Swiss Motorways Wthout a Vignette
Discussion
So today I was bit of a plonker.
Currently in Switzerland on a driving holiday. We're in my girlfriend's UK registered car.
We made a choice not to get a vignette, avoid the motorways & see the country at a slower pace.
Except today I forget to set the 'avoid tolls' option on Google Maps & got directed onto the motorway. I auto-piloted for about 30km (after the St Gotthard Pass to Bellinzona) before having a "s
t - we shouldn't be on here" moment and getting off.
Does anyone know how enforcement works?
Is it a case of "if you don't get tugged by the police you've got away with it"?
If we're 100% going to be getting an angry letter landing on the doormat, is there anything I can do now to mitigate it? Or do I just have to wait & see?
Any advice on likely outcomes would be helpful.
Thank you.
P.S. Not sure what the best forum to post this in was ... Mods, feel free to move it if needed.
Currently in Switzerland on a driving holiday. We're in my girlfriend's UK registered car.
We made a choice not to get a vignette, avoid the motorways & see the country at a slower pace.
Except today I forget to set the 'avoid tolls' option on Google Maps & got directed onto the motorway. I auto-piloted for about 30km (after the St Gotthard Pass to Bellinzona) before having a "s
t - we shouldn't be on here" moment and getting off.Does anyone know how enforcement works?
Is it a case of "if you don't get tugged by the police you've got away with it"?
If we're 100% going to be getting an angry letter landing on the doormat, is there anything I can do now to mitigate it? Or do I just have to wait & see?
Any advice on likely outcomes would be helpful.
Thank you.
P.S. Not sure what the best forum to post this in was ... Mods, feel free to move it if needed.
Years ago (like 20+) we were in Switzerland and my dad got pulled over and given a talking to for not having one. There was some confusion as he had no idea of the requirements (we hadn’t planned to be in the country and were just passing through) and there were some language barrier issues but in the end they just told him to go to the nearest place you could get one (a petrol station I think it was) and sent us on our way.
No idea if it’s the same now but from the above replies it appears so. Can’t imagine they would do anything retrospectively if you didn’t get stopped as I don’t think they’re particularly expensive.
No idea if it’s the same now but from the above replies it appears so. Can’t imagine they would do anything retrospectively if you didn’t get stopped as I don’t think they’re particularly expensive.
mr pg said:
It's now electronic, no more stickers. Motorways have cameras......
This info (https://www.myswissalps.com/travel/car/motorway-vignette/) from earlier this year, indicates paper stickers are still a thing. And that, if not yet stuck on, can be used ina different vehicle - indicating the paper vignettes are not linked to a specific registration.So, as above, it looks like you’ve got away with it…
johnpsanderson said:
This info (https://www.myswissalps.com/travel/car/motorway-vignette/) from earlier this year, indicates paper stickers are still a thing. And that, if not yet stuck on, can be used ina different vehicle - indicating the paper vignettes are not linked to a specific registration.
So, as above, it looks like you ve got away with it
In the past, it used to be an offence broadly equivalent to not having one, to have one but it not be properly stuck on the screen. If you had a suitable holder which made it look like it WAS stuck on (like those sprung clips for parking tickets), and got away with it, you could subsequently resell it on eBay So, as above, it looks like you ve got away with it
eBay however caught on to this and banned that practice. I went last year and drove for 1 week on the motorways. I had bought the vignette sticker but when I got home I realised I stuck it too high and wasn't visible due to the black sunscreen colour on the windscreen. Zero issues from police.
Austria, it is online service, so a bit different as they do use anpr cameras.
Austria, it is online service, so a bit different as they do use anpr cameras.
I did something similar years ago. I'd set my satellite navigation to avoid tolls and had it set to go over the Splügen Pass. I had set off earlier in the day from Lake Garda, where it was around thirty degrees and by the time I reached it, it was pitch black and about four degrees, with snow on the side of the road. Anyway, I somehow managed to end up on the motorway and the next thing I'm at the border crossing with Germany. They were stopping cars, but one of the lanes was free of vehicles. I was starting to panic a bit now, as obviously I didn't have the sticker. Anyway I proceeded to go in the lane with no traffic and drove straight through without stopping and carried on at a rather fast pace on the other side until I pulled over for fuel. It was a bit of a brown pants moment and I convinced that they were going to catch up with me.
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