Swiss driver’s license

Depending on the type of car you want to drive, you’ll need to take a test for a specific category of driver’s license. To shed some light on the subject, we’ve written this article outlining the different categories of Swiss driving license.

Swiss driving license for Motorcycles (Category A) (new rules from April 1, 2016).

If you’d like to drive a large-displacement motorcycle legally, you’ll need to apply for a category A learner’s permit, which will allow you to drive motorcycles with a power of at least 40kW and a power/unladen weight ratio of more than 0.20kW/kg. To drive this type of vehicle, you must be at least 25 years old. If you don’t meet this condition, you’ll be limited to a vehicle with a maximum power of 35kW and a power/unladen weight ratio not exceeding 0.16kW/kg.
If you want to drive a motorcycle from the age of 16, you’ll need to apply for a learner’s permit for the A1 subcategory. The vehicle may not exceed 50cm3 and 4kW of power.
From the age of 18, the 50cm3 restriction will be lifted, and you’ll be able to drive vehicles up to 125cm3 and a maximum power of 11kW.

Swiss driving license for car (Category B).

The second category of Swiss driving license is the B. The Swiss B driving license allows you to drive a car or motor tricycle whose total weight does not exceed 3,500kg and whose seating capacity does not exceed eight (excluding the driver’s seat).

This category is broken down into three sub-categories called B, BE and B1.
If you wish to tow a trailer behind your vehicle, it must not exceed a total of 750kg, or the combination of vehicle and trailer must not exceed 3,500kg. In the latter case, the weight of the trailer must not exceed the unladen weight of the vehicle towing it. If you wish to tow a trailer and do not meet these conditions, you will need a Swiss BE driving license. Finally, to drive a motor quadricycle or motor tricycle weighing up to 550 kg, you need a Swiss B1 driving license.
The minimum age for taking the exam is 18.

Swiss driving license for goods transport (Category C).

The third Swiss driving license category is C. If you want to be able to drive a car with a permissible total weight of over 3,500kg, the corresponding Swiss driving license category is C. For all Swiss driving license category C, the minimum age for taking the test is 18.
This category is broken down into four sub-categories called C, CE, C1, C1E.
For this, category B is a prerequisite. The Swiss C driving license also allows you to tow a trailer whose total weight does not exceed 750 kg. If you wish to tow a load of over 750 kg, you must first obtain a category C CE licence.
The C1 license category, meanwhile, allows you to drive a car whose total weight exceeds 3,500 kg, but does not exceed 7,500 kg. You can also tow a trailer weighing up to 750 kg.
Finally, category C1E of the Swiss driver’s license will enable you to drive a category C1 vehicle and a trailer whose total weight may exceed 750 kg. Be careful, however, not to exceed a total weight of 12,000 kg.

Swiss driving license for passenger transport (Category D).

The fourth category of the Swiss driver’s license concerns passenger cars with more than eight seats. This category, D, allows you to tow a trailer whose total weight does not exceed 750 kg. A Swiss category B driving license is required to obtain this permit. The minimum age for this set of categories is 21.
If you wish to tow a trailer whose total weight exceeds 750 kg, you’ll need to take the DE category, after you’ve obtained the D. In the special case where you wish to drive a category D car, but this vehicle has no more than 16 seats (excluding the driver’s seat), you can take the D1 license. The prerequisite for obtaining this license is a B license. With this type of Swiss driver’s license, you can tow a trailer up to a total weight of 750 kg.
If you want to tow a total load of more than 750 kg, but not more than 12,000 kg for the whole convoy, you’ll need a D1E license.

Swiss driving license for Other vehicles (Category G/M/F).

From the age of 14, it is possible to obtain a certain category of Swiss driving license: the G and/or the M. The G license allows you to drive an agricultural motor vehicle or a work vehicle with a maximum speed not exceeding 30 km/h.
If the vehicle’s speed exceeds this limit, but does not exceed 45 km/h, you will have to wait until you are 16 before you can take out an F license. Other vehicles in this category require a minimum age of 18.
The Swiss M driving license allows you to drive mopeds.
First aid courses are compulsory for all these categories of driver’s license, unless you obtained a Swiss driver’s license in another category less than six years ago.
If you’d like to find out more about the Swiss driver’s license, please visit our official www.aelautoecole.ch page.