Not suggesting anything. I just reckon that, if you already have a vignette and two bikes on the back, you will blend in with all the other tourists travelling through to Italy. The customs people are mainly there to sell vignettes. But have the paperwork handy in case they do wave you in. And probably a good idea to come through on the motorway, and at a busy time of day. Friday at 5pm would be perfect.

PM me if you want me to send you a vignette.

You should have something for your headlights - unless they are Xenons and non-adjustable (and they don't blind left or right).

Vignette - in the UK, you can buy them at AA shops. Anything similar in Ireland?

And whilst you should declare your carload of belongings, it's unlikely to cause you any issues in a car. I did not declare when I arrived and nothing happened.....

Just be a tourist or moving to CH....it seems to work!.....another advantage for keeping UK plates where possible.

Somebody on this forum wrote, that if you don't declare, they have the right to impose a fine on you when they decide to check your status. And it is rather likely that they will as we are moving to work at the university....
Hmm we have AA in Ireland Good idea I will check it.

They won't. It's just personal belongings isn't it? So there would be nothing to declare anyway. Unless you're planning to bring large quantities of Irish beef.

Just about any petrol station within 5 miles of the border will sell them (as well as probably selling cheaper fuel, and no -you don't need to declare the contents of your tank!)

Just make sure that you have had all your belongings for longer than 6 months ( or at least tell them that)....so remove all new labels and packaging.

Hah! I should...100 franks for a sirloin steak....

Hopefully about the tank you were just sarcastic :P

Somebody told me, that if you arrive at the crossing without vignette, there will be separate lane for such cars and it will be less crowded - is that true?

It works like this (at least in Basel): as you approach the border, the traffic all slows down and drives single-file past a couple of bored-looking police. They only have eyes for the vignette on your windscreen. If you don't have one, they wave you off into a parking area where they make you toddle into a little office where you pay your CHF40. Then the police start asking questions about where you're going with a grumpy cat, two bikes and a load of dodgy-looking gear. If you do have a vignette, on the other hand, they will look straight past you to the windscreen of the car behind, while you drive through and then put your foot down.

It's as simple and quick as that - honest.

Strongly recommend getting the vignette in advance. If you've been driving at 130kmh for umpteen hours you won't want to start traipsing round petrol stations near the border in the hope of finding one. Madness.

Thanks Will do :]

Bringing UK car into CH, but no plan to keep it there

They say I should declare my car for temporary use. What is your experience in this matter?

Unfortunately, we had very bad experience with some blonde bit*h on the border. She was adamant that a letting agreement and a work contract in EPFL cannot be a proof that we want to stay in Switzerland, not just sell our car full of stuff :/ So she decided that it is no-go until we pay 500Fr of deposit to be reclaimed after we get our permits (i.e. after up to 2 months from yesterday) This didn't go so smooth as previously described in this post!

Fortunately, all the paper work has been done now and we are waiting for permits (we have attestation du domicile to temporary prove our residency but I doubt it will be enough to reclaim our deposit...).

Oh dear. Anyway, welcome to Switzerland.

Yeees The bureaucracy training begun ;>

I managed to string one out for 2 months by filling in the NIP forms wrong, and then when I sent the last form off, I signed it in the correct place, listed address as <full overseas address> effective from, and the people renting my property afterwards said they never got any letters and I never got one at the new address. So black holes do exist on Earth

I think you were pretty unlucky/excessively honest. When I came over from Ireland, via Les Roussse/La Cure, I didn't declare anything. No need for a vignette there either as you are nowhere near a motorway. So just pegged it through, with irish plates on, and then declared my car later with my personal belongings when we moved the furniture etc over. The extra 1k chf to swissify it was a pain in the ass, but i've been driving it here ever since, so a lot cheaper than buying a swiss car. Come to think of it, anyone want to buy a 2000 BMW 530d, RHD, 1 careful owner

Trust me, if you have seen our car you would stop us on the spot :P

Where did you get the emission test done?

I have a RHD Scooby so need a Noise test, and Emissions test as the car does not have a Certificate of Conformity ?

Infact is your garage able to help me get my car in

I dont have a garage and didnt use one to bring my car in. If car is part of your possessions when moving it doesnt need a COC but may save u a bit of time at the STVA during the registration inspection.

Noise test is done by ASTRA or DTC and costs a fortune. Emmisions is by any garage and is about 40-60chf max. You need the abgas document from a dealer first though.

I thought that if your car was more than 6months older you didnt have to pay any VAT or duty?
I am driving to Switzerland with my English car (and all my household in it). So should I declare it when I get to the border?
And then I have 12months to do the change of plates I think?