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Ganter Bridge in the canton of Valais: Violating Swiss traffic regulations is expensive
Photo: Pavel Tochinsky / Getty Images
Traffic tickets from Switzerland will also be enforced in Germany from May. This is regulated by a new contract between the two countries, as the Federal Ministry of the Interior in Berlin announced upon request. The ratification certificate was exchanged on March 27 in Bern between the German ambassador Michael Flügger and the director of the Federal Office of Police, Nicoletta della Valle. According to ADAC, it has been possible to sit out the sometimes high fines from non-EU countries so far. Only when re-entering the country are there a risk of problems, such as a penalty notice.
The new police contract regulates cross-border cooperation in the fight against “terrorists, people smugglers, ATM busters and mafiosi,” as the Swiss Federal Office of Police announced on the LinkedIn network. It covers the prosecution of traffic violations and was passed in the Bundestag last fall. “Comparable regulations were already contained in the old, previously valid police contract from 2009, but were never put into effect,” a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Justice in Stuttgart explained.
According to the Ministry of Justice, around 3,000 incoming and 1,500 outgoing requests for fine enforcement are expected across Germany this year. Because Swiss people who violate traffic rules in Germany should also pay. From 2025, 5,000 incoming and 6,000 outgoing requests are expected. The Federal Office of Justice in Bonn is responsible.
20 km/h too fast can cost 180 francs
The new regulation applies if the monetary claim imposed exceeds 70 euros or 80 francs. A threshold that is quickly reached in Switzerland: For example, exceeding the speed limit of 20 kilometers per hour on the motorway in Switzerland costs from 180 francs, the equivalent of 184 euros. In Germany this costs around 60 euros.
alw/dpa