Published on 19 January 2026
Driving licence and vehicle
A valid national driving licence is required to drive a car in Switzerland or abroad. When you relocate your residence abroad or to Switzerland, it is necessary to exchange your driving licence. Swiss vehicle registration documents and number plates must be returned on arrival at the new domicile abroad.
If you are a Swiss national and are planning to relocate abroad or if you are already living abroad and have questions regarding your Swiss driving licence, your vehicle registration documents and your Swiss number plates, you will find information here on whether you can drive abroad with your Swiss driving licence and for how long. Information is also available on the conditions under which you may drive in Switzerland with a foreign licence.
If you have a Swiss driving licence and are relocating abroad you must notify the road traffic office of your departure (Art. 26(2) of the Road Traffic Authorisation Ordinance [RTAO; SR 741.51]). Usually, the Swiss driving licence will need to be replaced with the equivalent national document abroad.
If the concerned road traffic office is not informed of a relocation of residence abroad and the address in Switzerland is consequently considered unknown, notifications for any mandatory medical tests will generally be published in the official gazette. If there is no response to the notification and the required medical certificate is not submitted by the deadline, the road traffic office will proceed to revoke the driving licence by publishing a notice in the official gazette and issuing an alert in the computerised police search system (RIPOL).
Please inform the cantonal road traffic office of your relocation abroad: Association of Road Traffic Offices ASA (German, French, Italian)
The requirements for obtaining a local driving licence are governed by the national legislation of your country of residence. Most countries allow holders of Swiss driving licences to use these for up to one year after arrival. Some countries, however, require a local driving licence to be obtained within three months. The procedures and requirements for obtaining a foreign driving licence differ from country to country.
Please contact the relevant local authorities in good time, comply with any laws and instructions and exchange your Swiss driving licence within the stipulated time period. Should you fail to do so, you will probably have to pass a driving test.
Should you require a translation of your Swiss driving licence in the form of a certificate, for example to exchange your Swiss licence for a local driving licence, you can either:
- Contact the Swiss representation responsible for your place of residence abroad and present a valid identity document along with your original Swiss driving licence. Information about certification fees is available on this site:
Various fees: Attestation or certificate per document - Contact the representation of the concerned country (embassy or consulate) in Switzerland to enquire what steps you need to take for a Swiss translation to be recognised in that country.
The translation of a driving licence in the form of a certificate is valid only when presented along with the original licence.
- Contact the Swiss representation responsible for your place of residence abroad and present a valid identity document along with your original Swiss driving licence. Information about certification fees is available on this site:
If you reside abroad and have lost your Swiss driving licence: you will generally receive only a certificate stating the category of vehicle for which your Swiss licence was valid (provided this information is still available in the records of the concerned cantonal road traffic office). Please contact the cantonal authority where you obtained your Swiss driving licence (where you passed your driving test).
You may also try submitting the following documents to the competent local road transport authority in your country of residence abroad to apply for a local driving licence, although this is merely a suggestion:
- Certificate stating the categories of vehicles for which your Swiss driving licence was valid
- Confirmation letter from the concerned cantonal road traffic office that Swiss law does not permit issue of a duplicate Swiss driving licence if the holder is residing abroad and has no address in Switzerland.
- A police report on the loss of the driving licence issued by the local police where the loss occurred
Documents issued by Swiss authorities will generally need to be legalised before they can be submitted to a foreign authority. You will find more information on this procedure under the link to ‘Legalisation’.
If you leave Switzerland with your car to take up residence abroad you must return your Swiss number plates (licence plates) and the vehicle registration documents to the road traffic office of your previous place of residence in Switzerland immediately on arrival. You may also submit these to the Swiss representation responsible for your new place of residence abroad.
You must apply directly to the competent authorities abroad for local vehicle registration documents and number plates.
Drivers from other countries may drive motor vehicles in Switzerland provided they hold:
- a valid national driving licence, or
- a valid international driving permit (issued under the International Convention relative to Motor Traffic [SR 0.741.11] or the Convention on Road Traffic [SR 0.741.10] and can produce this along with the corresponding national driving licence.
A national or international driving licence issued by a foreign country entitles the holders to drive all categories of vehicles in Switzerland for which the licence was issued.
If no international driving permit (which serves as a translation) can be presented along with the original driving licence, the driver must carry a translation of the national driving licence. The translation may be into French, German, Italian or English, however it must be issued by an official body (for example, the national authority competent for issuing national driving licences, a notary or an officially approved local translator).
The holder's first name and surname must appear in Roman script both on the international driving permit and the translation, which will allow the police to identify the person from an identity document recognised in Switzerland.
The following must obtain a Swiss driving licence:
- Foreign drivers who have been living in Switzerland for over 12 months and have not stayed abroad for longer than three consecutive months during this period.
