In the past, there were restrictions for Germans to drive to Switzerland with a dealer license plate, a short license plate or an 07 classic car license plate. Conversely, it was not permitted to drive to Germany with a Swiss dealer plate.
Thanks to an amendment to the "German-Swiss Police Treaty of 1999", these restrictions have now been lifted as of July 1, 2021. This means
a) For Swiss drivers, driving with a dealer plate in Germany is possible
b) For Germans, journeys to Switzerland are permitted with the red dealer license plate, short-term license plate or 07 classic car license plate.
It is therefore possible to transfer vehicles with German red dealer license plates or short-term license plates to Switzerland or to use them in accordance with the intended use of the respective license plate (test, inspection and transfer journeys). In the case of 07 license plates, participation in events that serve the presentation of vintage vehicles and the preservation of motor vehicle cultural assets is permitted.
The implementation agreement facilitates the work of the car trade in the border regions, for example by allowing test drives and trips to proving grounds etc. in the other country. In addition, vehicles with dealer plates will no longer have to take detours in the border regions, but can take a direct route. Import and export with dealer plates will remain prohibited. For this purpose, export license plates can be obtained from the cantonal road traffic offices.
The regulation is initially limited until December 31, 2023. FEDRO (Switzerland) and the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (Germany) are striving to ensure the recognition of the aforementioned vehicle registration documents and number plates even after this date. To this end, an open-ended agreement is being sought.
Further information
- Press release from FEDRO (Switzerland)
- Information from the BMVI (Germany) and the ADAC (Germany)