Do I need a motorway vignette in Switzerland?
Yes — to use motorways and semi-motorways you need a vignette. Every vehicle on the Swiss national roads needs a valid annual vignette (the motorway charge, administered by the BAZG). It costs CHF 40 and is valid 14 months: the 2026 vignette is valid 1 December 2025 to 31 January 2027. It comes as an adhesive sticker or an e-vignette (digital, linked to the licence plate, since August 2023, same price). Driving without a valid vignette on the motorway costs a CHF 200 fine plus buying the CHF 40 vignette. In short: yes, CHF 40 a year — otherwise a fine.
📋 The rules
- Vignette needed for motorways and semi-motorways
- Cost CHF 40, valid 14 months (Dec–Jan)
- As a sticker or e-vignette (same price)
- E-vignette linked to the licence plate (since 2023)
- Without it: CHF 200 fine + buy the vignette
🔓 Exceptions
- E-vignette online via the BAZG Via Portal
- Wrongly affixed sticker (e.g. taped on) is also an offence
- On ordinary roads without motorway signage no vignette is needed
⚠️ Penalties & fines
Driving without a valid vignette on a motorway or semi-motorway costs a CHF 200 fine plus buying the vignette for CHF 40. A wrongly affixed sticker (e.g. only taped on, so it could be reused) is also treated as invalid and fined. Beware a myth: "the vignette is valid for one calendar year" is not quite right — it's valid for 14 months, from early December to the end of January of the year after next. Tip: buy the vignette in good time before your first motorway trip, easiest as an e-vignette, so it can't fall off or be stolen.
📎 Official sources
❓ Frequently asked
Do I need a vignette?
Yes, if you use Swiss motorways or semi-motorways. Every vehicle needs a valid annual vignette for them. On ordinary cantonal and communal roads without motorway signage you need no vignette. The charge finances the national roads and is administered by the BAZG.
How much does the vignette cost?
The vignette costs CHF 40, both as a sticker and as an e-vignette. There's no surcharge and no deposit for the digital version. It's valid 14 months, the 2026 vignette for example from 1 December 2025 to 31 January 2027, that is beyond the turn of the year.
What is the e-vignette?
The e-vignette is the digital vignette, available since August 2023. It's linked to the vehicle's licence plate and costs the same as the sticker. You buy it online via the BAZG Via Portal. It can't fall off, be damaged or be stolen, unlike the adhesive sticker.
What does driving without a vignette cost?
Anyone stopped without a valid vignette on a motorway or semi-motorway pays a fine of CHF 200 and must additionally buy the vignette for CHF 40. A wrongly affixed or reused sticker is also treated as invalid and is fined accordingly under the rules.
How long is the vignette valid?
The vignette is valid not for one calendar year but for 14 months. It's valid from 1 December of the previous year to 31 January of the following year. So the validities overlap, and you have plenty of time in December and January to buy the new one.
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