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.
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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.
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