Swiss Moving Truck and Lorry Rules: Heavy Vehicle Fee, Night Ban and Vignette
Moving trucks in Switzerland meet a distance-based heavy vehicle fee, a night and Sunday driving ban, and fixed size and weight limits, while vans and cars need a motorway vignette. This page reports what the federal texts say, with the dates we read them and what we could not read.
A few short questions. Nothing is sent until you check and confirm.
Which Swiss rules can affect a moving truck?
Four sets of federal rules touch a lorry or van on a Swiss road. A heavy vehicle fee (LSVA, in French RPLP, in Italian TTPCP) is charged by distance. A driving ban covers nights, Sundays and some holidays. Size and weight limits are fixed in law. A vignette covers lighter vehicles on motorways.
This site is an introduction service, not a removal firm. A removal company in our partner network picks up your enquiry. It assesses the load and gives its own quotation.
The points below come from the Federal Customs and Border Security Office (BAZG), the Federal Roads Office (ASTRA), the text of three federal ordinances on the Fedlex site, the canton of Uri’s road operator and the ch.ch government portal, all read on 31 October 2026. Rates and bans are revised from time to time, so use this page to prepare questions for the removal company and not as legal advice.
Who has to pay the Swiss heavy vehicle fee?
The BAZG (opens in a new window) says the fee must be paid for every vehicle and trailer, registered in Switzerland or abroad, with a permitted total weight above 3.5 tonnes that is used for goods transport and drives in the Swiss customs territory. It depends on the kilometres driven there, the weight and the emission level.
For foreign vehicles, the BAZG guideline R 15-02 (dated 1 December 2025) says liability starts when the vehicle enters the customs territory and ends when it leaves. The keeper is liable and, for a foreign vehicle, the driver too. Vehicles must use the border crossings the BAZG designates, and unstaffed crossings are in principle closed to fee-liable traffic.
The ordinance lists the vehicles it covers, and a lorry above 3.5 tonnes is among them. The list of exempt vehicles, in article 2 of the heavy vehicle fee ordinance (opens in a new window) (version of 1 January 2026), names army, civil protection, police, ambulance, agricultural, electric and some other vehicles. It does not name removal vehicles.
What is the 2026 rate and how is it worked out?
Article 8 of the ordinance, in the version of 1 January 2026, sets the charge per kilometre and per tonne of relevant weight at 3.26 rappen for category 1, 2.82 rappen for category 2 and 2.39 rappen for category 3. Category 3 is Euro VI or later. If a vehicle cannot be proven to be in category 2 or 3, category 1 applies.
The relevant weight is the maximum permitted total weight entered in the vehicle registration document, which for foreign vehicles is read under Swiss road law. For a combination it is the sum of the weights, never more than 40 tonnes. These rates are in force since 1 January 2025, when the Federal Council raised the fee by 5 percent for inflation, according to the BAZG.
- The formula.
Kilometres driven in Switzerland, times relevant weight in tonnes, times the rate for the emission category.
- The BAZG example.
100 km with an 18 tonne vehicle in Euro 6 gives 100 x 18 x 2.39 = CHF 43.02.
- The guideline example.
100 km at the 40 tonne cap in Euro 6 gives 40 x 100 x 2.39 = CHF 95.60.
The guideline points readers to lsva.ch for the current tariff, and that site needs a browser for its tariff page, so the figures here come from the ordinance text and the BAZG pages instead.
How does a foreign truck register and pay for the fee?
Distance should be recorded by an on-board unit from an approved provider, which the BAZG’s guideline calls a vehicle-side recording system. It names a national electronic service (NETS) for Swiss kilometres only and a European one (EETS) that also covers other countries’ tolls. Provider choice and price are between the keeper and the provider.
- NETS.
A foreign keeper registers in the Swiss federal e-portal as a business partner, records the vehicle there and instructs a provider. The BAZG invoices directly. The national provider supplies a basic unit free of charge, according to the BAZG’s provider page.
- EETS.
