You need to declare it as a personal effects. You have to have permit to do that freely so there are two ways: either you declare it at the border and pay a deposit, then bring permit and your cars details to the nearest customs office and get the refund. Or, avoid declaring it at the border is possible (get the vignette before crossing the border), then apply for permit and declare your car once you get it. Third way - don't do anything but be aware that they can check you at the border... You can drive it for a year (or two?) and then you should register it with Swiss plates. And yes, you won't pay any duty providing that you OWN the car for more than 6 months on the day of declaration (or getting your permit).

Thanks Jakub, what do you mean by permit? you mean the good declaration? I am going to get the vignette before crossing yep.
To be honest I was thinking not to do anything and declare it later on, but not sure...

I've been driving a car here for a year now on UK plates...I have no intention of putting Swiss plates on it...it's driven rarely and I take it back to the UK couple times a year....I have both a Swiss licence and a UK licence....easy as the checks are almost non existent...even when stopped at the border....just play the tourist card.

many years ago, I had an interview with the customs guys about my UK car that had been in the country 18 months. They were fine about the lack of paperwork on entry but I had two choices....import or remove. I removed.

and I would be 99.9% sure that a neighbour grassed me up to them.

Work permit. And have a declaration form filled 18.44 just in case. I prefered to be clean with the law but it is your choice. And it is legal to declare later after you settle in and have the permit and permanent address in Switzerland. Which border crossing are you going to use?

This comment is related to importing a NEW car into CH and not your personal car that you have had for some time.

As of November 1. 2014 the vehicle must be equipped with an automatic tire pressure reading system.

Best bit of bad advice I have seen for a while. You are aware of the rules for driving of non Swiss plated cars for Swiss residents? Also the Strass' would normally return your UK license when you converted to a Swiss one, so unless you took the Swiss test separately, you should only have 1.

OP. They will sell you the vignette at the border so no worries there. Have all your import doc's ready, and you can do the import at the border if it's quiet then its done, or at the local Zoll (easier) closest to where you live, but that must be done fairly quickly after you arrived. I did it after 4 days and Zürich wanted to know why I waited so long lol, think it cost me CHF20. It's all pretty simple really.

For registering the car, yep headlight, maybe reversing/fog lights if you only have 1 of each light, engine clean, mechanically sound and your set. My car was a year old and I just took it to the Renault garage and they did the MFK (stricter version of MoT) prep and it sailed through so no worries there either.

TBH though, if it's rhd it will be a bit of a pain living with it here, ticket machines at car parks on the wrong side, joining motorway & overtaking visibility issues etc, so I would run it as long as it's taxed, M.o.Ted and insured (as it must be road legal as if it were in the UK) and when one of those is running out take it back and keep it there or sell it.

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How do you know if a Frenchman has been in your garden.... your rubbish is gone, your dog is pregnant.... but at least your cabbages are pest free

That is definitely the downside of a rhd car....although with tolls in France I have a tag so no longer a problem...the car is UK legal and registered to my house in the UK...apparently if you take it back to the UK a couple times a year....it doesn't need to be registered here...I don't know if that's true, its what I've been told. I've only been stopped once at the border in a UK registered car and that was my last company car, they asked if I had anything to declare ( the car was rammed full) I said no, I was just moving stuff from my UK home to my one in CH.....they just waved me through. :-)

I have a question. What happens if you import the car you owned for more than 6 months as personal belongings during the move but sell it right after without even registering? Because it says you have to have owned it at least 6 months before, and continue to use it, but it doesn't state for how long or if you can't sell it for a certain amount of time.

If you sell during the first 6 months after importation you will have to pay the import tariff in full as it is assumed that you are not importing for personal use but for selling. After the 6 months pass you're good to go without any additional obligations.

Hi everyone,

Happy new year!

I've got a slightly different issue, and wanted to check if any of you would have some useful information to share.

Situation: I've got two cars, but only one license plate as I am not driving both at once, and hence saving on my insurance.

I want to sell one of the cars to a family member who lives in Finland (EU). said family member is willing to pick the car up here and drive it back up, but for this, license plates of some sort are needed. Mine cannot be used as I need them myself for my other car.

Does anyone have any experience of such a case or information they would be willing to share on the topic, I would be very thankful indeed

Best regards!

M

export plates?

Has family member asked the relevant authority in Finland for info....don't know why I am thinking that would be a sensible place to start if ultimately the car will need to be registered there

Thanks guys for your thoughts!

export plates certainly, but I wanted to check whether someone would have had first hand info readily available. where to get them, which documents are needed etc., but I will take to the swiss websites and a translator

All the best!

M

temporary plates which are ££££ or you have to park 1 car in a private area for some days and they post the plates back to you.

Just get it it's own insurance and plate.

Tom

Export plates - valid for up to 35 days

Zurich for example

You'll need your licence, the car papers and your passport. The car is still registered in your name until you send the papers/plates back.

I know people who have bought old MFK due cars, driven them to the Stans on export plates, sold them and flown back.

good link from dodgyken.

do not forget to get insurance for the car on the export plates!

Thanks a lot for the link dodgyken. I'm in Zurich, so should be just fine. If I understand the webpage correctly, those plates will not need to be sent back. I'm wondering whether I actually have to be in the car when it crosses the border... I will find out and post back here, in case anyone else has a similar situation in the future.

Insurance is included in the plates - that is the point of them!