Driving from France into Switzerland in 2026: latest sticker requirements

Drivers crossing the border from France into Switzerland are being reminded to update their ‘motorway sticker’, an annual requirement for all vehicles driving on the country’s major roads.

The ‘vignette autoroutière’ is a sticker that all vehicles less than 3.5 tonnes must purchase annually if they want to drive on Switzerland’s motorway network or certain other major roads. 

A map of roads is available here. 

Drivers passing through the Rheinfelden, Kreuzlingen, and Basel / Saint-Louis border points but leaving the motorway on the first exit to drive on smaller local roads are exempt from the requirement.

The sticker essentially functions as a form of road tax, and needs to be re-purchased each year (or bought for the first time if you have never driven on the roads before). 

It is required for drivers including tourists passing through on a one-off basis, as well as those who live in a neighbouring country but use the road network (for example if they live in France but work in Switzerland).

Vehicles weighing above 3.5 tonnes are exempt, but must pay a separate mandatory heavy vehicle tax.

How does it work and where can I buy a sticker? 

The sticker lasts until January 31 of the following year (so currently until January 31, 2027), meaning all vehicles need the next vignette from February 1 each year.

New vignettes can be purchased from December 1 onwards to cover the next 14 months, so there is a period of overlap between annual stickers.

You can either buy a physical version of the sticker to attach to your windscreen, available at Swiss Post Offices, service stations, and some border checkpoints.

You can also order a physical version from the Swiss Post Office website to be delivered but this is limited to Swiss addresses.

Alternatively, you can purchase an electronic version via the official government website. 

It costs 40 Swiss francs (around €43), the same price as in 2025. 

Note the sticker applies to a specific vehicle, and cannot be used by different vehicles (be it the electronic or physical version). 

Once it is assigned to a certain vehicle, it remains linked to it for the remaining year. 

Failure to have a sticker, or a sticker placed incorrectly on your vehicle (not on the windscreen, or if for a towed vehicle not on the towing vehicle windscreen), leads to the risk of a 200 Swiss franc fine (around €215) and the requirement to purchase one at the next available location.