For a foreign-registered vehicle, the provider bills the fee, not the BAZG.
- No unit: the manual service (NMTS).
A foreign vehicle without a unit logs its kilometres in the BAZG’s online shop. The BAZG says to register up to five days before entry, and the entry can be changed or cancelled until the vehicle enters.
For the manual service, the driver or office enters the entry and exit points and the distance from the shop’s route planner, then the combined weight from the registration documents, up to 40,000 kg. Payment is by card, and cash is possible only at staffed crossings. The BAZG says the ticket need not be shown at the border, because the electronic registration counts.
If a unit fails, the driver records the kilometres by hand. For a foreign vehicle the guideline says the BAZG refuses entry or the driver must register the trip in the manual service.
When is a truck banned from Swiss roads?
ASTRA (opens in a new window) says Switzerland has a general Sunday and night driving ban, with the night running from 22:00 to 05:00. It applies to vehicles above 3.5 tonnes permitted total weight, articulated units above 5 tonnes and vehicles towing a trailer above 3.5 tonnes.
Article 91 of the road traffic ordinance (version of 1 October 2026) adds the holidays. The Sunday ban applies on all Sundays and on New Year, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Ascension, Whit Monday, 1 August, Christmas and 26 December, with 26 December counted unless Christmas falls on a Monday or Friday. A canton that does not keep one of these days is also exempt from the ban that day.
The text does not give hours for the Sunday ban, so we state none. For the border and customs side of the same dates, our Swiss customs page covers customs closures, and for the German end see moving from Switzerland to Germany.
Is a removal truck exempt from the night and Sunday ban?
The exemption list in article 91a, as of 1 October 2026, names passenger transport, farm and forestry vehicles, emergency services, certain food, live-animal and perishable-goods transport, newspapers, road works and a few other uses. It does not name household removals. We found no source that says a house move is exempt, so plan on the ban applying.
Article 92 allows a special permit when a trip on a Sunday or at night is urgent and cannot be avoided by organisation or by another means of transport, on the shortest route. The permit is issued by the canton where the vehicle is registered or the trip starts and applies to the whole country. ASTRA says the canton of entry handles trips arriving from abroad, and requests go through an online portal that needs an AGOV login.
Whether a particular move would count as urgent is the canton’s decision, and we did not find a published example for removals. Ask the removal company how it schedules around 22:00 to 05:00, Sundays and the holidays above.
What size and weight limits apply to Swiss trucks?
The vehicle technical requirements ordinance (VTS, in French OETV), in the version of 1 October 2026, caps a motor lorry at 12.00 metres long, 2.55 metres wide (2.60 for temperature-controlled vehicles) and 4.00 metres high. The ordinance sets the limits for vehicles on Swiss roads, and foreign vehicles are measured against Swiss road law for the fee.
- Two axles.
Total weight up to 18 tonnes.
- Three axles.
Up to 25 tonnes, or 26 tonnes with the specified drive-axle fitting.
- Four axles.
Up to 32 tonnes.
- More than four axles.
Up to 40 tonnes, and 44 tonnes in unaccompanied combined transport.
Those are the limits for a single motor lorry. The limits for trailer and semi-trailer combinations were left unread, so the removal company should confirm how its vehicle is plated. The 40 tonne figure also appears in the fee rules as the cap on weight used for the charge.
What applies in the Gotthard road tunnel?
The canton of Uri’s road operator (opens in a new window) describes the 16.9 km tunnel as two-way traffic in a single tube, with a strict overtaking ban. A metering system limits how many vehicles enter: at most 1,000 cars and between 60 and 150 lorries per hour and direction.
The same page gives a clear height of 4.50 metres and asks lorries and buses to keep 150 metres from the vehicle ahead. It says a second tube is planned to open around mid-2029, after which the old tube will be renovated, and that the metering stays. Its Truckinfo map on closures and queues needs a browser, so it went unread.
We found no current official page for the San Bernardino tunnel, so we state nothing about it. For the Italian side and the Brenner, Mont Blanc and Fréjus routes, our Italy lorry bans guide sets out what applies.
