E-Vignette Switzerland 2024: Get the Latest Information Now

Anyone traveling by car in Switzerland usually cannot avoid it: the vignette. The sticker, which was previously only available as an adhesive label for the windshield, entitles you to use freeways and roads. Since 2024, in addition to the sticker, it has also been possible to pay the toll in the form of an e-vignette. Are there differences between the two systems and is one better than the other? We at CARIFY show you what the new e-vignette is all about.

The Swiss E-Vignette 2024: An Overview

Motor vehicles and trailers up to 3.5 tons may only drive on freeways and motorways (1st and 2nd class national roads) in Switzerland with a valid vignette. This applies to vehicles registered in Switzerland as well as those from abroad. Trailers require their own vignette. It is entirely up to you whether you purchase it in the traditional way at a petrol station or other point of sale or use the new e-vignette system. Find out all about the similarities and differences between the two systems here.

Availability and validity

You can obtain the e-vignette from the portal of the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (BAZG). Like the usual vignette, it is valid for one year, including one month before and one month after. This means that the e-vignette is valid from December 1 of the previous year to January 31 of the following year.

Vehicle owners from abroad who wish to use Swiss roads can obtain the e-vignette from the same portal. They also have to pay the fee for one year, even if they only want to go on vacation in Switzerland. Prices are based on the exchange rate.

Differences to the traditional adhesive vignette

Unlike the adhesive vignette, the e-vignette is a purely digital document. This means you cannot stick it to the windshield as usual. Visually, it is similar to the conventional vignette; the price and validity are the same. So has only the shape changed?

The most significant difference to the adhesive vignette is that the e-vignette is valid for the number plate, not for the vehicle. Find out below what this means and what advantages it has in store for you.

How The E-Vignette Works

Until now, the vignette always had to be clearly visible on the windshield or, in the case of trailers, on an unalterable part of the vehicle. How is the check carried out without a physical vignette? And how do you register the e-vignette so that you don't fall into the fine trap? We'll tell you.

Purchase and registration

You can get your e-vignette in just a few clicks:

• On the BAZG portal, you can select the e-vignette for vehicles registered in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein or abroad.

• Select the appropriate vehicle category.

• Enter the country of registration.

• Enter the letters and numbers of your license plate, without spaces or hyphens. Even if you do not have a standard license plate, you can register the e-vignette.

• Decide for or against the “publicly viewable” option.

• Add the e-vignette to the shopping cart and pay. In addition to payment by credit card, companies also have the option of paying by invoice.

And what if you want or need to change the license plate with your e-vignette? After all, the plate can be damaged or stolen. You can transfer the vignette to your new number plate in the portal. All you have to do is:

• State the reasons for the change and

• Prove that the vehicle is still the same and that you remain the same owner.

As soon as the BAZG sends you a confirmation email, your e-vignette is valid for the new license plate.

Control mechanisms without physical evidence

What is the point of the “publicly visible” option mentioned above and can the police only check your e-vignette if you have selected it? No, in fact the officers at the border or on the roads can use an app to check your number plate against a database to see whether a valid e-vignette is linked to it. There are currently no automated vehicle checks.

The visibility of the e-vignette extends to any person who wants to check the presence of an e-vignette for a specific number plate. This makes sense if different people use the same vehicle alternately, for example in the case of car sharing or a car subscription.

Advantages of The Digital Vignette for Drivers

There are many arguments in favor of the e-vignette. Companies with a fleet of vehicles in particular can benefit from it.

Available at any time and from anywhere: With the digital vignette, you save yourself the effort of driving to a sales point in good time and buying an adhesive vignette for the next year. The post office, petrol station etc. are not always nearby. Instead, you can simply go online to the BAZG portal whenever you want. You can even do this from your cell phone and on the move. As soon as you have paid for the e-vignette, it is valid. Travelers from abroad can obtain the e-vignette just as easily.

