Switzerland Traffic Law: Fines, Criminal Charges and Licence Withdrawal

Verkehrsrecht, Swiss traffic law, is built around a split most readers do not expect. Punishing a driver and taking away a licence are handled by two different systems, under different parts of the SVG, and for anything beyond a minor violation both can run at once.

Which systems engage depends on how serious the violation is. Minor violations on a fixed list are dealt with by an Ordnungsbusse, a fixed penalty that closes the matter. Once a violation falls outside that list, a criminal case and a separate administrative licence proceeding can both follow from the same incident, and finishing one does not finish the other.

This hub is the starting point for our Swiss traffic law coverage, which goes into each of those tracks, plus drink driving, in full depth. This page stays at the level of how the system fits together, rather than repeating detail our spoke pages already own.

This hub sits inside our broader guide to Swiss law.

Information last verified on 21 July 2026. This page provides general legal information about Swiss law and does not constitute legal advice in an individual case.

Why one incident can mean three separate proceedings

The SVG's own structure is the clearest evidence for this. Provisions covering licence measures, Art. 15a through Art. 16d, sit in Titel II of the Act, while the fines and criminal offences in Art. 90 and Art. 91 sit in Titel V, an entirely different part of the same law.

Art. 16 Abs. 2 SVG makes the trigger explicit. It applies specifically to violations for which the fixed penalty procedure is excluded, meaning the administrative licence track runs from the same conduct as the criminal track, but as its own separate proceeding with its own separate decision maker.

Art. 16c Abs. 1 lit. a SVG, which defines a schwere Widerhandlung for licence withdrawal purposes, and Art. 90 Abs. 2 SVG, which defines the parallel criminal offence, use identical wording. The same conduct genuinely feeds both decisions, just through two different doors.

What this cluster covers

Fixed penalties covers the Ordnungsbussenverfahren, the CHF 20 to CHF 300 fixed fine system that resolves the great majority of minor violations without a court case. Drink driving covers the general, qualified and zero tolerance alcohol thresholds and what each one actually triggers.

Licence withdrawal covers the full leicht, mittelschwer and schwer cascade, including the two year minimum that can apply on a first offence. Excessive speeding covers the Raserdelikt, the fixed speed thresholds that make speeding a crime, and the 2023 sentencing reform.

Where the fixed penalty system stops

The Ordnungsbussenverfahren is not a general alternative to a court case. It only applies to a specific, listed set of violations under the OBG and its Bussenlisten, and it is excluded entirely once a violation is serious enough to fall under Art. 90 Abs. 2, 3 or 4 SVG instead.

Paying a fixed penalty, where one applies, makes that specific fine final and closes the fixed penalty matter under Art. 11 OBG. Because Art. 16 Abs. 2 SVG attaches licence measures to violations for which that procedure is excluded, a violation genuinely dealt with as a fixed penalty does not normally also reach the withdrawal cascade our licence withdrawal page sets out.

The two systems do run independently once a violation is serious enough to leave the fixed penalty list, and at that point the cantonal road traffic authority decides the licence question on its own. What a reader should not assume is the reverse, that every paid fine carries a hidden licence consequence behind it.

A worked example: one stop, three possible outcomes

Consider a driver clocked well above one of the Raserdelikt thresholds our excessive speeding page sets out in full. The fixed penalty route is not available at all, since the excess is far too large to appear on the OBV's own Bussenliste.

The criminal side runs as its own case under Art. 90 SVG, decided by the ordinary prosecutor and courts. Separately, and on its own timeline, the cantonal road traffic authority opens a licence withdrawal proceeding under Art. 16c SVG, and that proceeding does not pause to wait for the criminal case to finish.

A driver who only follows the criminal case, perhaps because a lawyer or a court date makes that the visible part of the matter, can be caught off guard when a licence withdrawal notice arrives afterward, sometimes months later. Both proceedings trace back to the identical stop, but neither one controls the other.

Drink driving has three separate thresholds, not one

A reader searching for the Swiss blood alcohol limit usually expects a single number, and that expectation is itself the first thing to correct. The general population faces one threshold for ordinary intoxication and a second, higher threshold that escalates a case into custodial territory, both set out in a dedicated ordinance rather than in the SVG itself.

A third, much stricter threshold applies only to specific categories of driver, including professional and heavy vehicle drivers, driving instructors while working, and even the person accompanying someone on a learner's drive. Our drink driving page sets out all three figures precisely, along with which category each one actually reaches.

Who actually decides each track

A fixed penalty is issued directly by the police officer or authority handling the violation. A criminal case beyond that goes through the ordinary criminal prosecutor and courts, the same route any other Swiss criminal charge follows.

The licence withdrawal decision is made separately by the cantonal road traffic authority, applying the Art. 16a to Art. 16c classification on its own timeline. It does not wait for the criminal case to conclude, and its decision does not depend on the criminal outcome.

Where to start

A reader who has just received a notice of some kind, a fine, a summons, or a licence withdrawal letter, usually wants the specific spoke that matches that notice rather than this overview. Our fixed penalty page is the right starting point for an actual Ordnungsbusse notice, and our licence withdrawal page is the right starting point for anything from a cantonal road traffic authority.

A reader trying to understand the system before any specific incident, perhaps as a new driver or a recent arrival in Switzerland, is better served starting here and then following whichever spoke matches the actual concern, drink driving, excessive speed, or a licence already at risk. This hub sits inside our wider guide to Swiss law, which covers the codes, courts and institutions behind all of it.

E-scooters have their own dedicated guide: e-scooter laws in Switzerland covers the E-Trottinett category, age and licence rules, and where you can ride.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which page explains what happens after receiving a Swiss traffic fine?

Our fixed penalty page covers the Ordnungsbussenverfahren in full, including the CHF 300 statutory ceiling, sample fine amounts, and what happens if the fine is not paid within the deadline.

Which page explains how long a Swiss driving licence can be withdrawn?

Our licence withdrawal page covers the full leicht, mittelschwer and schwer cascade, including every rung's minimum withdrawal length and the specific look back window that applies to it.

Which page covers the actual alcohol limits for drink driving in Switzerland?

Our drink driving page covers the general Angetrunkenheit threshold, the higher qualified threshold that escalates a case into a custodial crime, and the separate stricter zero tolerance threshold that applies to eight specific groups of driver.

Which page explains when speeding becomes a crime rather than a fine in Switzerland?

Our excessive speeding page covers the Raserdelikt, the fixed speed thresholds that trigger it automatically, and the 2023 reform to how a qualifying first offender can be sentenced.

Why does this hub have separate pages for a fine, a criminal charge and a licence withdrawal?

Because Swiss law itself treats them as separate tracks. The SVG places the licence measures and the criminal and fixed penalty provisions in different parts of the same statute, and each spoke page on this hub covers one track in the depth a single overview page cannot.

Which authority decides a Swiss licence withdrawal, and does it wait for a criminal case to finish?

The cantonal road traffic authority decides a licence withdrawal, applying its own assessment against the leicht, mittelschwer and schwer classification. It runs on its own timeline and does not wait for a parallel criminal case to conclude first.