Aie, aie,aie...! Have you any "protection juridique"?

If you are a memeber of TCS, try get in contact with them, they have very proper one! They will tell tell you if there's any chance to avoid paying the ticket..! Hope it helps,

Cheers,

Probably a capital punishment.

Hi Osman, Driving without a valid driver's license is a very serious offense in Switzerland and can have very serious consequences, both direct & indirect. I happened to meet one person, who'd been fired from his job. This was because he'd drove between office locations, without having a valid license.

The Swiss authorities can come down pretty hard on defaulters in a case like this, as it shows total disregard for the processes, rules and laws that they've struggled to put in place for themselves (and everyone else who comes to their country). 

The only way to reduce the impact would be on - humanitarian grounds. That is, if you could prove that the reason you were driving was due to an emergency - a life or death situation. If that was really not the case; just own up, accept the judgment & pay the fine. If the penalty's hard on you, explain your position, but do not, for any reason - attempt to trivialize the offence in front of them, deny having committed it or worse, plead ignorant. 

It could always be worse, if you'd hurt someone or yourself. A car is similar to a loaded gun - one can kill others and even oneself, due to no error on one's own part. So, if in doubt - Do NOT drive.

But then, I'm no expert on Swiss or European road safety, so you can choose to ignore all I've written. :) Bon courage! 

Osman,

Maybe you can play with the dates of your arrival. When have you officially arrived in CH? Is your rent starting at that same time? Is there anything that shows less than a year? 

Other idea: get you license NOW, if they let you keep your foreign one, apply for and pass your CH license (is it eligible for a simple equivalency transfer?), and have it for the judgement, it could help show your willingness to become legal again. 

Basically your fault is to have forgotten to get your CH license. It doesn't mean that you DON'T have one, as you were allowed to drive with your foreign one for a year and didn't get in trouble during that time. It should not be as serious as if you didn't have one at all. 

Hope this helps a bit, Patrick

I agree in principle with the last post, you "just" forgot to get your CH licence. An annoying question could be, why did you have an international driving licence and perhaps you can provide a good answer. 

I am not sure that not knowing would be a good way out. Not realising that there is a 1 year time limit might be a better answer. I would recommend being totally polite and understanding, or apologetic with the authorities. On the thorny side, it is technically not possible to transfer your DL to a Swiss one once the 12 months have elapsed. However, Geneva is or used to be more flexible than other cantons because of its expatriat crowd. Do your best to ask to be able to transfer your DL immediately and not go through theory, driving school (am not sure if mandatory if over 25), etc. (nightmare for someone who knows how to drive, I know...). 

Bottom line, show that you are just horrified by your error and need help to conform to the law as soon as possible. Don't wait for the judgement, take steps one. The Service des automobiles might be able to help you if you call.

Good luck.

Take steps immediately is what I tried to write not "steps one" ?!

Don't fight the system. Just take responsiblity for a minor mess up. If you live in Geneva you don't need the right to drive. It's only when you go for adventures outside the city that you need to drive. 

I haven't looked up the penalty for the offence but I assume you won't suffer too much. 

No biggy. Max a 250CHF fine and they will force you to change the driving licence. Maybe with a suspension of your actual driver's licence for a month (that's what I got once)

hi,

thx 4 ur time.. i hope i dont suffer too much :)

thx alot,

i wish only capital judment... cheers

BTW, where does one go to get Swiss driving licence?

http://www.ge.ch/san/

I hope you read French.

I had been told I "HAD" to exchange my mexican driving license within the first year of arrival in Switzerland but, of course, I forgot to do so. I panicked after reading this posts and went to the Office of Automobiles and Navigation just to find out that I don’t have to exchange anything as long as I’m the holder of a “carte de legitimation”... just for your info.

Not sure about that Tezcatl!

I even had to pass a 2 phases test (as I was a young driver) before they converted my German driving licence in an unlimited Swiss one.

http://www.comparis.ch/immigration/welcome-checklist.pdf

†

. Driving licence and car admission

. 12 months if you bring your used car in the

country from abroad

. 1 month if the car is newly bought

Echange d'un permis de conduire étranger

Opération

Documents à présenter

http://www.ge.ch/san/permis-de-conduire-et-permis-d-eleve/welcome.asp?rubrique=echange-d-un-permis-de-conduire-etranger&titre=Echange_d__un_permis_de_conduire_etranger

N.B. Le conducteur doit se présenter personnellement aux guichets du service des permis de conduire.

