I've been living in Switzerland for 1.5 years now. I was caught driving with an expired license -- as in, it is still valid in my home country (USA), but it has already been a year here and I forgot to exchange it. The license was invalid for 1 month past the 12 months deadline when I was driving. I scratched another car a little bit when parking at IKEA and that's how this whole mess started.
What could I expect as a fine for this? Would I have to serve any prison time?
I would expect a pretty large fine and licence suspension but you won’t go to prison.
They’ll likely make you re-take the licence from scratch since you missed the deadline to exchange it and then broke the law by using it. You’d have been fine to just exchange it if you hadn’t decided to continue driving here after the year was up.
It should be only a fine (Busse), though might be pretty heavy because of all administrative costs. Luckily for a topic starter, VZV separates no license at all and not exchanging a foreign license on time.
The same situation cost me CHF 300 for the licence failure. The nice policeman recommended I run to the Strassenverkehrsamt and change it quickly before the paperwork was finished, worked even though I was three years here.
What would happen in such a case if the accident had not been a broken 'fender'- but a child, a family- injured or killed. and the Insurance invalid due to invalid licence.
It just does not bear thinking about. It is just so so easy to swap licence, why oh why?
I had to re-take my licence in full, in London, after getting my Swiss licence just a year previously, before EU- and this is the case even nor for most 3rd countries. Why not swap duly, in time?
No crimes in the last ten years is a requirement. I know someone done for excessive speed - he had to wait until the ten years had passed. I was also warned (jokingly) after my last interview to not exceed the speed limit too much!