[recker_us]

Dear BHPians,
I am heading to Switzerland next month. I am already in Europe and unfortunately, didn't get a chance to get an International Driving Permit(IDP) before leaving India.

Can I drive in Switzerland with my Indian Driving License which is a Smartcard issued from Bangalore last year?

Any experiences on the same would be appreciated..

[libranof1987]

This official website says you can: https://www.eda.admin.ch/countries/i...n-licence.html

However, I've heard that rental agencies can insist on the IDP. It depends on the person issuing you the car. Make the reservation at their location / call before to avoid a last minute surprise.

If you have the smart card DL, that should make it relatively easy. When renting in Zurich and the US, I was told that the hesitation in renting out on the Indian DL is the confusion regarding the meaning of acronyms used on our DLs. But most counter agents are fairly understanding.

[Simha.k]

As long as your DL is issued in English language, you shouldn't have any problems while hiring a rental car. Never come across anyone who insists on IDL. It's another useless document. You can continue to use your Indian DL in many countries up to 6 months in a year, after which, you must get a local one.

[drive2eternity]

Yes you can as long as your Driving License is in English. I used mine in Switzerland and mine isn't even a smartcard DL.
Enjoy the drives!

[nightraven]

Yes you can drive with your indian DL as long as it's in English. I drove all over Europe including Switzerland after moving there using my Indian DL for an year. I had IDP as backup but never gave it unless specifically requested which was only once by a Sixt dealer in Rome.

[McLaren Rulez]

Given the high cost of public transit in Switzerland, driving is actually the smart thing to do.

Please familiarize yourself with driving rules as well as the LHD orientation as much as you can so you enjoy the drive.

[Dr Carlton Pere]

Hi, even if you had an international driving license issued in India, almost all the driving agencies i have rented from in Europe aren't really interested in it.
What you must remember is the really enormous parking rates, no matter where you go and also fuel rates in Switzerland which is the highest.
Apart from that, fines are rampant and unknowingly after you return your rental in all probability you will receive two or maybe even three traffic violations no matter how careful you are which will be automatically deducted from your credit card on your return.
Notwithstanding all of the above the sheer pleasure of driving in Switzerland makes up for all of the above.
Hope all this helps!

[ValarMorghulis]

You can easily drive on an Indian license for a year in Switzerland, or even drive a car from Switzerland to nearby countries.

Do make a plan of the places you wish to visit beforehand and check if cars are allowed there. Drive well within the speed limits and follow all traffic rules strictly.

[batterylow]

Please follow the traffic rules religiously as the violations are charged severely in the region, even by European standards.

Some countries also require you to get vignettes to access them.

Happy driving!

[lemedico]

What about the validity of non-smart cards? Like the paper book ones or the plastic card with pasted and attested photo?

[babuanandy]

This is my first post in Team-bhp!

1. As long as your license is written in English you can drive in Switzerland and most European countries as also USA, Canada etc. It does not matter if it is a paper license or plastic or smart card. You don't need IDP. IDP is nothing but a translation of your license to English if it's in some other language. So, for licenses written in English no IDP is needed. I have driven in nearly 50 countries with my indian license without a problem including non English speaking countries where road signs are in languages i don't understand. Keep your passport with you along with your license.

2. The best way is to master driving is by following GPS and specially get habituated using Waze app. It is the best and gives all traffic signs in English and also where police radar are there etc. Once you are comfortable with Waze you can drive anywhere in the world just take a good data plan on your cell phone.

3. Lane driving absolute must and rules at roundabouts and mandatory stop at 4 way junctions. Adherence to speed limits another thing we Indians miss especially the slower speed limits near schools etc. On highways move at the speed of traffic speed restrictions are tolerated as long as you are moving with the speed of the traffic and not lane changing too much.

4. If you get stopped by cop don't try to come out of the car to explain like we do in India. Remain in car and when he comes wish him with a smile and immediately ask what was your fault and tell you are tourist. Most of the time they let you go if they realise mistake was due to ignorance. Never argue. If they come with their lights flashing then move to the slower lane and if he moves in too to the slower lane then he wants you to stop so at a safe place pull over. Safe place can be road shoulder lane.

5. As for cost, the biggest cost element in renting a car is full waiver insurance cost. Unless you plan to keep a car for 7/10 days the cost of full waiver insurance becomes prohibitive. It's a good idea to take driving insurance along with your travel insurance from India that way you can save the rental agencies insurance cost.

6. You can rent most of the RVs with Indian LMV license.

[Vin_Redline]

Yes, you should be able drive without the IDP. I have driven so in Switzerland and other European countries.

But I did have an embarassing experience one time when I was crossing the border from Germany to Switzerland near Zurich. The Swiss cops had stopped our vehicle to check the documents. He had one good look at my license and told me he cannot let me drive with this (license). It was the one issued from Kerala - a laminated paper which had seen better days . Luckily, my friend, who was traveling with me, had surrendered his license to get a Swiss license and as proof had written statement in German from Kanton that he is eligible to drive in Switzerland. The cops agreed that he can drive instead.