(Sorry, just saw that Catalin had already posted the link above)

You owe me a beer

People what do you do when your mother is not around to look after you ???

Seriously, if you are at all awake, over the age of 18, you know you have one year to change your diver's license.

JUST DO IT (as our friends from Nike say)

There are no excuses. Frankly the authorities should fine you CHF 1'000 for wasting their time.

Osman's lack of reply suggests he may have gotten the capital punishment indeed.

last visit July 22nd. RIP our friend

Perhaps he only got the pranger -- a position that makes difficult accessing the Internet.

P.S. Tezcatl is right.  If you work for an International Organization and have the status of international civil servant (and thus a carte de légitimation), you do not need to switch your foreign driving license for a Swiss one.  Also, your car does not need to pass the antipollution test every other year.

Not necesarily. I was there yestereday and I need to exchange my permit even if I have carte de legitimation, as I do not have diplomatic imunity. I guess it depends on the type of status. 

Also, the OCAN (ex SAN) does not mind changing your permit any time, even if 1 year has elapsed, they can do it anytime. It is only the police who will fine you if the find you driving with non-Swiss permit after you have resided in Switzerland for one year. 

Plus depending on the country the original driving licence is from, you may or may not to have to take driving lessons and test. 

What I was told at OCAN is pretty much consistent with what is on their website, as well as what is on the Angloinfo website about exchanging foreign permits (I mean driving licence). 

All international civil servants have diplomatic immunity (and from this, the privileges above, plus other privileges e.g. not to have to pay taxes on your salary).  But yes, it depends on your contract.  You may work for an International Organization and not have this status. 

According to what they told me at OCAN, they will not give you trouble, they are happy to do it an time. And charge you a lot (for me about 300 CHF for the whole process when I already have a valid permit is a lot), and you may be obliged to take a driving course and a driving test.

After reading this a few days ago I went to the Office Cantonale des Automobiles, and they told me that people who are in Switzerland with certain "cartes de legitimation" do not need to get a Swiss driver's license. GOOD NEWS!

Here is the breakdown of the Permits that are exempt from exchanging the permit:

http://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/fr/home/topics/intorg/un/unge/gepri/manveh/manve6.html

You are wrong about the last part.  Many people at CERN, working in IT and in other departments, are international civil servants - or, as said in French, fonctionnaires internationaux.  As such, they do not necessarily own a diplomatic passport (they keep their national one) but are given a carte de légitimation which states clearly in the back that the holder benefits from legal immunity.  The other privileges mentioned earlier are an additional bonus.

(There are also drawbacks.  Former international civil servants are not entitled to unemployment benefits, since they did not pay taxes on their salary; and a car registered under diplomatic status has legal limitations concerning who can drive it and how it can be sold.)

Again, not everyone that works for CERN or for other International Organizations has diplomatic immunity; whether this is true or not is specified on one's contract - and on the back of one's carte de légitimation.

Meli,

I changed mine after 3 years without any problems. But if you don't want to risk it, you can always go to another city to get it done... ; )

Good luck,

Andras

Hi

same thing happened to me last week...Caught by the police driving with without a valid swiss license. Now I am waiting for the judgement. Has anyone had experience with this and what can i expect as the penalty....

Thanks 

we got the fine for the same reason: 50CH or 1 day in prison :)

did you have to do a driving test when changing it over?

For a B-permit holder, is the deadline 12 months? Can anyone shed light on this?

yes its 12mnths.....After that period your drivers license becomes invalid and you need a swiss one.....

I agree with this guy...u r talking about fines ? I don't know how can one fine you more than what your life already has.....,by giving you less brain cells.

Why in the world you would drive a car without a license ? And put not only your life but others in danger too. In my 8 years in Switzerland i have never been stopped by Police and u manage to drive without a license n get caught tells how much u suck at driving.

I say get yourself admitted for Pyhc evaluation ...that will get you out because they cant fine insane ppl. 

hi All,

i have started  this conversation 2 years ago and i am still suffering. unfortunately i have a huge know how :( let me share all my experiences:

1) ur non swiss driving licence is valid 12 months after you arrive switzerland.

in that 12 months everthing is ok.

