Don Madge Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 There seems to be a few first timers to Switzerland this year so airing the the road tolls might help some stay within the law. Swiss Road Tolls Most, if not all, Swiss motorways are toll roads, and it is difficult and not really worth trying to plan an itinerary to avoid them. You will need to pay the toll charges before or when entering Switzerland. For vehicles up to and including 3500 GVW. Applicable to Swiss motorway toll roads. Proof of payment is by a 'vignette' (plastic windscreen sticker) which is stuck to the inside of your windscreen. The charge is a one-off payment of SF40.00 which is valid from the 1st December of the year previous to that shown on the vignette through to the 31 January following the year shown on the vignette. Payment and receipt of the vignette are carried out by personnel as you drive through the Swiss border control, or, if you prefer, you can buy the vignette from petrol stations approaching the border or from the Swiss Tourist Board online. If you are towing a caravan you need to purchase a second vignette. For vehicles over 3500 GVW (The vignette system does not apply - but see towed vehicles below) This charge is not a toll but a general heavy vehicle tax and applies to all Swiss roads. You will be asked to park up at the border control and take your V5 vehicle documents to the adjoining customs office. Here you fill in a simple declaration form (permit 15.91) stating how long the vehicle will be in Switzerland, used on the roads or not, and you will be charged on that basis. You will get a duplicate copy of the form back as a receipt. The charges (correct at January 2011) are; Per Day - SF3.25 (subject to a minimum charge of SF 25.00). Per 10 Days - SF32.50. Per Month SF58.50. Per Year SF 650.00. If you are towing a caravan or trailer under 3500kg you will need a vignette for the caravan or trailer. If you are towing a caravan or trailer over 3500kg you pay a further heavy vehicle tax. The 10 day permit allows you to freely choose your days of travel before entering Switzerland and is valid for a year. The permit is aimed at people making frequent visits, so as to avoid them keep having to report to the border customs office. If you want to extend your visit over the stated time you take your duplicate copy permit to the nearest main post office and pay for a further period. Unmanned Border Crossings. It is illegal to drive into Switzerland via an unmanned border crossing without a proof of payment (vignette if required or permit 15.91). Drivers arriving at such crossings are required to telephone the Swiss customs who will normally authorise their entry to proceed directly to a designated payment point, usually a post office. Note. If your vehicle is under 3500kg you can enter the country on any non-toll road, manned or not, but if you wish to subsequently use toll roads you will need a vignette from petrol stations or post offices. I put this together from the official Swiss road information. Safe travelling. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rupert123 Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 If you have a vehicle under 3500 gvw then I cannot agree it is difficult to avoid toll roads. We have been to Switzerland in our van four times now and have 'criss crossed' the country and never been onto a toll road. I admit if you are in a hurry then you will have to buy one but if prepared to use the mountain passes, which are the most scenic anyway, then no problem. Austria, if you go their, it really is difficult and not worth trying but you can buy a seven day pass for a few euro anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawcara Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Very useful info from both. I have not been to Switzerland but will in the future. However, I have a question. My brother has been and purchased a vignette. When he left he tore it up, but a person who was travelling in another vehicle said he should have put in on ebay and someone else would have benefitted from it.. I've just looked on there and sure enough there are ones at various prices. Thus do you just buy the disc, which as Don says is just for a vehicle below 3500kg and not registered to the vehicle? Would be interested in your comments :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Madge Posted July 31, 2011 Author Share Posted July 31, 2011 Hawcara - 2011-07-31 5:30 PM Very useful info from both. I have not been to Switzerland but will in the future. However, I have a question. My brother has been and purchased a vignette. When he left he tore it up, but a person who was travelling in another vehicle said he should have put in on ebay and someone else would have benefitted from it.. I've just looked on there and sure enough there are ones at various prices. Thus do you just buy the disc, which as Don says is just for a vehicle below 3500kg and not registered to the vehicle? Would be interested in your comments :-D Hi, Officially you must stick the vignette onto the windscreen immediately or you are committing an offence. If you buy it at the border they stick it on for you. If you try and remove the vignette once it is stuck on it will self destruct. I assume the ones on sale have never been stuck on but displayed in a tax disc holder or such like. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laimeduck Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I have in the past both bought & sold Vignettes on e-bay. The last time I put one up for sale, it was withdrawn by ebay. When I queried why, they informed me that under Swiss Law it is illegal to sell a "Tax" disc (as it would be in the UK) So every so often the Swiss authorities trawl e-bay to have sales banned. No other action is taken, the sales page simply disappears! However e-bay still allow sellers to list & sell Vignettes! :-| The Vignette itself is not registered to the vehicle, but just has a unique number - so can be used on any vehicle. So you can save a few pounds by buying them on e-bay but you must make sure that the backing paper is intact as otherwise the mutilple piece self adhesive disc (they are actually square!) will, as Don suggests self destruct. Whether it is legal to "buy" a vignette in this way is doubtful - since I found out that selling them was illegal I have not been back to Switzerland so my resolve has not been tested*-) PS You can actually buy them in the UK from a Swiss agency, so obviously don't have to stick them on until you get near the border - I guess this is how they are carefully stuck on temporarily, then put back on the backing paper & then sold on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawcara Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Thank you all for that useful info. :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Dwight Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 A slight disagreement with Don, it is possible to remove the the Vingette from your screen by using a sharp blade, such as Stanley knife. I know of someone who has done this. They can be obtained from the Swiss tourist office in London. I bought my first one from the AA at Dover. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Madge Posted August 1, 2011 Author Share Posted August 1, 2011 David Dwight - 2011-08-01 9:06 PM A slight disagreement with Don, it is possible to remove the the Vingette from your screen by using a sharp blade, such as Stanley knife. I know of someone who has done this. They can be obtained from the Swiss tourist office in London. I bought my first one from the AA at Dover. David Hi David, The way the latest vignettes are constructed it is impossible to remove in one piece. It was possible to remove the old ones but the latest you have no chance at all. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art338 Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 My last use of a 'vignette' certainly was self destructing, I bought a different vehicle for another visit and trying to remove it from the older vehicle resulted in about 80 bits with no chance of ever reconstructing it. art Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverbike Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 The last one I saw on e-bay had actually reached the same price as buying one officially! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Dwight Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Thanks for that info Don, bit of a bummer though David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron. Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 An interesting post Don which you claim to have put together from "official Swiss road information." In fact your post is a word for word copy of an article of mine (Swiss Road Tolls - Amended) posted on the Motorhomefacts website in March 2009 along with a 'Guide To Interlaken And Surroundings.' The reason I wish to put the record straight is that any members reading your post, and subsequently downloading the above guide, might be forgiven for thinking that I am claiming credit for your work when in fact it is the other way round. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Madge Posted August 10, 2011 Author Share Posted August 10, 2011 ron. - 2011-08-10 6:42 PM An interesting post Don which you claim to have put together from "official Swiss road information." In fact your post is a word for word copy of an article of mine (Swiss Road Tolls - Amended) posted on the Motorhomefacts website in March 2009 along with a 'Guide To Interlaken And Surroundings.' The reason I wish to put the record straight is that any members reading your post, and subsequently downloading the above guide, might be forgiven for thinking that I am claiming credit for your work when in fact it is the other way round. Ron Hi Ron, I sincerely apologise for copying from your post and not giving you the credit. I do trawl around the web looking for info that will be useful to members. I try to give credit where it is due, but on this occasion my memory has played me falsely. I honestly do not remember the exact source, but believed it to be as I said. Please accept my apologies and I will try to remember more accurately in the future. Regards Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron. Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 Many thanks for your reply Don and I fully accept what you say. The thought did strike me that this did not seem like your normal style at all. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 Don, Thankyou for the very useful information from the 'other forum' if you see anything else that may benefit us please post it on here. A few 'Ruffled feathers' from there just gives us a laugh anyway. Regards Ray (lol) (lol) (lol) (lol) (lol) (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian81 Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 With all of these things surely it is better to reference back and provide a link to the original source? Whoever wrote the text it is at the end of the day an individuals reading of the law which in most cases is OK. - Following this link - http://www.ezv.admin.ch/zollinfo_privat/informationen/00421/index.html?lang=en# provides information from the 'horses mouth' so to speak and also provides useful information on which roads are covered by the vignette. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron. Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 Ian81 - Just for clarity the article in question is not based on individual interpretation but on a final draft approved by the Swiss customs in Bern. I cannot provide you with a link as the information was obtained by letter correspondence over several weeks. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek500 Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 You buy a Vignette online from here for 36.40€ (34.50€ + 1.96€ p&p) https://www.tolltickets.com/default.aspx?lang=en-GB&mnu=c. Just ordered mine. One less thing to worry about when we cross the border. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek500 Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 I received the Vignette in the post and am about to stick it on the windscreen. However, I'm a bit confused. If I peel the backing off and stick it to the inside of the windscreen the serial number will be on my side and from the outside it will appear back to front. Is that correct? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 derek500 - 2011-08-12 10:26 AM You buy a Vignette online from here for 36.40€ (34.50€ + 1.96€ p&p) https://www.tolltickets.com/default.aspx?lang=en-GB&mnu=c. Just ordered mine. One less thing to worry about when we cross the border. it really is no big deal you dont even get out of the van! border guard chap comes up to your window, you give him the money and he gives you the sticker....simples Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek500 Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 JudgeMental - 2011-08-20 10:58 AM it really is no big deal you dont even get out of the van! border guard chap comes up to your window, you give him the money and he gives you the sticker....simples I was thinking that, but I wasn't sure what currency they would want. Until, we get into Switzerland and get to an ATM we won't have any Swiss Francs. Do they take Euros? Would it be similar price to the 36.40€ I've paid in advance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 derek500 - 2011-08-20 11:22 AM JudgeMental - 2011-08-20 10:58 AM it really is no big deal you dont even get out of the van! border guard chap comes up to your window, you give him the money and he gives you the sticker....simples I was thinking that, but I wasn't sure what currency they would want. Until, we get into Switzerland and get to an ATM we won't have any Swiss Francs. Do they take Euros? Would it be similar price to the 36.40€ I've paid in advance? Yes Derek they take Euros. not sure of price as we went via Austria this year but you wouldn't have paid postage and probably a bit cheaper at border. where you bought yours are unlikely to be a charity :-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek500 Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 JudgeMental - 2011-08-20 12:43 PM Yes Derek they take Euros. not sure of price as we went via Austria this year but you wouldn't have paid postage and probably a bit cheaper at border. where you bought yours are unlikely to be a charity :-S I did an online currency conversion and 40CH was 35.40€, so the online price was 1€ less and 1€ more including the postage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peter James Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 Since the pound has more than halved against the swiss franc in the last 3 years it must be pretty expensive there now? I haven't been for 20 years, and it wasn't cheap then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
broc Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 We have just returned from Switzerland today, a couple of weeks ago we bought our vignette from a German motorway service station using Euros just prior to crossing the border near Basle, It cost 36.5 Euros for our van (less than 3500kg) It's worth taking a full tank of diesel across the border with you too, diesel is very expensive (1.70+ SFF) per litre..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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