Car, motorbike, trailer, lorry, bus, tractor, moped – in Switzerland every vehicle has its own Führerausweis (driving licence) category with its own minimum age. Here they all are on one page: what you may drive, from what age, and what to do if your licence goes missing.
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All Swiss driving licence categories at a glance
Automatic or manual? Measured across the 82 driving schools on todrive.ch that teach both, 98 % charge the same for either gearbox. The licence is the real difference: with a manual one you may drive both, with an automatic one only automatic.
Automatic or manual: which is better to learn on
Since 2021 the categories have largely followed the European ones; the special categories F, G and M exist only in Switzerland. Minimum ages and vehicle limits are set by the Verkehrszulassungsverordnung (federal road traffic licensing ordinance); the fees are set by your canton.
| Category | Vehicles | Minimum age |
|---|---|---|
| M | Mopeds (Mofa) up to 45 km/h and 50 cm³ | 14 |
| G | Agricultural and forestry vehicles up to 30 km/h, such as tractors | 14 |
| F | Motor vehicles (other than motorbikes) up to 45 km/h – this includes the «cars without a licence» | 16 |
| A1 | Motorbikes up to 125 cm³ and 11 kW | 16 |
| A 35 kW | Motorbikes up to 35 kW and 0.20 kW/kg | 18 |
| A | All motorbikes – after two years on A 35 kW with a clean driving record | 20 |
| B | Cars up to 3’500 kg and 8 seats; Lernfahrausweis (learner’s permit) from 17 | 18 (test) |
| B1 | Small and three-wheeled motor vehicles up to 670 kg unladen weight | 18 |
| BE | Category B with a trailer over 750 kg | as for B |
| C1 | Lorries over 3’500 up to 7’500 kg | 18 |
| C | Lorries over 3’500 kg | 18 |
| D1 | Passenger transport with 9 to 16 seats | 21 |
| D | Buses with more than 8 seats | 21 |
| BPT | Professional passenger transport (taxi, minibus) – an authorisation added to category B | 21 |
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Category B: cars
This is the category almost everyone means when they say «driving licence»: cars and light vans up to 3’500 kg total weight, with no more than eight seats beside the driver’s seat, plus trikes. You can get the Lernfahrausweis (learner’s permit) from 17, take the practical test at 18 at the earliest, and if you are under 20 a learning phase of at least twelve months applies. After the test come three years on the Führerausweis auf Probe (probationary licence) with the WAB-Kurs (compulsory further-training course) in the first year. Step by step: Führerschein Schweiz, costs, applying for the Lernfahrausweis.
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Category BE: with a heavy trailer
With B on its own you may tow trailers up to 750 kg, or heavier ones as long as the towing vehicle and trailer together do not exceed 3’500 kg. For anything above that – horse trailers, caravans, large load trailers – you need BE: a practical test with a trailer, no new theory. Many driving schools offer single lessons for this with their own car-and-trailer combination.
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Categories A1 and A: motorbikes
A1 (up to 125 cm³ and 11 kW) from 16, A 35 kW from 18, and unrestricted A after two years on A 35 kW with a clean driving record. For every motorbike category the practical basic training of twelve hours is compulsory. Anyone who holds category B is given A1 after the basic training without a test. In detail: Motorbike licence Switzerland: A1 and A.
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Categories C and C1: lorries
C1 covers lorries over 3’500 up to 7’500 kg, C everything above that; both from 18 and only on top of category B. They also require their own theory and practical tests as well as a medical examination. Anyone driving professionally additionally needs the certificate of professional competence under the Chauffeurzulassungsverordnung (CZV, ordinance on the admission of professional drivers), with regular refresher training.
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Categories D and D1: buses
D1 allows vehicles with 9 to 16 seats, D all buses with more than eight seats; minimum age 21, on top of category B, with a test and a medical examination. For taxis and minibuses in passenger transport, category B with the BPT authorisation (berufsmässiger Personentransport, professional passenger transport) is enough; it requires its own test and a minimum age of 21.
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Categories F, G and M: travelling slowly
M is the moped (up to 45 km/h, 50 cm³) from 14, G the tractor and other agricultural or forestry vehicles up to 30 km/h from 14, and F all other motor vehicles up to 45 km/h from 16 – motorbikes excepted. For M, G and F there is a theory test at the Strassenverkehrsamt (cantonal road traffic office), and for F and G a practical one as well depending on the canton; ask there.
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Cars without a licence: what 45 km/h allows
The small «cars without a licence» from France and Italy fall under category F in Switzerland: top speed 45 km/h, licence from 16 – so you do not get away with no licence at all, but you do get away without driving lessons and without the practical test for category B. Anyone who holds B may drive them anyway.
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Driving licence lost, stolen or damaged: ordering a new one
You order a replacement from the Strassenverkehrsamt (cantonal road traffic office) of the canton you live in – online or with a form: passport photo, copy of your identity document, the police report in case of theft, plus the cantonal fee. The new licence arrives by post; until then, depending on the canton, a written confirmation from the office applies. It works the same way for the Lernfahrausweis, except that the remaining period of validity stays as it was.
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The credit-card-format driving licence
The Swiss driving licence is issued in credit-card format and is valid indefinitely, unless a medical condition says otherwise; glasses or contact lenses appear on it as a code. For travel outside Europe there is the internationaler Führerausweis (International Driving Permit) as well. The old blue paper licence is no longer issued – if you still have one, exchange it at the Strassenverkehrsamt. How to read the expiry date and what «indefinite» means is explained under unbefristeter Führerausweis (the unlimited licence).