatic car would i only be allowed a license to drive an automatic car?
Is there a way to get around this, like if i called DMV in the states and asked for a driving record stating that i have had my license for 8+ years.

I am applying for a license in Canton Zurich.

Nope, they haven't changed the rules. US license holders do not have to do a test drive, if they apply within one year after entering Switzerland. (Source: the "Merkblatt" PDF on this page)

Yes, that's what I had to do (also in canton Zurich.)


EDIT: Just saw your introduction post - so you've been here since 2008 actually, but on various kinds of permits? That might complicate things for you.

How long is new Swiss driving license valid for? Also, do they return the US license? Thank you

I know I might be a little late but I'll give it a shot nevertheless. Err it just occurred to me to go exchange it now.

Cheers mathnut

1) Normally a Swiss license is valid for life.
2) They don't automatically return the US license but they will if you ask them.

(I could swear we've had these questions before)

I'm an Australian with a NSW drivers license (RTA) and I'm currently living in Basel. I just went to get my license exchanged but they had a problem with the fact that there is no date of issue on it. Apparently they need an official statement of the date when I passed my driving test and became eligible to drive in Australia (some time in 2002). I'm going to contact the RTA and see if they can generate some kind of official document for me. Are there any other New South Wales people who have had to deal with the same situation? If so what did you do?

Should I create a separate thread for this?

Thanks. Quite strange you needed to bring such a letter. I mean, the permit states the exact arrival date already.