Not tied to the vehicle: Why pay for a separate vignette for each car when you can simply swap the number plates? This option is interesting for companies with vehicle fleets that only need vignettes for a few number plates instead of for many cars. Families with several cars also benefit from this.

Valid despite vehicle damage: In the past, a new vignette was always due if the windshield was broken. Not so with the e-vignette. And if you buy a new car, you simply take the number plates and e-vignette with you and don't have to pay twice.

Costs and Penalties

If you are caught without a vignette on roads that require a vignette, it will be expensive - much more expensive than if you had bought the e-vignette straight away.

Price structure of the e-vignette

• With an annual fee of CHF 40 (in 2024), the vignette and e-vignette are affordable.

• They are always valid for 14 months.

• For some Swiss tunnels you have to pay an extra fee, which is not included in the vignette price.

Penalties for non-possession

You will be fined at least CHF 200 if you are caught without the necessary vignette. You will also have to buy one, which means at least CHF 240.

E-Vignette and Environmental Concerns

Since its introduction in August 2023, the e-vignette has enjoyed great popularity. There are more than just practical reasons for this. The digital vignette actually contributes to environmental protection.

Contribution to digitalization and sustainability

More and more services are now available to you digitally. There are many reasons for this, including convenience and accessibility. Secure payment systems ensure digital shopping without a rude awakening. E-vignettes offer another advantage over their adhesive counterparts: they are more forgery-proof. In other countries with e-vignettes, automatic scanning and recording of the license plates is already in use. In Switzerland, this is currently still being dispensed with and random checks are being used.

Digital vignettes are also more sustainable, although the necessary infrastructure causes CO2 emissions: It is not only the production of the adhesive labels made of printed plastic that pollutes the environment. Transportation to the points of sale is also anything but climate-friendly. Not to mention that you sometimes have to drive to a point of sale if it's not on the way.

Legal aspects of the e-vignette introduction

The obligation to pay the charge is regulated by the national road charge legislation. This states who has to pay the charge and for what, but not in what form. Since August 2023, the digital e-vignette has been in force in Switzerland in addition to the usual vignette. Both systems will run in parallel until further notice. However, if adhesive vignettes one day account for less than 10 percent of all revenue from vignette purchases, they will come to an end.

Even if the e-vignette can be purchased anonymously, you still have to enter data such as your control plate number and your credit card number. These are stored in accordance with data protection regulations. Nevertheless, data is never 100 percent secure. In addition, movement profiles could be created by means of automated check plate recognition via video comparison. As this data is not considered particularly worthy of protection, unauthorized persons could also access it. However, the data of all vehicles with valid e-vignettes is deleted immediately after the comparison.

Conclusion

With the e-vignette, Switzerland has created an attractive alternative to the conventional adhesive vignette. As both systems exist side by side, everyone can choose the form that best suits their mobility needs. Both are valid for 14 months and currently cost CHF 40. The e-vignette offers several advantages over the sticker because it is not linked to the vehicle but to the license plates. This means you can attach it to another vehicle if necessary and only have to pay once. Purchasing online is also straightforward. Another plus is the sustainability of the digital version, even if not much changes in terms of personnel costs on the part of the authorities. Only the tasks shift from production and sales to monitoring and enforcement.

Do you want to know whether your CARIFY subscription car has an e-vignette? The Swiss vignette is included in our subscriptions. If you don't see an adhesive vignette on the windshield, simply enter the license plate number in the BAZG's Via portal. We set existing e-vignettes on the number plates of our vehicles to be “publicly visible”. This way you can be sure that the fee has already been paid. We at CARIFY wish you a safe journey at all times!

FAQs

Where can I buy the Swiss e-vignette?

The Swiss e-vignette is available from the Via portal of the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (BAZG). Both Swiss drivers and drivers from abroad can obtain the digital vignette there. Companies can also purchase e-vignettes for their vehicle fleet here.