Switzerland on a UK Photocard 2026: CHF 40 Vignette, No IDP

Your UK photocard does all the paperwork in Switzerland. The things that catch British drivers are the motorway vignette, right-hand traffic and an alcohol limit lower than England’s.

The licence

Article 42 of the Swiss licensing ordinance (VZV) lets a visitor drive on a valid national licence as long as its vehicle categories are shown in Latin script. A UK photocard qualifies, so no International Driving Permit is needed. GOV.UK adds one exception: if you still hold an old paper licence, switch to a photocard or carry a 1968 IDP. The Driving Permit Checker covers France, Italy and Austria on the same trip.

Buy the vignette first

Swiss motorways need a vignette: CHF 40, either a windscreen sticker or an e-vignette linked to the number plate, valid from 1 December of the previous year to 31 January of the following year. There is no shorter version. Driving a motorway without one is a CHF 200 fixed fine. A Swiss hire car should already carry one; if you arrive in your own car, buy the e-vignette online before the border. The vignette calculator helps if Austria is next.

Keep right

The UK drives on the left; Switzerland on the right. The first hour is the risky one: leaving the hire car park, roundabouts that now run anticlockwise, the glance in the wrong direction. Start away from central Geneva or Zurich.

Speeds, fines and alcohol

The WHO profile lists 50 km/h in towns, 80 km/h outside them and 120 km/h on motorways. The fixed-penalty ordinance prices 6-10 km/h over at CHF 120 in towns, CHF 100 outside and CHF 60 on motorways; bigger cases go to a prosecutor and fines follow income.

The alcohol limit is 0.05%, and 0.01% on a probationary licence. That equals Scotland’s 50 mg per 100 ml and is lower than the 80 mg in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In winter, carry chains for mountain roads. Emergencies: 112, police 117, ambulance 144. The Switzerland driving guide has the rest.

Sources

• Verkehrszulassungsverordnung (VZV, SR 741.51), art. 42 (recognition of foreign licences), version of 1 January 2026: fedlex.admin.ch
• GOV.UK foreign travel advice, Switzerland, safety and security (UK photocard; paper licence and 1968 IDP; vignette; winter tyres and chains): gov.uk
• Ordnungsbussenverordnung (OBV, SR 314.11), Annex 1 no. 303 (speeding) and no. 6001 (no vignette, CHF 200): fedlex.admin.ch
• Federal Office for Customs and Border Security, e-vignette and adhesive vignette (CHF 40, validity): bazg.admin.ch
• WHO Global status report on road safety 2023, Switzerland profile (50/80/120 km/h; 0.05 and 0.01 g/dl): who.int
• Global Affairs Canada, Switzerland travel advice (emergency numbers 112, police 117, ambulance 144): travel.gc.ca
• GOV.UK, the drink-drive limit (80 mg England, Wales, Northern Ireland; 50 mg Scotland): gov.uk