Driving to Switzerland from the UK: route, tolls and costs

Take with you

• Take your UK driving licence. You need your Great Britain or Northern Ireland driving licence to drive abroad. Check it is valid and renew it online if it has expired or is about to. Source: GOV.UK (opens in a new tab), checked 11 November 2026.

• Log book (V5C), or a VE103 for a hired or leased car. Take your V5C if you take your own vehicle abroad for less than 12 months; it must show your most recent UK address and you may have to show it at a port. For a hired or leased vehicle you need a VE103 vehicle on hire certificate. Source: GOV.UK (DVLA) (opens in a new tab), checked 11 November 2026.

• Insurance certificate, and a green card only for some countries. All UK vehicle insurance gives the minimum third party cover in the EU, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Serbia and Switzerland, and you do not need a green card there (nor in Montenegro). You may need a green card for Albania, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Turkey and Ukraine; ask your insurer, and allow up to 6 weeks if it is posted. Source: GOV.UK (opens in a new tab), checked 11 November 2026.

• UK identifier on the plate, or a UK sticker. You do not need a UK sticker if your number plate shows the UK identifier with the Union flag. You must display a UK sticker if your plate has no flag or identifier, a GB identifier, an EU flag or the flag of England, Scotland or Wales. Old GB stickers must be covered or removed. Source: GOV.UK (DVLA) (opens in a new tab), checked 11 November 2026.

• Taking a pet: microchip, then rabies vaccination, then wait. Your dog, cat or ferret must be microchipped before or at the same time as its rabies vaccination, and be at least 12 weeks old when vaccinated. You must wait at least 21 full days after the first vaccination before travelling. Source: GOV.UK (Defra and APHA) (opens in a new tab), checked 11 November 2026.

In the total: Annual (valid 14 months, 1 December to 31 January), 40 CHF (about €43.46). You drive about 152 km in Switzerland, roughly 1 hour 45 minutes at the wheel, so this is the cheapest option that covers a single trip through.

• Annual (valid 14 months, 1 December to 31 January)In the totalThere is no short-stay vignette: one visit still needs the annual vignette.

  40 CHF

  In euros: €43.46

Prices from the official page. Source: Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (FOCBS / BAZG), Swiss Confederation (opens in a new tab), checked 11 November 2026. Euro prices converted at the ECB reference rate of 10 November 2026: 1 EUR = 0.9203 CHF (via Frankfurter). You pay the CHF price.

Only the annual vignette exists. The e-vignette is valid immediately after purchase.

There is no short-stay vignette: even for a single visit you need the annual vignette. Source: Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (FOCBS / BAZG), Swiss Confederation (opens in a new tab), checked 11 November 2026.

You cannot use the motorway to the first exit without a vignette, except when entering at the Basel/St Louis, Rheinfelden or Kreuzlingen motorway customs offices and leaving at the first exit. Source: Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (FOCBS / BAZG), Swiss Confederation (opens in a new tab), checked 11 November 2026.

The e-vignette is valid immediately after purchase. Swiss law gives no right of withdrawal for online purchases. Source: Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (FOCBS / BAZG), Swiss Confederation (opens in a new tab), checked 11 November 2026.

2027 prices: CHF 40.00. The 2027 vignette is valid from 1 December 2026 to 31 January 2028.

Channel crossing

• LeShuttle: arrive 1 to 2 hours before departure. Arrive no more than 2 hours and no less than 1 hour before your booked departure. Complete Advance Passenger Information for everyone 24 hours before travel, as you cannot travel without it. Boarding starts 25 minutes before departure; have passports ready for the border checks. Source: Eurotunnel LeShuttle (Getlink) (opens in a new tab), checked 11 November 2026.

• At Dover and Folkestone, EES checks happen before you leave the UK. If you enter the Schengen area through the Port of Dover or LeShuttle at Folkestone, EES checks are done at the border before you leave the UK. On your first visit you may be asked to give fingerprints and a photo at dedicated booths; your digital EES record is valid for 3 years. Be prepared to wait longer than usual. Source: GOV.UK (opens in a new tab), checked 11 November 2026.

• Port of Dover: full EES process for tourist traffic is not yet in place. The Port of Dover says the full EES process for tourist traffic has not yet been implemented and asks car passengers to arrive at the Eastern Docks no more than 2 hours before departure for processing at the French border. A car with both EU and British passengers must go to the EES registration area. Source: Port of Dover (Dover Harbour Board) (opens in a new tab), checked 11 November 2026.

• LeShuttle (Folkestone): EES kiosks ready, waiting for the French authorities. LeShuttle says its kiosks and staff are ready but it is awaiting confirmation from the French authorities before EES can be fully launched at its terminals; its latest notice says there was no EES biometric capture at Folkestone or Calais during the summer 2026 holiday period. Source: Eurotunnel LeShuttle (Getlink) (opens in a new tab), checked 11 November 2026.

Not included

• The Channel crossing fare (LeShuttle or ferry).
• Overnight stops, food, parking and any low-emission zone charges or stickers.
• The journey home.