To use Swiss motorways, you must purchase an electronic e-vignette (e-vignette) before entering the toll-liable section.
Motorways and expressways may be used subject to payment of a toll, while main roads and secondary roads can be used free of charge. There is no grace section: the e-vignette must already be valid when crossing the border.
The toll obligation applies to vehicles with a maximum permissible laden mass below 3.5 tonnes, to both motor vehicles and trailers: for a trailer (trailer, caravan) a separate, dedicated e-vignette must be purchased, even if the towing vehicle already has an e-vignette.
* Vehicles over 3.5 tonnes do not purchase an e-vignette, but pay under the heavy vehicle charge scheme.
E-vignette types
The e-vignette is available for a single period only:
- Annual e-vignette – valid from 1 December of the year preceding the vignette year until 31 January of the following year, a total of 14 months. Shorter-term e-vignettes do not exist in Switzerland.
* The e-vignette is linked to the registration number and cannot be transferred to another vehicle.
The toll calculation is displayed by the system once the vehicle and journey details have been entered.
ℹ️ Online purchase and required data
Payment of the road use entitlement fee is made online. Registering the vehicle takes only a few minutes. The following data are required:
- Registration number
- Country of registration (nationality mark)
- E-mail address
- Mobile phone number
When placing the order, you must enter the vehicle's registration number and the country where the vehicle is registered, then select the start and duration of validity.
The system requires an e-mail address and a mobile phone number for contact purposes. The mobile phone number is required because the link to the certificate is also sent by SMS, thereby ensuring that the user receives the certificate even if the delivery of the e-mail is obstructed for any reason.
Upon successful payment, the system sends a receipt and a QR™ SMS code containing the vehicle's identification data and the validity period of the purchased entitlement.
⛔ Fines
The legislation sets out in detail the fines to be expected if someone enters a toll road without valid payment:
- In the case of road use without a valid e-vignette, the fine is CHF 200, in addition to which the e-vignette must also be purchased.
- The absence of a separate e-vignette for the trailer may also be sanctioned on its own, as the trailer is a vehicle subject to its own e-vignette obligation.
- Checks are carried out by the customs and border security authority as well as the police; the e-vignette is verified by querying the registration number.
Here, through the registration portal, the required toll payment certificate can be obtained online in just a few minutes, and it is recorded in the official register of the Bundesamt für Zoll und Grenzsicherheit (BAZG).
Components of the registration service
With us, the e-vignette is available together with the Comfortia and Auxil services; their fee is part of the registration fee.
Under Comfortia – if you mistyped the data during ordering – we will change the registration number, the nationality mark, the vehicle category, the destination country or the start date of validity once free of charge; the system checks for obvious typos automatically and, if necessary, manually as well. At least 24 hours before the start of validity, the order may be cancelled and the full amount refunded, with the exception of the annual e-vignette.
Under Auxil, if you receive a fine for a reason related to your order, we provide legal assistance within 180 days of the order: we act as your authorised representative before the competent authority, submit an appeal, and initiate a payment deferral or a reduction on equitable grounds. In justified cases, we may also reimburse the amount of the fine, up to a maximum of EUR 300.
Further details can be found in sections 4.1 and 4.2 of the General Terms and Conditions.
