Hi,

Just wondering how difficult it is to get Swiss Driving license if I have US drivers license which is expiring in September of this year. Do I have to take any driving test or written test?

Can somebody please guide me here?

Thanks a lot!

Regards,
peyyetir

Converting your US license to a Swiss one has been answered many times here. Three of such threads are here, here and here.

Have you looked at this sticky ?

Some other threads appear below this page: see Similar Threads

I think this is a little different as the op is an Indian citizen and the expiry of the US license is only a few weeks away. In this situation, going on anecdotal evidence, the license might not be accepted for conversion.

@op - get yourself down to the vehicle office asap and ask - otherwise you might be in for a nasty shock.

There is nothing in the Swiss law or regulations that say the foreign licence needs to have any relationship to your nationality. http://www.admin.ch/ch/f/rs/741_51/a44.html

However, the foreign licence should be currently valid. It seems to me that some other countries consider whether the foreign licence is susceptible to renewal, but that is not the case here AFAIK.

With very few exceptions (viz: Florida, for snowbird Canadians) nearly all US states require proof of citizenship or legal immigration status for issuance or renewal of a licence.

Unlike EU countries (again AFAIK) Switzerland does not require you to reside in country for six months prior to issuing a local licence.

You will almost certainly have to take a theory exam but not a practical (road) test.

Although it will not appear on the credit card format licence you receive, other countries' driver licence authorities will be able to ascertain quickly that your Swiss licence was issued in exchange for a US one. That means that the Swiss one itself cannot be exchanged for that of a (EU) country that would not have granted you a licence on the basis of your US one. (This issue has been before the European Commission by way of EP petition at least twice and is now settled law.)

Thank you all. I will try to go to the vehicle office this week to find out exact conversion details. BTW, is there any english handbook which tells us all the local rules (something as softcopy which can be downloaded off the internet?)

Thanks!
Peyyetir

I think this is the other way round - if the license can be exchanged then the op may have to take a short road test but not the first aid nor the theory test - although with a US license even the short road test shouldn't be necessary.

You can do a straight swap.

I gave up my US license even though my nationality is not US and got a Swiss in the post two days later. I wanted to keep my EU license at the time and there was no issues with giving up the US one for a Swiss one.

The nice bonus was that they gave me the US one back.

Unless I know absolutely, positively from my own experience I look things up before posting. I should have included the link, sorry: http://www.vd.ch/fr/themes/mobilite/...vec-la-suisse/ ("Les titulaires de permis de conduire étrangers ne sont dispensés que de la course de contrôle, selon l'article 44 de l'Ordonnance réglant l'admission des personnes et des véhicules à la circulation routière (OAC), s'ils proviennent de ...")

I think that the EU-speak English translation for "course de contrôle" is "practical test" and the US equivalent is "road test".

There are some particular notices on *.admin.ch pages regarding reciprocal arrangements with some US states (Louisiana comes to mind). (US states are not bound by federal treaties in many sovereign matters, including taxes and most licensing.) Having a licence from one of those states might make a difference; I'm too slothful to search for the answer, especially as the OP didn't specify the US state involved.

My wife exchanged a US licence years ago for a Swiss one without any test save a vision exam, but she was a diplomat and for them they take any licence at all. The trickier DVLA in the UK issued her just a 3-year non-renewable (except subject to continuation of status) licence.

Gets even more interesting - asking around the office no US citizen has been required to take any test except the eye test and all Indian citizens have been required to take a very short practical test, even a guy who had a UK license .

I am also in the process of trying to swap my US NJ drivers license to a Swiss one while NOT being a US citizen.

This link pretty clearly states that the holder must be a citizen of the country that has an agreement with Switzerland:
http://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home/...eh/manve6.html

Relevant text under the "Those who are not exempt" section.

ARGH!