Well I was thinking to keep the car in an underground parking lot or maybe make a deal with a garage for two months so they can keep it for me.

But you make a good point on insurance..

What kind of registration are you referring to without plates, because I believe the procedure is:

1) Buy the car, get car's registration paper
2) Buy Insurance & Get papers proving you have the insurance
3a) Go to stva / service des automobiles, give them car's papers and insurance papers
[optional: wait for response, no idea how long this takes]
3b) Get plates and a new car paper which has your name on it.

Is there a way to register without insurance (and thus not get plates)?

If you plan to not drive the car (and park it on private property) you can stop at step 1.

Then once you plan to drive it, get insurance and plates.

Step 3a is instantaneous. If you do carry out past step one, you could drop the plates back and they'll keep them for one year. The only hassle is the back and forth cash flow with the road tax and insurance.

Thanks that's what I needed to confirm. What about proof of ownership; I believe the previous owner will go to the office and de-register so s/he will get his/her name removed from the "Fahrzeugausweis". Do I have to step in at that point and have it transfered to my name (without insurance and plates) or do I (can I) just get an empty Ausweis?

You get the previous owner's ausweis with a "Canceled" stamp on it. The ausweis is proof of ownership.

I am thinking about driving a car back to Finland, and leaving it there unregistered as a "farm vehicle".

1. What would be the cheapest way to do this? I would be buying the car from Switzerland and driving it to Finland. Should I register it normally and then just return the plates to CH or should I use some sort of export plates? I think the main question is, do I need some kind proof that the car was disposed of properly when I return the plates? I am living in Switzerland of course.

2. With a budget of 3000 Sfr what kind of car would you get? We currently run a Saab 900 from the 80's. Usage: pulling the boat trailer, field rally, driving on the frozen lake etc. I've been thinking of getting something classy, a large Mercedes or BMW. Leather interior is a must, I think.

Cheers,
Pekka

Export plates are far cheaper. They don't care what you do with the car, nor are you required to return the plates.

Car4you.ch is your friend.

Hi, as a newcomer to Zurich I've already managed to purchase a car which was duly registered to our temporary place and having now moved to a more permanent address 'who' do I need to inform of change of address? if anyone????

Well, who did you inform when you initially registered your car?

I didn't, the garage/insurance company did it all....I just got the paperwork

Well, you need to inform your insurance company and for your driving licence (assuming you are still in Kanton Zürich) you can do this online here:

http://www.stva.zh.ch/internet/ds/st...dressmeld.html

For the actual Typenschein or Fahrzeugausweis, you may need to also inform the Strassenvekehrsamt.

OK, so having looked thru various internet pages I've found the details of the Motor vehicle office in Zurich and will ring them.Thks

Hi, think I missed yr very helpful msg re: internet link! so thks again

We are getting our car this Wednesday and hope to go on a trip to Germany Friday.

Any special papers to bring? In Denmark, we had to get a special green form from the insurance company confirming that the insurance was valid outside Denmark, in a language that could be read outside Denmark. Anything similar here?

No but you will need your insurance documents if stopped and they can take a few days to come through. As long as you are with a mainstream insurance company it will be stamped valid for all EU countries with the possible exception of places that were the former Yugoslavia. My insurance, last time I looked had not been updated to remove these as high risk locations. For all EU 15 countries you will be covered.

I checked with my insurance company, and you should actually have the "green card" (yes!) when leaving the country the car is registred in. It seems to be a common European standard document (don't blame Brussels yet).

It does not cost anything, you just have to ask.

I don't think you would be in big trouble without, in particular not in the neighbouring countries - but I needed some document anyway and thought I might as well get the right one. And if it came to it, I would rather not have an argument with an official in a language I did not master about the validity of my insurance.

__________________
- Clarity of writing is usually preceded by clarity of thought.

With Zurich, at least, the insurance certificate IS the green card stamped, as Richard says, with all the countries where the minimum libiality cover as required by that country's law is provided.

Is there anything on the number plates that identifies a vehicle as a hire car?

Once when I was stopped by the police I started explaining that it was a hire car. "I know that" he said. That was before I handed over the vehicle documents .

On another occasion, in a different car, crossing the border back into Switzerland, I was asked "This is a hire car isn't it?" .

On neither occasion could I see anything identifying the car as a hire car, e.g. rental company logos and apart from obviously being 'out of area' the plates followed the standard format.

Are all plates in a given range, say VD50****, reserved for hire cars perhaps? Curious if anyone knows. Cheers.

__________________
"What was the rude word?" "Was it really? Good heavens, you frighten me to death." - Bill Grundy.

Most if not all the rental fleets are registered in AI for tax purposes.

As with other taxes, cantons compete for this business.
I've had an Avis car registered in AI.
However, the first of my e.g.s was in a Budget car with SH plates.
The second, a Europcar with VD plates.
Now, Vaud is a big place with lots of vehicles. I suspect it's a reserved number range for hire cars?

Thanks for this link.

Question though: is this link for informing change of address on driving licence or car registration (ie the plates)? Or something else?

Am slightly confused because the link is to the Strassenverkehrsamt (isnt it?) but then in the next line you say

I'm asking because I need to change the address on the car registration papers and exchange my non Swiss driving licence.