Don Madge Posted December 4, 2006 Share Posted December 4, 2006 Vehicles up to 3500kg must buy a Vignette costing SF 40 and valid for 14 months (1 December 2006 until 31 January 2008) if you are towing a trailer must to buy two. The vignette can be bought at the border, payment is in Euros, Sterling, Credit Cards or Swiss currency. The vignette can usually be bought at service stations on the motorways approaching Switzerland. You can also buy it on line from the Swiss Travel centre in London but it will cost an extra £5 (I think) handling fee. If your motorhome is over 3500kg you will need to buy a permit for one day SF 3.25, 10 days SF 32.50, a month SF 58.50 or a year SF 650.00. The permit is only available from the Swiss border posts. If you buy the 10 day permit (only valid for one year) the 10 days don't have to be taken consecutively, You must annotate the permit for the days you are using it. This is the best buy if you are just transiting Switzerland out and back for a holiday. The permit is also valid for a return journey if needed, provided it's within the year. The permit covers all the motorways and includes the 10-mile St Gothard Tunnel. Safe travelling Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel E Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 Don, Last time I was in Switzerland (2000), the vignette was ONLY required for travel on Swiss motorways but not if you kept off the motorways. Has this changed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 Poor DonHe's having his senior moments with increasing frequency!You don't need vignettes for the non-motorway roads. Mind, crossing Switzerland without using the motorways isn't that easy, so he has a point! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Madge Posted December 5, 2006 Author Share Posted December 5, 2006 I didn't say you did need a vignette for all roads in Switzerland, the heading clearly states "SWISS MOTORWAY FEES" so I think this time I'm not guilty (lol) (lol) (lol) (lol) The permit covers all the motorways and includes the 10-mile St Gothard Tunnel. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 How true, don, how true! Youth restored! With apologies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertandjean Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 Hi All, As we noted on the other forum where Don has posted this, do take care if paying in Euros or sterling as change is given only in Swiss Francs. This is not much use if you intend only to transit Switzerland en route to say Italy. Of course if you use your credit/debit card it is not a problem All the best Jean and Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 robertandjean - 2006-12-05 3:59 PM Hi All, As we noted on the other forum where Don has posted this, do take care if paying in Euros or sterling as change is given only in Swiss Francs. This is not much use if you intend only to transit Switzerland en route to say Italy. Of course if you use your credit/debit card it is not a problem All the best Jean and Robert Well, I just wonder, assuming (well, can you?) you can pay on the Dartford crossing in Swiss francs or Euros, in what currency do you get your change?I think it's very nice of the Swiss to accept foreign currency for their vignettes. I bet we wouldn't! Don't be too hard on them over the change, they're only Swiss! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 Don Madge - 2006-12-04 3:57 PM Vehicles up to 3500kg must buy a Vignette costing SF 40 and valid for 14 months (1 December 2006 until 31 January 2008) if you are towing a trailer must to buy two. The vignette can be bought at the border, payment is in Euros, Sterling, Credit Cards or Swiss currency. If your motorhome is over 3500kg you will need to buy a permit for one day SF 3.25, 10 days SF 32.50, a month SF 58.50 or a year SF 650.00. The permit is only available from the Swiss border posts. Don So if I want to cross Switzerland by motorway on my way to Italy (in one day) I need to pay SF40 (about £17) for my motorhome, but I would pay SF3.25 if my motorhome is >3.5t. I wonder if I can pretend that I am over 3.5t and buy a one day pass anyway? (?) :-> :-> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Madge Posted December 6, 2006 Author Share Posted December 6, 2006 robin - 2006-12-06 2:16 PM Don Madge - 2006-12-04 3:57 PM Vehicles up to 3500kg must buy a Vignette costing SF 40 and valid for 14 months (1 December 2006 until 31 January 2008) if you are towing a trailer must to buy two. The vignette can be bought at the border, payment is in Euros, Sterling, Credit Cards or Swiss currency. If your motorhome is over 3500kg you will need to buy a permit for one day SF 3.25, 10 days SF 32.50, a month SF 58.50 or a year SF 650.00. The permit is only available from the Swiss border posts. Don So if I want to cross Switzerland by motorway on my way to Italy (in one day) I need to pay SF40 (about £17) for my motorhome, but I would pay SF3.25 if my motorhome is >3.5t. I wonder if I can pretend that I am over 3.5t and buy a one day pass anyway? (?) :-> :-> Robin, You are not the first to suggest that but being very familiar with the way the "Gnomes of Zurich" work I don't think you will get away with it. In Switzerland it's Black or White, definitely no grey. