Driver's license exchange

Would you like to exchange your foreign driver’s license for a Swiss one? Our Geneva-based auto-moto-école Lémanique offers you a 50-minute manual or automatic driving course, tailored to your needs. Entirely tailor-made, it will help you identify your strengths and areas for improvement, and make you aware of the subtleties and different rules of Swiss traffic. It’s also an opportunity to review with you a few maneuvers that you might want to improve, and to show you around Geneva (Servette, Augustin, Eaux Vive, Carouge) and the surrounding area.

This course is not compulsory, but is highly recommended to prepare you for the practical test. Foreign driving licenses are valid in Switzerland, but can only be used for private trips for a maximum of twelve months.

Switzerland has mutual recognition agreements with several countries.

Supervised by one of our professional instructors from Auto-moto-école Lémanique (over 10 years’ experience), in a comfortable vehicle, you will be assessed and put through your paces for the practical test. Class times, locations and routes are set at your convenience from Monday to Sunday.

We can also accompany you throughout the foreign driver’s license exchange process, and will be happy to accompany you to the Geneva licensing office to take your practical test. Our aim is to make you love driving in Switzerland, and to give you all the tools you need to successfully exchange your car license with complete confidence.

Auto-Ecole Lémanique’s license exchange course is aimed at any foreigner* moving to Switzerland for more than 12 months, aged over 18 and holding an automatic or manual car driver’s license, wishing to obtain a car driver’s license in Switzerland.

* The exchange of driving licenses depends on the country where you have passed your driving test. The following countries are not subject to the Swiss law on the compulsory exchange of permits: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, United Kingdom, United States.

Our Geneva driving school’s license exchange course focuses on traffic and driving rules in Switzerland. The Auto-Ecole Lémanique instructor will make sure that your driving skills correspond to the evaluation criteria on which you will be graded during your practical test, i.e. :

– Technology (steering wheel, gas pedal, brake, clutch and gearbox)

– Adapting speed to traffic

– Compliance with traffic regulations (RTI, priorities, freeways, manoeuvres)

– etc.

Our Geneva driving school offers 50-minute driving lessons in Geneva and the Lake Geneva region. We also make our cars available to you in perfect condition for your driving practice.

The meeting point for the course is agreed in advance between the instructor and the student. Classes are held Monday to Sunday between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m.

During the driving lesson, all the points listed in the course objectives (above) are assessed. When the instructor decides that the student is ready to take the practical driving test, he or she conducts a mock test and provides the student with a ticket indicating whether or not he or she needs to review any steps before taking the practical test.

The duration, frequency and routes of the courses are up to you. Auto-Ecole Lémanique can adapt to your needs and will be happy to accompany you to the Geneva motoring office for your practical test.

For the license exchange course, students must be over 18 and in possession of a foreign driving license valid in Switzerland, as well as a driving license issued by the OCAN (Bureau des autos, Cantonal des Véhicules), if a test run has already been scheduled.

As soon as you take up residence in Switzerland, you must exchange your foreign driving license for a Swiss one. This must be done within 12 months of taking up residence in Switzerland.

The driver must present himself/herself in person at the driver’s license counter and provide the following documents:

– Foreign driver’s license exchange form

– Original foreign driver’s license to be exchanged

– Certified optician’s certificate less than 24 months old – list of certified opticians

– 1 passport-size, full-face, headless color photo

– Identification :

Switzerland: identity card or passport

Foreigners: booklet for foreigners

Price list:

Exchange of a foreign driver’s license (except categories C, C1, D): CHF 150 – Exchange of a foreign driver’s license categories C, C1, D: CHF 200

Source: https://www.ge.ch/echanger-son-permis-conduire-etranger