2) after 12 months u have got ONE AND ONLY RIGHT to have a driving (not written) test to pass.  if you pass. u r absoultly OK !!!!! everyting is good. u r COOL !!!

to pass that exam u MUST MUST take private driving  courses before the exam. because

a)rules are differnt and very strict

b)you private teacher comes to exam with u and they know the police officiers very well and can influance or manipulate  them. `` hey police officer osman is a good guy. he had 3 lessons from me, please help him to pass the test bla bla bla

c) the  insructors and the exam officers are from sme group. if they know that u r a serious person, and u have already paid 300-400 chf to the system u pass :)

BUT

if u do the same mistake like me...  SO STUPID I AM..  and trust yourself without taking any private driving lesson !!!  then most probably u fail in the first trial. because u can not know all the requirements in the exam. ( i had been driving in swizterland for 1 year when I failed in the driving test).

when u fail... U R IN A BIG BIG TROUBLE. u r .ucked !!!

1) u sign a paper and u agree that u will not drive until u get a valid license from Swiss authorties. ( if u continue to drive and if u cought by police like me u pay a huge penalty .. 3.500 CHF !!!!! + 12 months no driving penalty.) the judge said if i drive again i go to jail directly

2) to get a valid swiss driving license after u fail u have to satrt the process like a 18 years old young swiss

1)fist aid couse of 10-16 hours . in french but there is no exam. u pay, u listen 16 hours and u pass

2)u have to pass a WRITTEN driving test of 40 questions. in genava if i am not wrong only in french, german or italian.  (in BERN there is a english one)

3)u finish a 8 hours sensibilation course. (no exam, u attend the classes pay and pass)

4) u must take private driving courses. 100 chf / hour

5)u must PASS the driving test. a harder one than u had failed in the past.

u must get 95 out of 100

i strictly recommend to take private driving lessons before u try  one and only first exam to pass..

i did not take courses, i trusted myself so much, failed, continued to drive, cought by police, paid 3.500 chf. waited 12 months for a new attend. then step by step i have finished all the steps and thank god i have a valid driving license...  (by the way thanks god the judge forgiven my 3.500 chf with some compulsary actioans from me and i did not pay 3.500 chf but me and my lawyer wrote a honest letterto judge. i was very lucky since the judge was a nice person. i used my last chance he gave me and took the driving licence withot paying 3.500 chf, i only paid 500 chf.) 

PS: amounts are peanlties are subject to change and depends on annual income

pls do NOT underestimate this driving licence process, i suffered 2 years :(

good luck. if u have more questions please contact me....

best regards

Osman

Site admins - Can you please make this a kind of Sticky - Just please just f*cking change your dring license within a month when you arrive here! It's easy - it's simple - and you don't need your mommy to hold your hand.. Ow - Yeah.. you need to pay Billag.. Live with it!

Martin - Grow the hell up. These forums are not your personal email folders. If you dont like it, simply dont click on it/comment on it. People come from many different places and have many different experiences of geneva and switzerland. It's not unthinkable that someone doesnt know about the licence situation in the same way that I could easily go one year without having to hear from a judgemental a** like you. People are here for information and a community, not for people to tell them that they f***ed up and should be more mature. I assume you have never made a mistake in your life, which I can already tell is not true as you come across as a complete douche, unless that was what you were going for, in which case, hats off to you for hitting the bullseye. Thank you for adding to the conversation.

thank you for your kind response Farzam ( to Martin )

Martin i do not know you goal in this  life but good luck. you will need it...

Silly little men.... Somebody tells someone that he's an *ss.. a douche... and in the same line tells them to grow up... You have just proven my point. If you would give info, you would have had enough with 2 lines... if you want attention on the other hand, why not give a little speech on your soapbox on place mollard... Good luck guys. 

martin,  u are awesome.. i wish  u did not  consider  these forums as world war 3 or opurtinity to satisfy your looser character.  take it easy mate...  

Again a personal insult Osman... I leave it at this  . Ps.. .it's Opportunity.... you are welcome.  and good luck with your driving license... Though my opinion is that one needs a certain IQ to operate something as dangerous as a car... 

Osman, Martin, Sami: pls stop with the personal insults. You've all made your points, let's move back on topic. If there's more personal insults, the person who posts them will be suspended.

Thanks,

Nir, glocals admin

Can we please close the discussion. This is not a forum about who's the smartest. Thanks! 

cool, thank you

Pobrably one of the most sensible responses. Thanks you restore my faith in humanity. 

Probably one of the most sensible reponses. Thank you. You restored my faith in humanity. Everyone makes mistakes you just have to learn from it. 

Very rude and unneccesary. He learned from his mistake

Glad to hear everything went well and you learned from the whole process. I learned so much!