In Swiss road traffic law, as in many other areas of law, a distinction must be made between federal and cantonal jurisdictions: While the Road Traffic Act (SVG) uniformly requires nationwide that all motor vehicles be equipped with a license plate, the cantonal motor vehicle departments are responsible for issuing them. Sometimes, these offices generate additional revenue for the cantonal administration by auctioning off low-numbered plates or plates with special number combinations. Once you have acquired such a license plate, you will likely want to keep it and perhaps even pass it down to future generations.
What all cantonal regulations have in common is that the purchaser does not acquire ownership of the license plate but rather “rents” it from the Department of Motor Vehicles for a (usually one-time) fee and must return it at the end of the period of use. Use generally ends when the registered vehicle is deregistered, unless a new vehicle is registered under the same license plate instead. However, the death of the vehicle owner may also be grounds for returning the license plate if it is not transferred to another person.
That said, the rules regarding whether license plates are transferable and what happens to them in the event of death can vary greatly from canton to canton. Here are a few examples:
- In the Canton of Zurich, there is a transfer form that, while it does not cite a legal basis, states: “The transfer of a license plate is generally permitted among individuals who are directly related (grandfather–father–child), between spouses, and among siblings.”
- The situation is similar in Aargau and Geneva.
- The St. Gallen Implementing Ordinance to the Federal Road Traffic Act stipulates that a vehicle owner may transfer his or her one- to four-digit license plate only to direct relatives, siblings, spouses, or domestic partners. Other license plates may be transferred at the owner’s discretion.
- The Lucerne Road Traffic Ordinance prohibits the transfer of license plates, except between siblings, direct relatives, spouses, and registered partners. The Lucerne Motor Vehicle Department has also published a“Checklist for Transferring or Returning License Plates in the Event of a Death”with many helpful tips. Similar guidelines are likely to apply in other cantons.
- The guidelines on the issuance of personalized license plates and the transfer of license plates in the Canton of Schwyz also provide for a transfer for family reasons.
- In the canton of Glarus, assignment is permitted without restriction.
If your canton of residence does not appear on this list, it is best to check with the relevant Department of Motor Vehicles to find out what regulations apply.
To transfer the license plate, the previous owner’s signature is normally required on the appropriate form. You can fill out this form in advance and keep it, for example, together with your will. That way, it will be available in the event of your death and can be submitted to the Department of Motor Vehicles. If no form has been prepared in advance, all beneficiaries listed in the family register or the inventory of estate must sign on behalf of the deceased in the event of death. In addition, the Department of Motor Vehicles may request copies of documents relevant to the estate.
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