Does a van or car need a Swiss motorway vignette?
Yes, if it is up to 3.5 tonnes. ch.ch (opens in a new window) lists cars, motorcycles, trailers, caravans, vans and campers up to 3.5 tonnes for Swiss motorways and expressways. Goods vehicles above 3.5 tonnes pay the heavy vehicle fee instead and need no vignette.
- Price and term.
CHF 40. The vignette runs from 1 December of the previous year to 31 January of the next, so the 2026 vignette is valid from 1 December 2025 to 31 January 2027, per ch.ch.
- Two forms.
The BAZG offers an e-vignette tied to the number plate, bought at e-vignette.ch, or an adhesive sticker from motoring clubs abroad.
- Trailers.
The BAZG guideline R 15-01 says trailers up to 3.5 tonnes need their own vignette.
- The penalty.
ch.ch says driving without one costs CHF 200, and you must buy the vignette on top of that.
The BAZG advises buying it before you enter Switzerland. For a car you are bringing, see our guide to shipping a car abroad.
What should you ask your removal company?
Raise these five points when the quotation arrives and ask for replies in writing, so a later change of vehicle or date can be compared with the original answer. Ban hours and holidays turn on the exact day, so also give the removal company your full Swiss address and the date you want.
- Weight.
Is the vehicle above 3.5 tonnes, and what is its plated weight and emission class?
- Fee.
Does it carry an on-board unit, or will the trip be registered in the manual service, and who pays?
- Timing.
Does the plan avoid 22:00 to 05:00, Sundays and the Swiss holidays, or is a permit being sought?
- Route.
Will it use the Gotthard, and does the plan allow for metering delays?
- Vans.
If a smaller vehicle makes the trip, has the vignette been bought?
What we could not read
The lsva.ch tariff page and the Gotthard Truckinfo map need a browser and went unread. We found no current official page on the San Bernardino tunnel. Also unread are the limits for lorry and trailer combinations, hours for the Sunday ban, and any ruling on whether a house move qualifies for a night or Sunday permit.
For Swiss guides beyond lorries, use the Switzerland removals hub.
Questions about Swiss lorry rules and the heavy vehicle fee
Does a moving truck pay the Swiss heavy vehicle fee?
A lorry above 3.5 tonnes used for goods transport pays it, foreign-registered or not, for the kilometres driven in Switzerland.
The ordinance’s exempt list does not name removal vehicles. Ask the removal company how it registers.
How much is the Swiss heavy vehicle fee per kilometre?
It depends on weight and emissions.
The ordinance in force on 1 January 2026 sets 2.39 rappen per kilometre and tonne for Euro VI vehicles, and the BAZG’s example is CHF 43.02 for 100 km at 18 tonnes.
Can a foreign truck register for the Swiss fee without a device?
Yes.
The BAZG’s manual service takes a registration online up to five days before entry, and card payment is advised. The device route needs registration in the federal e-portal.
Can a removal truck drive in Switzerland at night or on Sunday?
ASTRA says vehicles above 3.5 tonnes face a ban from 22:00 to 05:00 and on Sundays and some holidays.
We found no removal exemption. A special permit is possible for urgent trips that cannot be avoided.
Do I need a vignette for a van or car in Switzerland?
For vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes, yes.
It costs CHF 40 and the 2026 vignette runs to 31 January 2027. Driving without one costs CHF 200 plus the vignette, per ch.ch.
Tell us about your move to Switzerland
Send your UK postcode, the Swiss town or region you are heading for and the dates you prefer. A full Swiss address helps if you already have one, since night and holiday bans and the choice of route turn on where and when the lorry arrives.
About International Removals Companies
International Removals Companies is an enquiry and introduction service run by DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, in partnership with AGM Group. We don't move goods ourselves: the removal company quotes for your move and carries it out, so check its credentials and terms before you book. Our service is free. Discuss the quotation and booking terms directly with the removal company.
- Email[email protected]
- In partnership withAGM Group (agm.group)