Which roads require the Swiss vignette
The vignette is administered by the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (FOCBS, known in German as BAZG) and is required on Switzerland's national roads of class 1 and 2, the motorways and expressways that form the country's long-distance network. These roads carry Switzerland's distinctive green motorway signs, unlike the blue signs on ordinary main roads, which remain free of charge.
Cantonal and municipal roads and town centres are not covered by the vignette. Two Alpine road tunnels, the Great St Bernard Tunnel and the Munt la Schera Tunnel, are charged separately even though they connect to the national road network; these are covered below.
Vehicle categories and how long the vignette lasts
The vignette applies to motor vehicles and trailers with a gross weight of up to 3.5 tonnes: cars, motorcycles, delivery vans, motorhomes and campers, plus caravans and other trailers, each of which needs its own vignette alongside the towing vehicle's. Trailers towed by a motorcycle are exempt. Heavier vehicles are not covered by the vignette at all and instead pay the distance-based heavy vehicle charge (LSVA).
Unlike neighbouring countries, Switzerland sells only one type of vignette: an annual one, valid from 1 December of the previous year to 31 January of the following year, a 14-month window. There is no separate weekly, monthly or short-stay version. Its price is fixed by law in Swiss francs and is the same for every standard vehicle category described above.
Buying and activation
Two versions of the vignette exist side by side. The electronic e-vignette has been sold since 1 August 2023 through the official Via Portal and is linked to the vehicle's number plate and country of registration rather than to the vehicle itself; the adhesive sticker is still available, mainly through automobile clubs and, in exceptional cases, at some customs offices, and stays linked to the specific vehicle it is stuck to.
Because the e-vignette is tied to the plate, only the vehicle category, country of registration and number plate are needed to buy it, and it works for any vehicle later carrying that plate. Buying in advance and choosing your own start date is possible with a reseller such as Vignette ID, which activates the vignette in the account or by e-mail within a few minutes of payment being confirmed, with no physical sticker or Swiss account required.
Fines and enforcement
The FOCBS and cantonal police enforce the vignette requirement on the road, checking validity by scanning the plate or, for the adhesive sticker, by inspecting the windscreen.
Driving on a vignette-liable road without a valid vignette results in a fine of CHF 200, and the vignette itself still has to be bought on top of that fine. If you realise you have forgotten one, buy the e-vignette before continuing rather than risk a check further along the motorway.
Tolls not covered by the vignette
Two mountain tunnels sit outside the vignette system and charge their own toll regardless of whether a valid vignette is displayed. The Great St Bernard Tunnel links the canton of Valais with Italy's Aosta Valley, and the Munt la Schera Tunnel links the Engadin in Graubunden with Livigno in Italy; both sell single-journey, return and multi-trip tickets at their own toll booths.
Good to know for foreign drivers
Liechtenstein has no motorway network of its own and does not issue a separate vignette, so a trip that stays inside the principality needs none; as soon as you continue onto Switzerland's national roads, the same vignette covered on this page applies.
A vignette expires on 31 January, so drivers crossing the New Year should check its dates still cover the whole trip rather than assume a fresh one is only needed from 1 January.