It still sticks instead of clicking

Removing the highway vignette from the windshield is a Sisyphus mission every year. The vignette is repeatedly torn as it peels off. Small particles stick to our hands and all over the front panel.

The introduction of a digital e-vignette looks equally complex in Switzerland. Whenever we think it will come this year, it is pushed back another year. The Federal Customs Administration looks like it’s affixed to the sticker.

wait another year

Again this year we have to paste instead of click. If it was said last year that the e-vignette is coming this year, it is now half true. Anyone who uses the highway every day will have to drive around here again in 2023. Because the digital highway toll will only be introduced later in the year. This means that most Swiss drivers will most likely not purchase an e-vignette until 2024.

The first users will likely be foreign tourists passing through the south. Owners of motorcycles, trailers or vintage cars can also benefit from the e-vignette, provided it is introduced early in the season in the spring. However, the exact date has not yet been determined. The Federal Council will determine this only in the first quarter of 2023.

eliminate errors

When asked by Blick, the responsible Federal Office of Customs and Border Security (BAZG) explains the advantages of using e-stickers during the year: “We start the collection system with a medium load, gain experience and, if necessary, optimize the collection system at the end of the year, before the peak in vignette sales.» The Federal Office said any issues with the online platform could also be detected at an early stage and resolved before the big rush at the end of the year.

Switzerland is left behind

While Switzerland was the first country to introduce highway vignettes, it is now the last country to switch to digital e-vignettes. Hungary was a pioneer here, offering a digital alternative in 2008 as the first country of sketches in Europe. It was followed by Romania (2010), Slovakia (2016), Austria (2017), Bulgaria (2019), the Czech Republic (2021) and this year Slovenia. Austria is the only country outside of Switzerland that continues to offer adhesive vignettes in addition to the digital solution. However, the Swiss sticker is only available domestically. Abroad, the federal government only wants to offer the digital solution to save costs for the necessary sales network.

BAZG justifies the fact that Switzerland switched to e-vignette too late with the political process. In 2016, the Parliament brought the digital solution to the agenda with an initiative. The National Council and the Council of States later approved the necessary changes to the law in 2020. The Federal Council expects the operating costs of the vignette system to fall from CHF 48 million to CHF 35 million. This is despite the installation of 50 camera systems on Swiss motorways and the need to check footage of the offenders.

This is how e-vignette works

The new e-vignette will especially benefit variable license plate holders. Because the digital toll is tied to the vehicle number, you no longer need to get a label for each stored vehicle. Caravans and vintage cars benefit from this, for example. You don’t need a new vignette, even when replacing a windshield or buying a new car. Not to mention that the yearly dealings with separation are no longer necessary.

Price and validity remain unchanged. The vignette still costs 40 francs and allows you to use the Swiss national highways for 14 months (from December 1 of the previous year to January 31 of the following year). A temporary vignette is not planned. The annual vignette price will have to be increased as a result, as it will generate less revenue. The Federal Council and Parliament, and possibly the public, must agree to this first.