The Federal Office of Customs and Border Protection (FOCBS) sold 134,407 digital motorway stickers in the first month following its introduction. It’s mainly people from abroad who are interested in this new offer.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-ATS
“Sales have got off to a good start,” the FOCBS said on Friday in an interview with Keystone-ATS. As very few Swiss still need a motorway sticker for the current year, electronic versions are currently being sold mainly to foreigners.
The digital motorway sticker was introduced on August 1, after the Swiss government organised a consultation on the subject in 2017. Given the controversial results, the government decided to introduce an optional digital sticker alongside the conventional self-adhesive sticker in 2018.
The method of checking the digital stickers was discussed in the Federal Assembly and in the end, both houses agreed on automated checks using both fixed and mobile equipment. These checks should not be carried out permanently and throughout the country, but randomly and according to risk levels, explains the FOCBS.
Advantages of digital stickers
The advantage of the digital vignette is that it can be purchased anywhere and at any time, says the FOCBS. Unlike the traditional adhesive sticker, which is linked to the vehicle, the electronic sticker is linked to the number plate.
Vehicles with interchangeable number plates therefore only need one electronic sticker, whereas the self-adhesive version requires one sticker per vehicle.
Vehicle owners also don’t need to purchase another sticker if they buy a new car during the year, as long as they use the same number plate. Like conventional stickers, the digital vignette is valid until the end of January 2024.
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate them into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. You can find them here.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
Popular Stories
More
Multinational companies
Azeri fossil-fuel cash cow brings controversy to Switzerland
Swiss price watchdog slams excessive prices for generic medicines
This content was published on
The cheapest generic medicines available in Switzerland are more than twice as expensive as in other countries, according to a study by the Swiss price watchdog.
Nature should not figure in net zero calculations: academic study
This content was published on
The natural removal of CO2 from the atmosphere by forests or oceans should not be included in the net-zero balance of climate protection measures, argue researchers.
This content was published on
None of the 15 major Swiss retail banks is meeting international climate and biodiversity targets, according to a ranking by WWF Switzerland.
This content was published on
Nestlé's new CEO Laurent Freixe, has presented plans for the future of the world's largest food company, after his first few weeks in office.
Swiss foreign minister calls on Moscow to end Ukraine war
This content was published on
It's high time Moscow ended its war against Ukraine, Swiss foreign minister Ignazio Cassis tells the UN Security Council.
This content was published on
The only alternative to the UN Palestinian agency’s work in Gaza is to allow Israel to run services there, Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, told reporters in Geneva on Monday.
Study reveals food culture differences between Switzerland and neighbours
This content was published on
Three-quarters of Swiss people consider eating to be a pleasurable, social activity, a new survey reveals. Healthy eating, however, plays a much less important role, it found.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Motorway stickers set to bring in CHF350 million
This content was published on
The Federal Customs Administration said on Wednesday it expected to sell around 9.6 million vignettes, resulting in a net income of some CHF347 million. The authorities estimated a third of the vignettes would be bought by foreign drivers. They added that from past experience around 5% of cars on Swiss motorways don’t have a sticker.…
This content was published on
The NZZ am Sonntag newspaper has seen a government report entitled “Long Term Perspective on National Roads”. It pinpoints crucial axis points between major cities that need upgrading to ease traffic congestion. The triangle between Zurich, Bern and Basel is one key area that needs widening to six lanes along the entire route, the report…
This content was published on
An outcry followed the announcement that the tax “vignette” – an annual levy required to use all Swiss motorways and dual carriageways – was to shoot up in price from CHF40 to CHF100 ($44-$110) from 2016. Opponents complained that the increase was too high, that foreigners would be getting special treatment because they would benefit…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.