Loss or theft of your driving licence
If your driving licence has been lost or stolen, you need to get a new one.
Information on your licence has changed
If there is a change of information on your licence, such as a name change or a change in licence category, you need to get a new licence.
If you still have a blue paper driving licence, you need to apply for a new licence if your address has changed. If you already have a credit-card format licence, you do not need to apply for a new one because of an address change.
For more detailed information, contact your canton’s driver and vehicle licensing office (website available in German, French and Italian).
Drivers who still have a blue paper licence
The blue paper licence will no longer be valid after 31 January 2024. Drivers who still have a blue paper licence need to exchange it for a credit-card format licence by that date at the latest.
To drive in some countries, you need an international driving licence.
If your Swiss driving licence has been stolen, you need to report the theft at a police station (website available in German, French and Italian).
You should then contact the driver and vehicle licensing office (website available in German, French and Italian), which will issue you a temporary licence authorising you to drive until you receive your new licence.
Once a new licence is issued, the old one is no longer valid. If you find your lost or stolen licence, please send it to the driver and vehicle licensing office with an explanatory note.
You need to contact your canton’s driver and vehicle licensing office (website available in German, French and Italian).
The new licence will be sent to you by post within one to two weeks.
The cost of a new licence varies from canton to canton. A duplicate or an updated licence costs around CHF 30. Exchanging a foreign licence for a Swiss one costs more than CHF 100.
If you live in Switzerland, you may drive with a foreign licence for 12 months. After that, you are required to have a Swiss licence.
You need to exchange your foreign licence for a Swiss licence; this is still possible after the 12-month grace period, but you may have to pay a fine.
Exchanging a foreign licence for a Swiss one
The procedures vary depending on which country issued the foreign licence. In any case, you must produce the original driving licence and take an eye test.
If you have a licence from an EU or EEA country (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway), you will be issued a Swiss licence without having to take a driving test. Your foreign licence will be returned to the issuing authority.
For a licence from another country, you need to take:
a driving test
an additional theory exam (for professional drivers)
to certify your fitness to drive.
After handing over your foreign licence and taking the necessary texts, you will be issued a Swiss driving licence on a three-year trial basis or a licence with no expiry date. The document is sent by post within a period of time that varies from canton to canton.
For more information about your specific situation, contact your canton’s driver and vehicle licensing office (website available in German, French and Italian).