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonB Posted December 8, 2006 Share Posted December 8, 2006 Don I find this post really interesting and wonder if you can tell me where you got your information from that the days of travel for over 3500kg do not have to be consecutive. Also are you supposed to pre-book these days at the border or what? The reason I ask is that I spent a lot of time approx 18 months ago persuing these very questions, right up to the Swiss Customs (no reply), as I wanted to stay over a month, and received the opposite answer. Whilst in Switzerland, as a double-check, our campsite hosts, and friends, also contacted the Police, their Campsite Association and the Swiss Post Office (who can grant extensions of your permit). All advised that the days had to be consecutive. Our hosts then asked why this was so when most heavy motorhomes stayed put on the site anyway, and were only actually on the motorways for the days coming in and going out of the country. The reason given was that it was just a tax against heavy vehicles - period. Incidentally, both the Caravan Club and the Swiss Travel Service didn't have a clue on the matter, whilst the RAC replied likewise about two months later. I'm now really intrigued and getting hot under the coller again in case I've been ripped off. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonB Posted December 8, 2006 Share Posted December 8, 2006 Also under the collar!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Madge Posted December 8, 2006 Author Share Posted December 8, 2006 Ron, I did a lot of digging with the help of a couple of MHF members and we think we have it sorted. You only tick the days off as you use them, they are not prebooked. The only grey area is the need to tick a day if you are on a site without going on the road. It will be easier if you read the thread http://tinyurl.com/ylno6d on MHF. The charges for motorhomes over 3500kg has not changed for about five years at least. I'm trying to convince the Caravan Club that their details in Caravan Europe 2 are wrong. Have you ever tried telling the CC they are wrong, it's hard work. The Swiss changed the Goods vehicle charging system in 2005 but left the motorhomes over 3500kg on the old system Don Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted December 8, 2006 Share Posted December 8, 2006 DonIf you can get to the editor of Caravan Europe, though, he is a very amenable type and I'm sure will understand exactly what you mean. Whether he thinks the information "safe" to publish as gospel, however, may be a different matter. I suspect they'll be very guarded in case someone follows the printed advice and comes expensively unstuck. Visions of liabilities? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonB Posted December 8, 2006 Share Posted December 8, 2006 Don I've now read the postings you suggested on motorhomefacts and they seem to confirm what I have experienced, and been advised from Swiss sources - you have to pay for consecutive days whilst in Switzerland with a vehicle over 3500kg, whether you are on the road or not. However, you don't appear to want to accept this from your postings and I can't really blame you as I went through the very same process myself. What is clear is that there is a lot of misunderstanding about the Swiss road charges which could do with simplyfying. Also long stay heavy motorhome charges are quite horrendous. I'm calming down now. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Madge Posted December 8, 2006 Author Share Posted December 8, 2006 Brian Kirby - 2006-12-08 6:21 PMDonIf you can get to the editor of Caravan Europe, though, he is a very amenable type and I'm sure will understand exactly what you mean. Whether he thinks the information "safe" to publish as gospel, however, may be a different matter. I suspect they'll be very guarded in case someone follows the printed advice and comes expensively unstuck. Visions of liabilities?Brian,I thought the editor was Bernice Hoare that's in the 2006 edition.Or do you have some up to date info.Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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