Vehicle registration plates of Switzerland

Vehicle license plates of Switzerland, are composed of a two-letter code for the canton and a number with up to 6 digits. The rear plates also display two shields with the flags of Switzerland and the respective canton. Since 1972, the sizes of the plates have been 300 x 80 mm (front) and 300 x 160 mm (rear). In 1987, the optional long format rear plates of 500 x 110 mm, which had been abolished in 1972, were reintroduced.[1]

Rear plate from Canton of St. Gallen, long format
Rear plate, Canton of Ticino, high format
Front plate, Thurgau

The vehicle license number plates are assigned to the car owner and not to the vehicle. If the owner changes the vehicle, the same vehicle license number plates are attached to the new vehicle. The previous vehicle receives the vehicle license number plates of the new owner. It is also possible to own two (or more) vehicles that share the vehicle license number plates: the plates are physically unmounted from one vehicle and mounted on another, provided the vehicles in question are owned by the same owner of the vehicle license number plate. These plates are known locally as "Wechselschilder". In some cantons, when vehicle license number plates are returned and retired, they are made available again after a certain time.

Canton codes

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Code Flag Canton
AG   Aargau
AI   Appenzell Innerrhoden
AR   Appenzell Ausserrhoden
BE   Bern
BL   Basel-Landschaft
BS   Basel-Stadt
FR   Fribourg
GE   Geneva
GL   Glarus
GR   Grisons
JU   Jura
LU   Lucerne
NE   Neuchâtel
NW   Nidwalden
OW   Obwalden
SG   St. Gallen
SH   Schaffhausen
SO   Solothurn
SZ   Schwyz
TG   Thurgau
TI   Ticino
UR   Uri
VD   Vaud
VS   Valais
ZG   Zug
ZH   Zürich

Until 2020, vehicles in the Italian enclave of Campione d'Italia were registered in Ticino, but are now to be registered in the Italian town of Como.[2][3]

Types

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Personalized plate "999999" from Canton of Graubünden
 
Old style rear plate, from Canton of Zürich
 
Old style tractor plate from Canton of St. Gallen
 
Control mark for temporary registrations
  Standard type for motor vehicles, motorcycles and trailers
  Utility vehicles e.g. for construction, snow removal, fire brigade etc.
  Exceptional vehicles that do not comply with mass and weight regulations
  Agricultural vehicles
  Military vehicles
  For vehicle dealers and workshops, additional letter "U"
  Temporary registration, with control mark showing the expiry date
  Temporary, duty unpaid, with control mark and letter "Z"
  Motorcycles and electric vehicles
  Light motor vehicles and small motorcycles limited to 45 km/h
  Mopeds and E-Bikes
  Segway vehicles
  Bicycle carriers, rear plate only

Diplomatic plates

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Consular plate, 38 = Iraq
UN Mission, 03 = WHO

Swiss diplomatic plates display one of the prefixes "CD", "CC" or "AT", followed by a canton code, a serial number and a code for the country or organization. Low serial numbers are reserved for ambassadors or the head of an organization and their deputies.

CD
  • Official cars of the diplomatic missions.
  • Motor vehicles of the members of the diplomatic staff of these missions .
CC
  • Vehicles of consular posts headed by a professional official.
  • Motor vehicles of consular officials.
CD
  • Vehicles of permanent missions or other representations to intergovernmental organizations and motor vehicles for the members of the diplomatic staff of these missions.
  • Vehicles of institutional beneficiaries such as intergovernmental organizations, international institutions, secretariats or other bodies set up under an international treaty, independent commissions, international courts, arbitral tribunals and other international bodies, who enjoy privileges, immunities and facilities, as well as the motor vehicles of the highest-ranking officials of these institutional beneficiaries, who enjoy diplomatic status in Switzerland.
AT
  • Vehicles belonging to members of the administrative and technical staff of diplomatic missions .

Codes

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Diplomatic Codes (UN Missions)[4]

01 – UN
02 – ILO
03 – WHO
04 – WMO
05 – ITU

06 – WIPO
07 – CERN
08 – WTO
09 – EFTA
010 – IOM

011 – IBE
012 – IPU
013 – ICDO
014 – APEF
015 – UPU

016 – OTIF
017 – ADB
018 – IHC
019 – WCED
020 – BIS

021 – ITCB
022 – SC
023 – ILC
024 – ACTED
025 – EC

026 – ICRC
027 – . . .
028 – . . .
029 – . . .
030 – IFRC

031 – ACWL
032 – OSCE
033 – WMO
034 – . . .
035 – GFATM
036 – . . .

