Hello everybody,
I moved to Zurich two years and two months ago, but I still have my car in Spain, because my wife didn't move definitely yet. The question is that at the beginning of next year, I'll drive to here with the car and I was considering to keep it in Zurich for a few months, but after that, drive again with it to Spain and leave it there. My question is: do you know if I should do anything or if it is allowed to do something like that without doing anything? If I can avoid it, I would prefer not to have to change the plates or register it here because officially it will stay in Spain (my wife will still use it there when it goes back).

In fact, I also have the same question for a motorcycle that I have in Spain. Both vehicles were acquired years before I moved here and for now, I want to keep them in Spain because I don't need them here. The question is that maybe only for summer I'll do something like with the car, which is bring it for three or four months and then send it back to Spain.

Not sure if I explained the situation very well. Maybe it would be more simple if I just ask something like: if I, that have moved to Zurich more than two years ago, bring any of my vehicles (that belong to me since more years) to Switzerland for having them only for a few months here and then return them back to Spain, will I have to do any kind of process, change, ...?

Many thanks in advance.

As a Swiss resident you can't drive a foreign registered vehicle in Switzerland. Your only possibility it to import it, however I suspect it will not be a tax free import.

Hi, thanks for the answer. I guessed that could be the situation. The problem is that importing it, I guess it will mean that, when the car is in Spain, my wife could not drive it because she is not Swiss resident yet (she still won't move to here because her work). I guess the best option will be to change the car name to my wife, so she can drive it in Spain but also here, in Switzerland.

Regarding the motorbike, I guess I'll have to import it.

Thanks

Put them both in your wife's name, and let her import them.

Tom

If the motorbike or car is in your wife’s name, you can drive as long as you are both present

The car will be here while she is also, so there should not be a problem. Regarding the motorbike, not sure, so as soon the summer season is arriving next year, I'll see what to do.
Thank you for your help

I really doubt this should be an issue. There are tons of foreign registered cars on the road. As long as your wife is driving it as a guest/tourist it should be fine.

Is there an 1 year grace period to drive a car with non- Swiss plates even if you are a new resident in CH?

Yes, however you need to declare it at customs

What happens in the hypothetical that he doesn't declare it when crossing the border?

Potentially fined 5 times the import fees for smuggling.

well that hurts