Exchanging a foreign driving licence in Switzerland

You can drive in Switzerland on your foreign licence for 12 months after you move here. Before that time runs out, you swap it for a Swiss licence at the road traffic office (Strassenverkehrsamt) of the canton where you live. Licences from EU and EFTA countries and the UK are exchanged without any test. Licences from 14 other countries, such as the USA, Canada and Japan, need no control drive for a car. Everyone else takes one control drive (Kontrollfahrt) with a traffic expert.

When the 12 months start

The rule is in Art. 42 of the Swiss traffic admission ordinance (VZV): you need a Swiss licence once you have lived in Switzerland for 12 months without spending more than three months in a row abroad. The cantonal offices in Zürich, Aargau and Zug count the 12 months from your date of entry.

Start early. Zug recommends beginning the exchange about nine months after you arrive, and Aargau wants your application at least one month before the 12 months are up.

Professional drivers have less time. If your licence is not from an EU or EFTA country and you drive Swiss-registered trucks or buses (categories C, C1, D, D1) or carry passengers for a living, you need the Swiss licence before your first working trip.

Do you need a control drive?

The country that issued your licence decides. As of 2026, the federal roads office ASTRA and the cantons use these groups:

Licence issued in	Control drive	Extra theory test
EU and EFTA countries, UK	No	No
Andorra, Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, Monaco, Morocco, New Zealand, San Marino, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan (categories A1 and B only), Tunisia, USA	No	Only for trucks, buses (C, C1, D, D1) and professional passenger transport
All other countries	Yes	Also for the professional categories

What you should know about the control drive:

• It is similar to a driving test. You show that you know the Swiss traffic rules and drive safely. In Aargau, manoeuvring and an emergency stop are part of it.
• You get one attempt. If you fail, or miss the appointment without an excuse, it counts as failed. Your foreign licence is then no longer recognised in Switzerland, and you start the Swiss route from scratch: theory test, learner’s licence, traffic course and driving test.
• You bring the car. Zug states it provides no test vehicle, and Zürich recommends preparing with a driving school and using its car.
• The drive is taken in a vehicle of the highest category on your licence. If your licence includes trucks or buses and you only need a car, you can give up those categories on the form.
• In Zug, holders from the second group who exchange more than five years after moving here must do a control drive unless they can prove driving practice.

One try only. A failed control drive cannot be repeated. Book one or two lessons with a Swiss driving instructor first, even if you have driven for years.

Documents you need

• The application form of your canton (Gesuch um Umtausch eines ausländischen Führerausweises).
• An eye test by a Swiss optician or doctor, filled in on the form. In Zürich it is valid for 24 months. ch.ch puts the cost at about CHF 10 to 15.
• A recent passport photo in colour (35 x 45 mm). Zürich does not accept scanned or home-printed photos.
• Your residence permit: the original in Zürich and Zug, a copy in Aargau.
• Your original foreign licence, still valid. An expired licence cannot be exchanged.
• A translation, if needed. Zürich asks for one from a consulate or embassy in Switzerland if the licence is not in Latin script. Aargau asks for one if it is not in German, French, Italian or English.

Costs and where to apply

Fees as listed by the cantonal road traffic offices for 2026:

Canton	Where to apply	Exchange fees	Control drive, category B
Zürich	In person at your municipality’s residents’ office or at a Strassenverkehrsamt office (e.g. Zürich-Albisgütli, Winterthur)	CHF 20 identity check, CHF 42 processing, CHF 50 conversion	CHF 134
Aargau	By post: Strassenverkehrsamt Aargau, Führerzulassung, Postfach, 5001 Aarau	CHF 20 application check, CHF 25 credit-card licence	CHF 125 (listed as practical driving test)
Zug	In person, no appointment: Hinterbergstrasse 41, Steinhausen	CHF 75 processing, CHF 30 credit-card licence	CHF 90

Add the eye test, the photo and any translation. Zürich’s identity check is only needed if you have never held a Swiss learner’s or driving licence. In Zug, a failed control drive costs another CHF 250 for withdrawing recognition of the foreign licence.

How long it takes

Without a control drive, Zürich posts your Swiss licence within 10 to 14 working days. With a control drive, the office invites you once your application is complete, so the total time depends on the next free appointment.

You hand in your original foreign licence with the application. Ask the office how you can drive until the Swiss licence arrives. Licences from EU and EFTA countries are sent back to the issuing authority afterwards. Zürich returns most other licences to their holders.

What happens if you miss the deadline

• After 12 months, you may not drive in Switzerland on your foreign licence until it has been exchanged.
• If you drive anyway, you can be fined (Art. 147 VZV).
• You can still exchange later, as long as your licence is valid. If it expires in the meantime, the exchange is no longer possible.

International driving permit

Your foreign licence counts in Switzerland for the categories that are shown on it clearly and in Latin script. If they are not, you need an international driving permit, carried together with your national licence. According to the FDFA, an official translation into German, French, Italian or English is the alternative, and your name must appear in Latin letters.

The permit is only a translation: it does not replace the exchange or extend the 12 months.

New drivers: probation and learner’s licences

You get a Swiss licence on probation if your foreign car or motorbike licence was issued on or after 1 December 2005 and was less than one year old when you moved here. The probation is three years minus the time between the issue date of your foreign licence and your 12-month deadline. Example: licence issued six months before you moved, so 18 months count, and 18 months of probation remain.

With a probationary licence you must attend a one-day further training course (WAB) within 12 months, or you risk a fine of up to CHF 300. ch.ch puts the course at CHF 340 to 510.

A foreign learner’s licence only lets you drive with an accompanying person who meets the Swiss requirements. For a Swiss licence you follow the regular route: first-aid course, theory test, learner’s licence, traffic course and practical test.

Step-by-step checklist

1. Note your date of entry and the date 12 months later.
2. Check which country group your licence belongs to.
3. Download your canton’s application form.
4. Have the eye test done at an optician.
5. Get a passport photo and, if needed, a translation.
6. Submit everything: in person in Zürich or Zug, by post in Aargau.
7. If you need a control drive, practise with a driving instructor and arrange a car.
8. Receive your Swiss licence. If it is on probation, book the WAB course.

Renting a car while you wait

During your first 12 months, a valid foreign licence and a passport or ID card are enough to rent a car through Kario. You do not need a Swiss residence permit or Swiss credit history. Cars are rented by the week or month, with insurance, motorway vignette, servicing and unlimited kilometres included, from CHF 690 a month for a small car. Delivery is available now in Zürich, Zug and Aargau.

In your request you say where your licence was issued and when you moved, so the rental partner can check with you that it covers the whole rental. Once the 12 months are over, you need your Swiss licence to keep driving. See monthly car rental in Zürich or send a request.