At the Strassenverkehrsamt: Your Licence and Your Car
Converting a foreign driving licence before the twelve-month deadline, and registering a car — including what a personalised number plate really costs.
There is a deadline most newcomers do not hear about until it is nearly too late: you have twelve months to convert a foreign driving licence into a Swiss one. After that it gets complicated, and in some cases you have to take the test again.
The conversion itself is straightforward, and so is the German. A few questions about where the licence is from and how long you have been here, and you are through.
The same office registers cars, which is the other conversation in this lesson — and the one where you find out what a fancy number plate costs.
Key phrases to know
- Ich möchte meinen ausländischen Führerschein umschreiben lassen. – I'd like to convert my foreign driving licence.
- Aus welchem Land kommt der Führerschein? – Which country is the licence from?
- Sind Sie schon länger als 12 Monate in der Schweiz? – Have you been in Switzerland longer than 12 months?
- Sie brauchen ein ärztliches Attest. – You need a medical certificate.