Also J have a BE licence in the U.K. When I switch to a Swiss licence will I retain my BE, or will I have to take a trailer test?
Thanks for any thoughts.
Apologies if this has been answered elsewhere. We are in the process of moving to Switzerland from the UK. We have purchased a Swiss car which we will drive back to Switzerland when we move at the end of the month. I am planning to import my horse box. We have a bit of a catch 22 regarding number plates. In the U.K. It would be correct for the trailer plates to match the car plates. Clearly once in Switzerland the trailer will need its own plates, but I can't get these until the trailer is in Switzerland. What would be the most legal way to square this circle?
Can't answer the first question, but can confirm that all EU entitlements will be carried over to your CH license.
I can't help with your specific questions but make sure you purchase a 2017 vignette (green autoroute sticker) here for the trailer. It needs to be stuck on the trailer someplace if you are planning to drive on the autoroute with it.
The best place to go with your questions is the SAN in Lausanne (Blécherette exit). They will tell you exactly what is needed for the trailer and your licence changeover.
Thank you. 2 vignettes purchased ready to go on the vehicles. I will drop into SAN when we are over this week.
Fantastic. Thanks.
Are you transporting your worldly goods in your trailer?
You might have problems on the border, as you will only get Swiss plates once the trailer is insured, and they won't insure the trailer until it is registered.
There is a way out.
Leave the trailer on the border at customs car park, and drive to SAN Lausanne. Buy a daily transit pass, "Permis à court terme" for a remorque. This includes plate and insurance, you need your Swiss Permit, driving license, passport etc.
Take plate back to border, mount it on trailer, and collect trailer, import everything (including trailer) as your personal pocessions, and deliver household goods. Take temporary plate back to SAN in Lausanne. The plate costs Fr 75 per day plus Fr 200 refundable deposit.
Remorque: http://www.vd.ch/themes/mobilite/aut...a-court-terme/
At sometime you then need to get the trailer inspected by the SAN. You can drive it to the vehicle test appointment from your Swiss home without plates, and back again. Or drive it illegally back to the UK.
Read the Forum about importing personal household goods!
There is no problem to pull a foreign plated trailer with a Swiss registered vehicle.
Tom
Thanks. Great info on the temporary plate. This is the way forward. The forum has indeed been very useful on household goods. These are going separately with Pickfords. I have already run the 18.44 gauntlet (we will be having 3 separate forms) when my horses went over last week. We are driving with the family, including 2 cats, camping stuff for the first few days before Pickfords turn up with our furniture and an empty trailer which will go on the second 18.44 form, then the Pickfords people will have the third form for everything else. We've been having some help from PWC relocations people, so I'm hoping everything ties up!
Ah. That's good to know. Is there a time limit, as I do know I'll have to get it tested, insured and plated eventually.
Same as for importing a car, one year.
Tom
Fantastic. That takes the pressure off!
The temporary plate is not valid for use outside Switzerland... The insurance I believe...
If it's registered in the UK (or any country), why would he need a temporary plate?
Tom
This used to be correct:
British trailers are not registered, the owner orders a third number plate and the insurance is covered by the towing car insurance policy. If another car tows the trailer, the trailer number plate has to be changed to reflect the car's number.
He cannot easily drive into Switzerland with a Swiss car and a trailer with a UK numberplate, as he has no trailer registration and no insurance.
Normally he would probably not be checked, but if he is stopping at Swiss customs, the vehicle number is stated on the import forms, and chances are high they will notice the trailer vehicle is not registered.
Hi, I just sent you a message as I'm looking at bringing my horse box from the UK to CH.
So what exactly is the point of that, taking into account the last post by Hesh was nearly 2 years ago !
They never made it to Switzerland So we do not know how they finally tried to tow the trailer and how they sorted the license plate problem? Or did they just gave up? So many question so many mysteries.
I bet you're loads of fun to be around
People from the UK come here with caravans and stuff. I think this most likely means that in your first year you can bring the trailer using your UK car and insurance to tow it, but after that, you would need to bring the trailer over the border on a trailer, and do a formal import, using proof of purchase, receipt, etc. After you have been here for a year, you can't drive any UK registered vehicle here *AT ALL*, ever, or so it seems.
There are quite a few Ifor Williams horse boxes over here already. I quite fancy one myself They always look good behind a Land Rover.
As a Swiss resident you can not use (*) a foreign vehicle unless you have prior approval from Swiss customs. Regardless if you have been here less or more than one year. Such an approval is easy to get in case it is your own car and it is part of your household belonging which you move.
(*) Important distinction. There are situation where you drive but not actually use a vehicle in the customs law sense.
Also before you will have to do declare it and do the correct paperwork.