As set out in the Ordinance on the Authorisation of Persons and Vehicles for Road Traffic Purposes, plates with the abbreviation 'CD' (corps diplomatique) are intended for:
- service vehicles of diplomatic missions, permanent missions or delegations and vehicles belonging to diplomatic staff members;
- service vehicles of international organisations and vehicles of the highest-ranking international civil servants.
'CD' plates or ordinary plates
Permanent missions or delegations, international organisations and members of their staff holding an FDFA legitimation card type B or C (full diplomatic status) must register all their vehicles with CD plates (blue for permanent missions and international organisations and green for embassies in Bern). Beneficiaries of diplomatic status are required to register their vehicles in their own name and not via third-party companies offering vehicle subscription or registration services.
There are no CD plates for motorbikes, which must be registered with ordinary plates.
The vehicles of staff members who do not have full diplomatic status (holders of FDFA legitimation cards other than B or C) are to be registered with ordinary plates.
'AT' plates are intended only for vehicles belonging to members of the administrative and technical staff of diplomatic missions in Bern. The cars of members of the administrative and technical staff of the permanent missions in Geneva must be registered with ordinary plates.
Obtaining number plates
Plates must be ordered directly from the competent authority in the canton of residence: either the 'Office cantonal des véhicules' (OCV) in Geneva or the 'Service des automobiles et de la navigation' (SAN) in the canton of Vaud – see links below. A fee of CHF 160 is charged for the issue of the vehicle licence and number plates.
Documents to be provided (by post or at the counter):
- application form for CD plates (see PDF 'Documents' below) or application form for registration (ordinary plates – see OCV or SAN website)
- copy of both sides of the FDFA legitimation card
Documents to be presented at the counter to collect the plates:
- confirmation of third-party liability insurance, to be requested from the insurance company
- original vehicle licence or expert's report (original form 13.20A)
If the plates are CD, the applicant will be informed by email when they can be collected (usually takes ten working days). Ordinary number plates are provided directly at the counter when the application is made.
International civil servants and members of staff of permanent missions resident in France will not be issued with Swiss number plates (neither diplomatic nor ordinary).
Returning the plates
When leaving Switzerland at the end of one's posting or when changing one's status (acquiring or losing full diplomatic status), it is imperative that the number plates and vehicle licence be returned to the authority that issued them or to the nearest Swiss representation (embassy or consulate).
Holders of CD plates are granted a courtesy period of no more than three months, after which time fees and charges will be invoiced and the plates reported to the police for seizure.
If you move from one canton to another, you have 14 days to return your number plates and inform the relevant authority of your new address.
Vehicles registered abroad
Once the customs import formalities have been completed, the vehicle must be registered in Switzerland within the first year of entering the country. In the meantime, and provided that the third-party liability insurance of the former country is still valid, you can drive your vehicle with foreign number plates (provided you have a valid national driving licence).
Exceptional transfer of plates
The plates used for a service vehicle can be re-registered in the name of the head of mission. The transfer of CD plates is only possible from the head of mission and their mission or delegation, or in the other direction. The mission concerned must send the duly completed scan of the exceptional transfer of number plates form (PDF available below under 'Documents') to the Good Offices and Security Section of the Swiss mission for validation.
For ordinary plates, exceptional transfer is possible under the conditions set out in the form.
