Expat Services Car Import Guide

Expat Services runs a practical guide aimed specifically at people who have just moved to Switzerland and want to register their car. It covers the sequence of steps: customs clearance first, then an emissions test at an authorised garage (around CHF 100), then the cantonal motor vehicle inspection (around CHF 60), and finally registration at the cantonal road traffic office.

The guide distinguishes between new vehicles (which must be registered within one month of arrival in Switzerland) and used ones (which have a one-year window). That distinction matters because missing the deadline for a new car carries different penalties than waiting out the grace period for a used one.