Diplomatic Codes (Int. Organizations)

201 – EU
202 – OAS
203 – SICA
204 – SCI
205 – AGC
206 – OAU
207 – Commonwealth
208 – Arab League
209 – ATO
210 – IIDC

211 – OIC
212 – G-15
213 – OIF
214 – World Bank
215 – ACP
216 – (WTO)
217 – PIF

3xx – International Disarmament Talks ( xx = Country Code e.g. 309 = USA )
5xx – World Trade Organization (WTO) ( xx = Country Code e.g. 509 = USA )

Diplomatic Codes (Countries)

1   Vatican City
2   Canada
3   Sri Lanka
4   Australia
5   Iran
6   Spain
7   Israel
8   Kuwait
9   United States
10   Brazil
11   Mexico
12   Ireland
13   Japan
14   New Zealand
15   Liechtenstein
16   Monaco
17   South Africa
18   Egypt
19   Syria
20   Algeria
21   Argentina
22   Austria
23   Bolivia
24   Chile
25   Colombia
26   South Korea
27   Costa Rica
28   Ivory Coast
29   Cuba
30   Ecuador
31   Finland
32   France
33   Ghana
34   Guatemala
35   Haiti
36   India
37   Indonesia
38   Iraq
39   Italy
40   Lebanon
41   Panama
42   Peru
43   Philippines
44   Portugal
45   Tunisia

46   Turkey
47   Uruguay
48   Venezuela
49   Vietnam
50   Democratic Republic of the Congo
51   Germany
52   Nigeria
53   Pakistan
54   Bulgaria
55   China
56   Hungary
57   Poland
58   Romania
59   Serbia
60   Czech Republic
61   Saudi Arabia
62   Belgium
63   Denmark
64   Greece
65   Libya
66   Morocco
67   Norway
68   Netherlands
69   Sweden
70   Thailand
71   Jordan
72   United Kingdom
73   Russia
74   Luxembourg
75   Ethiopia
76   Dominican Republic
77   Paraguay
78   El Salvador
79   Chinese Taipei
80   Jamaica
81   San Marino
82   Trinidad and Tobago
83   Yemen
84   Gabon
85   Malaysia
86   Liberia
87   Sudan
88   Mongolia
89   Malta
90   Belarus

91   Ukraine
92   Iceland
93   Republic of the Congo
94   Chad
95   Myanmar
96   Senegal
97   Nicaragua
98   Fiji
99   Honduras
100   Bangladesh
101   Cambodia
102   North Korea
103   Benin
104   Cyprus
105   Singapore
106   Central African Republic
107   Qatar
108   Oman
109   Cameroon
110   Madagascar
111   Kenya
112   Somalia
113   United Arab Emirates
114   Tanzania
115   Burundi
116 . . . . (Yemen until 1990)
117   Nepal
118   Bahrain
119   Afghanistan
120   Rwanda
121   Bhutan
122   Guinea
123   Zimbabwe
124   Hong Kong
125   Albania
126   Brunei
127   Dominica
128   São Tomé and Príncipe
129   Equatorial Guinea
130   Belize
131   Mauritius
132   Kyrgyzstan
133   Slovenia
134   Croatia
135   Zambia

136   Bosnia and Herzegovina
137   Slovakia
138   Lithuania
139   Latvia
140   Jordan
141   Angola
142   North Macedonia
143   Gambia
144   Armenia
145   Estonia
146   Uganda
147   Kazakhstan
148   Eritrea
149   Georgia
150   Mauritania
151   Moldova
152   Azerbaijan
153   Lesotho
154   Barbados
155   Cape Verde
156   Mozambique
157   Andorra
158   Botswana
159   Mali
160   Uzbekistan
161   Burkina Faso
162   Namibia
163   Timor-Leste
164   Saint Kitts and Nevis
165   Eswatini
166   Djibouti
167   Maldives
168   Montenegro
169   Grenada
170   Niger
171   Tajikistan
172 . . . .
173   Kosovo
174   Palestine
175   Togo
176   Comoros
177   Turkmenistan
178 . . . .
179   Sierra Leone
180 . . . .
181   South Sudan

Obsolete types

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Administration, rear plate

Civilian Federal vehicles had registration plates composed of the Swiss shield followed by the letter "A" (short for "Administration") and a number with up to five digits. The first digit indicated the department. In 2004 these plates were replaced with normal cantonal plates.

  • A 1xxxx – Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
  • A 2xxxx – Federal Department of Home Affairs
  • A 3xxxx – Federal Department of Justice and Police
  • A 4xxxx – Federal Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sport
  • A 5xxxx – Federal Department of Finance
  • A 6xxxx – Federal Department of Economy
  • A 7xxxx – Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communication
 
PTT / SBB, rear plate

The Post, Telegraph and Telephone company (PTT) and the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) were part of the federal government until 1997/98. Their vehicles had registration plates composed of the Swiss coat followed by the letter "P" (short for "Post") and a number with up to five digits. When they became independent companies, the P-plates were replaced with cantonal plates in 2004.

  • P 1xxxx to P 7xxxx were attributed to PTT
  • P 8xxxx to P 9xxxx were attributed to SBB

References

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  1. ^ "Swiss License-Plates". www.license-plates.ch.
  2. ^ Campione, niente targhe svizzere dal 1° gennaio, La Regione, 29 September 2019
  3. ^ Altra beffa per Campione d’Italia, chiude l’ufficio postale svizzero: una conseguenza dell’ingresso nell’area Ue Archived 2019-11-19 at the Wayback Machine, Corriere di Como, 18 November 2019
  4. ^ "Diplomaten-Codes". www.license-plates.ch.
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