Lost my front number plate...

Transportation, Travel and Trips
1
My front number plate has fallen out of its holder, I’m driving right now with nly the back plate, is this illegal? Any know the procedure? Should I go to the Police station? Thanks

2
Go to the police, and report it (you can even do it online), then bring the police report to the motorvehicle office to order a new plate.

Tom

3
For your canton: https://strassenverkehrsamt.lu.ch/St...hilder/verlust

https://www.suisse-epolice.ch/#/plate-case

Tom

4
Once you have made a police report it's fine, you will probably get a letter in a couple of days from the Police saying it has been found. You won't get a fine for littering

5
I did that (online report), next day I got a phone call from the guy who found it (he looked up my plate, found my name, then looked up my phone number! ).

Tom

6
Mine had already been handed in to the vehicle office by the time i noticed it was gone.. They called me, offered to post it for 20.- or i could come pick it up.

7
This happened to me years ago. The rear number plate was stolen one Saturday evening. It didn't just drop out. There were bits of broken plastic from the holder on the parking spot. I called the police (and also mentioned other acts of petty vandalism that occurred on the same night). The police officer said two things: (a) that if both plates were missing, they would be obliged to make a crime report (which they did not want to do for just one) and (b) that I should put a large note in the rear window with the registration number and the information that it has been reported to the police with a date, so they would not be inundated with calls from public spirited citizens.

I was able simply to order a replacement from the cantonal transport authority.

8
A friend lost his front plate in a car wash, but did not realise this until he tried to cross the border into France on a trip the the UK.

The French border guards wouldn’t let him in. He had to go home and flu to the UK.

He reported the loss to the police and the car wash had already handed the plate in to them...

9
Thanks everyone! Went to the Police and the officer on the desk took no personal information, he said wait til friday as it should come back to them and he didn’t want me to pay anything to get a new one made.

Drove back to Bellinzona (from Lucerne) as I thought I knew where it came off, I was wrong. I did that because the office said it was no problem to drive without it, I noted his name but unbelievably, he didn’t offer me his card or register my visit, he said there was no need.

To be honest I’m not happy with no front plate on my car, even though it seems to not make much difference to the powers that be...will attempt now to forge one for the time being.

10
Amazed that anyone would bother to hand a no plate to the police in the UK.

I lost mine on the motorway in DE close to Basel.

11
Speak about opportunity cost.

New License plate: CHF 20.

Fuel cost for Bellinzona and back: At least CHF 20 + time + car depreciation+ ...

The calculation is a bit different in case of a motorcycle. As motorcycles have only one plate they will not make a copy. Total cost if the motorcycle plate is later found and you wish to switch back to the old number can be up to CHF 300

12
We had British friends who had their British plates nicked in Nendaz. Apparently the local kids think it’s cool to drive around with them. At our insistence they reported it to the police and got a report. They didn’t need it crossing the frontier into France, but they did need it at the Chunnel.

13
I lost my front plate today. Where can I report it online (car registered in canton Zurich)?

14
https://www.zh.ch/de/mobilitaet/fahr...diebstahl.html

15
Did you perhaps take the car for a drive-thru car wash recently? Mine came off in one of these. I went back and they handed it over.

16

I just noticed my front plate was missing when I drove over to the supermarket in France. The holder is broken, so I assume it must have fallen off the last time I used that car, which was probably about a week ago.

So I’ve filled in the form, emailed it to the local registration office, but of course it’s now outside of office hours so they can’t reply.

So my question - having reported it missing can I continue to use the car without it? I was planning to drive up to my house in Alsace in the next couple of days - could still do it in the other car, but I was planning to bring some stuff back and it’s tiny (Audi TT roadster).

Any thoughts on driving it in Switzerland and/or France?

There’s nothing on the website to cover this, nor does it say how long it will take for a replacement Perte ou vol de plaques - SCN - vs.ch

Doubtless I’ll get a reply tomorrow, or else I’ll call, but thought I’d ask here anyway just in case.

17

I suspect your biggest challenge will be crossing the border. Both the Swiss and the French use license plate recognition cameras to detect known bad guys.

18

Not at the border crossings I normally use, they don’t.

But yes, I think driving in France will be right out, Question remains though, and I allowed to drive here in CH? For example to drive down to pick up the plate from the licensing centre en route to Alsace. Yes, I know they say they’ll post it, but…

19

You have to report the loss immediately, as you did. You have to contact the StVA after about ten days as the plates might have been returned, otherwise they’ll order a new plate.

Yes, you may drive with just one, for up to 30 days.

Technically, I believe, the StVA (road admin) needs to give permission but that’s just a formality since you’ve issued the form online. My guess is, this formality is how they ensure they have all necessary and correct data (you might have made an error online, like a false number).

No idea about the requirements for crossing the border.

20

Just because you can’t see them, that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.