If you come from a country that has concluded an agreement with Switzerland to recognise its driving licences, you only have to submit the necessary documents and you will be given a Swiss driver’s licence. Contact the Road Traffic Licensing Department in the canton where you live, or look on the Internet, to find out what to do.

If you come from a country that has not signed an agreement with Switzerland to recognise its driving licences, you will have to pass a test drive or take a driving test again. It is worth taking a few driving lessons with a driving instructor in preparation.

You need a learner’s licence if you want to drive motor vehicles for the first time. This is issued by the Road Traffic Licensing Department in the canton where you are living once you have passed the theory test. A learner driver must be accompanied by a person who is 23 or older and who has held a valid full driver’s licence, not a provisional licence, for the appropriate category of vehicle for at least three years.