Vehicle registration plates of Switzerland
Swiss car number plates consist of a two letter code for the canton followed by up to 6 numerical digits. The rear plates also contain small shields representing the flags of Switzerland and the canton. For official vehicles, the two letter code is replaced by a one letter code, A, P or M, meaning respectively Federal Administration, Public Authorities (such as Railroads) or Postal Service, and Military. The front numberplate is a smaller version with the same code as the rear.
Cantons
| 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 |  | Graubünden |
| JU |  | Jura |
| LU |  | Lucerne |
| NE |  | Neuchâtel |
| NW |  | Nidwalden |
| OW |  | Obwalden |
| SG |  | St. Gallen |
| SH |  | Schaffhausen |
| SO |  | Solothurn |
| SZ |  | Schwyz |
| TG |  | Thurgau |
| TI |  | Ticino and Campione d'Italia (Italy) |
| UR |  | Uri |
| VD |  | Vaud |
| VS |  | Valais |
| ZG |  | Zug |
| ZH |  | Zürich |
Colors
In most cantons, it is possible to find any license plate with the same number in different colors. The colors are different kinds of use or vehicle types.
- Blue: Utility vehicle
- Brown: Except vehicles
- Yellow: Small motorcycles and light motor vehicles
- Green: Agricultural vehicles
- White: Motor vehicles, motorcycles, small three-wheeled vehicles and trailers.
- Black: Military vehicles (instead of the two-letter abbreviation Canton is "M +" for "military", missing the cantonal shield)
Special uses
- U - Dealer plate
- Z - Import plate (Limited validity)
- V - Rental plate (No longer used)
- Year bands - Temporary plate
Only official car dealer / car repair companies can use the "U" plates. Usually they use this plate for only a few days on one vehicle. This "U" plate can be used on trucks and cars no matter what engine power or pollution rating the vehicle has. The plate can be placed on the standard position as like a car plate is based on a vehicle, but it is also possible to fix it with a magnetic device on the hood and on the vehicle's rear. Because of a European regulation (identification as a rental car should not be possible for everyone), the plates with the "V" are no longer in use. Today, rental cars usually have common car plates with the canton codes VD or AI. Temporary duty unpaid vehicles use "Z" plates and year band while Temporary duty paid plate have year band on the right.
Military vehicles
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Military vehicles (Vehicles of the Army and government vehicles the Department of Defense), vehicles of the Border Guard, the Customs investigation authorities and the Swiss Army by road traffic and shipping offices of the Army (SVSAA) with military license plates registered (article 28 paragraph 1 VFBF). This flag bears the Swiss coat followed by an "M" (short for "Military") and the number of white characters on a black background. The M numbers are assigned according to vehicle type and procurement tranche and are continuously in sourcing series. e.g. Pz87 (Leopard 2):
- First Series 35 pcs: M77101 to M77135
- Second Series 120 pcs: M77136 to 77255
- Third Series 225 pcs: M77256 to 77480
- Entpannungspanzer 65 69Stk: M78631 to M78699
For each prototype, the number 0 is used in the first place according to the M, both in vehicles, the Swiss army found (e.g. Entpannungspanzer prototype 65, M0870), as well as in vehicles which are not in any of the series (e.g. 35mm Kan flab Pz B22L, M0888 and M0889, or M0872 M0898 M0899 tank gun 68) the sign looks like the Vehicle registration plates of Liechtenstein, but which bears the coat of arms: a prince and the abbreviation "FL".
Deprecated types
A plates
Civilian Federal vehicles were the Swiss shield followed by "A" (short for "Administration") and the number of black characters on a white background. They wore no cantonal shield. The first digit of the five digit number was for the department to which the vehicle belongs to. These codes are no longer used. The official agencies now receive regular Canton flags. The sole exception being the Defense and Swiss Army within the VBS, which use the army numbers with Swiss coat and white "M" on a black background. Series of numbers:
- A = 1XXXXX
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
- A = 2XXXXX
Federal Department of Home Affairs
- A = 3XXXXX
Federal Department of Justice and Police
- A = 4XXXXX
Federal Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sport
- A = 5XXXXX
Federal Department of Finance
- A = 6XXXXX
Federal Department of Economy
- A = 7XXXXX
DETEC Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communication
P plates
Postal, Telegraph and Telephone (PTT) and the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) were part of the 1997/98 federal government, their vehicles, the Swiss coat followed by a "P" (short for "Post") and the number of black characters on a white, yellow or blue backgrounds. The Post and SBB remained after the independence of the federal authorities and the P-plates are used to this day, however, the vehicles of the telecom sector, the first from January 1998 were partially privatized by Swisscom, which immediately switch on cantonal license plates.
- P = 1XXXX to 7xxxx
Swiss Post
- P = 8xxxx to 9xxxx
Swiss Federal Railways All vehicles of Postal and Federal Railways have been updated to 31 December 2003 and converted to normal cantonal signs. Responsible for the issue is the Road Traffic Office in which the canton is the respective agency has its headquarters.
Diplomatic plates
Vehicles by members of the Diplomatic and Consular Corps and several international organizations enter the location of the embassy or the consulate State issued license plate on the model (Article 84 paragraph 4 and 86 VZV).
- Character "CD" on a green background:
- Official car of the diplomatic missions
- Motor vehicles of members of the diplomatic staff of the missions
- Characters "CC" on a green background:
- Official car, headed by a career consular officials
- Motor vehicles of biometrics
Separate suffix "CC" for a maximum of one car every honorary head of post of a consular post, which the Federal Council has given the exequatur. The vehicle pass should in such cases have the words "approved CC characters."
- Character "CD" on a blue background:
Company car permanent missions or other representations to intergovernmental organizations, and motor vehicles of members of the diplomatic staff of the missions
- Official car institutional beneficiaries as intergovernmental organizations, international institutions, secretariats or other established by an international treaty bodies, independent commissions, international courts, tribunals and other international bodies (Article 2 para 1 lit. A, B, I, J, K, L, and M are the Host State Act), the privileges, immunities and facilities, as well as motor vehicles of the highest-ranking officials of the institutional beneficiaries who have a diplomatic status in Switzerland.
- Characters "AT" on a green background:
- unknown
The characters "CD", "CC" and "AT" are followed by the Canton shortcuts and two numbers separated by a space of the second digit which indicates the block and sending the first block is a sequence number for the vehicles of that state.
The diplomatic plates reflect the mission to which that particular plate has been assigned. For example, CD VD 79 035, would be a CD plate, from Canton Vaud, for a diplomat who belongs to the international organisation 035. The number 79 is a sequence number within the same organisation. The first numbers of the serial number are reserved for the head of the agency or organization and his deputies. Second numbers of serial number are where country he registered to:
External links
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Media related to License plates of Switzerland at Wikimedia Commons
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