- Professional drivers of motor vehicles registered in Switzerland that require a category C or D driving licence, a sub-category C1 or D1 licence, or an authorisation as defined under Art. 25 of the Road Traffic Authorisation Ordinance (RTAO; SR 741.51).
Please contact the road traffic office responsible for your place of residence in Switzerland about the requirements for exchanging your foreign driving licence for a Swiss driving licence. A list of all cantonal road traffic offices can be found on the website of the Association of Road Traffic Offices (ASA).
Association of Road Traffic Offices ASA (German, French, Italian)
The website of the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (FOCBS) contains information about exporting motor vehicles from Switzerland and importing vehicles to Switzerland
Before you travel, it is recommended that you ask your travel agent, the authorities in the destination country or its representation in Switzerland (embassy or consulate) about the requirements for driving a motor vehicle in that country on a Swiss driving licence. The local authorities in the destination country may require a translation of your Swiss driving licence in the local language.
The cantonal road traffic office at your place of residence in Switzerland is responsible for:
- Issuing Swiss driving licences, and
- Issuing duplicate driving licences
If you lose your licence you should contact the relevant road transport office and enquire about the requirements for issuing a duplicate licence. The following documents are normally required:
- An application form for a duplicate driving licence and to report the loss or theft of the original licence, duly completed and signed
- A recent colour passport photo (35x45mm)
- An official identity document (original).
The time taken to issue duplicate licences varies in different cantons.
If the lost licence is found, it must be returned to the competent authorities within 14 days (Road Traffic Authorisation Ordinance [RTAO; SR 741.51]).
A list of all cantonal road traffic offices can be found on the website of the Association of Road Traffic Offices (ASA).
Association of Road Traffic Offices ASA (German, French, Italian)
An international driving license is required to rent and drive a vehicle. This is only valid together with your national driving license and can be obtained from the Road Traffic Office in your canton of residence.
The international driving license is valid for 3 months. When taking up residence, the Thai driving license must be exchanged or acquired.
The following authority is responsible for issuing Thai driving licenses:
The Department of Land Transport
1032 Phahonyothin Road
Opposite Chatuchak Park
Bangkok 10900
Tel: +66 2 271 8888
Call Center 1584Before they will issue a Thai driving license, the Thai authorities often require a translation of the Swiss driving license from the Regional Consular Centre. For this please send in your original Swiss driving license and pay the fees by postal money order* or cheque (payable to the Embassy of Switzerland) in accordance with currently applicable fees (confirmation & postal charges). The documents will be returned to you as quickly as possible.
*Procedure for Postal Money Order
Payment of fees at the post office addressed to:
Embassy of Switzerland
G.P.O. Box 821
Bangkok 10501
The receipt no. 1, issued by the post office, has to be sent to the same address.
Unfortunately the Regional Consular Centre cannot issue driving licences. The various cantonal road traffic authorities in Switzerland are responsible for issuing these documents to people with domicile in Switzerland. For questions related to the possibility of issuing a replacement Swiss driving licence, the Regional Consular Centre recommends consulting the website of the Federal Roads Office. Old Swiss driving licences will only be reissued, or new ones issued, if the holder is resident in Switzerland.
For Swiss citizens resident abroad it is not possible to apply for a Swiss driving licence at either the responsible Regional Consular Centre or at a cantonal road traffic office in Switzerland. If you should lose your Swiss driving licence in Thailand, you should go to the Department of Land Transport with a police report and ask to be issued with a Thai driving licence. It lies exclusively within the power of the Thai authorities to decide whether and on what conditions a Thai driving licence should be issued on the basis of a police report (possible new driving test, confirmation of the data contained in lost driving licence, etc.).
You can also try to get a confirmation of your Swiss driving licence from a cantonal road traffic office in Switzerland. You can then have this confirmation translated into Thai by a translation company, in accordance with separate list, and then have this translation notarized by us (fees in accordance with those currently applicable for a confirmation). It is possible that this type of document will be accepted by the Thai authorities as the basis for issuing a Thai driving licence.
According to the regulation for the license of the person and vehicle for road traffic (only German, French & Italian), the control examination by reliable doctors must be performed in certain cases. This obligation exists for the license holder, being older than 70 years old. If the medical reports have not been submitted, the driving license can be revoked. In order to avoid it, the Embassy would recommend all the persons who might be affected from this, to not only cancel the registration from the residents control office of your last residence, but also from the land transport office. For possible return to Switzerland, the new registration at both offices must be done as well.
Links
- Association of Road Traffic Offices ASA: addresses of road traffic offices (German, French, Italian)
- Road Traffic Authorisation Ordinance, RTAO; SR 741.51 (German, French, Italian)
- Convention on Road Traffic, SR 0.741.10 (German, French, Italian)
- International Convention relative to Motor Traffic, SR 0.741.11(German, French, Italian)