Hire cars · Switzerland

Hiring a Car in Switzerland: Vignette, Winter Tyres, Speed Limits and Your Licence

Checked 2 November 2026 against the Swiss federal offices · skynomad

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In a Swiss hire car the two things to sort at the desk are the vignette and the tyres; the rest is driving slower than you are used to.

Check the Vignette Is on the Car

Switzerland sells one vignette: CHF 40, valid from 1 December of the year before to 31 January of the year after. It is a sticker or an e-vignette tied to the number plate, sold on via.admin.ch. Driving a motorway without one costs CHF 200, plus the CHF 40 you still owe.

A sticker is visible on the windscreen. An e-vignette is not, so ask the desk to show you the plate it is registered against, and photograph the screen: Switzerland's vignette. The vignette also covers the Gotthard road tunnel, which has no toll of its own.

Ask for Winter Tyres, Even Though No Law Requires Them

Switzerland has no legal winter tyre requirement. That is not the relief it sounds like. Every car must be fit for the conditions, and after a crash in snow on summer tyres a fine, the loss of your licence and an insurer refusing to pay are all possible. Where the round blue chain sign appears, chains must be fitted.

The rental contract does not have to supply winter tyres. Ask in the booking: winter kit on a hire car and winter tyres country by country.

Keep to 120 on the Motorway

A radar detector is illegal in Switzerland, even to carry. The alcohol limit is 0.5 g/l, and 0.1 g/l on a probationary licence.

Bring an International Permit or a Translation

A licence from abroad is valid in Switzerland with an international driving permit under the 1926 or 1968 conventions. Without one, the driver must carry an official translation into German, French, Italian or English, and the name must be in Roman letters. Residents must switch to a Swiss licence after 12 months; no limit is stated for visitors.

For a Taiwanese licence, Taiwan's Highway Bureau says the licence together with Taiwan's international driving permit can be used for one year. A Hong Kong international driving permit is issued under the 1949 convention, which the Swiss page does not name. For either, I'd carry an official English translation as well.

Ask Before You Leave Switzerland

Taking a hire car abroad is a contract question; without permission the cover can fall away: crossing borders in a hire car.