Initial Drive · Control drive (Kontrollfahrt)
Control drive in Lucerne: exchange your foreign licence
Still driving on a licence from abroad? Which countries simply exchange, who needs a control drive, the steps, deadlines and fees – all backed by the offices’ own sources. And if you need a control drive, I prepare you in English – including the few German words you’ll need on the day.
- Preparation EN every lesson in English
- Control drive day CHF 180 one double lesson – no flat fee
- Swiss licence after 12 months of living in Switzerland
On the control drive (Kontrollfahrt), an examiner from the road traffic office checks that you drive safely and in line with Swiss traffic rules before your foreign licence is swapped for a Swiss one. It can’t be repeated: if you fail or don’t turn up without a valid excuse, your foreign licence is no longer recognised in Switzerland (Art. 44 para. 1bis to 1quater of the Traffic Licensing Ordinance, VZV).
The road traffic office for Obwalden and Nidwalden (Verkehrssicherheitszentrum OW/NW, VSZ) explicitly recommends preparing for the control drive with a driving instructor. That’s what I offer, in English. I’m Patrik Stadelmann. I’ve been a driving instructor since 2018, I hold the Swiss federal diploma for driving instructors, and I’ve run my own driving school, Initial Drive, since 2024.
Sources (in German): VSZ: exchange fact sheet (PDF)VZV
When you have to exchange your licence
Once you’ve lived in Switzerland for 12 months without spending more than three months in a row abroad, you need a Swiss driving licence (Art. 42 para. 3bis let. a of the Traffic Licensing Ordinance, VZV). The Lucerne Road Traffic Office (Strassenverkehrsamt) puts it simply: your foreign licence is valid for 12 months from your date of entry, and after that you may no longer drive on it in Switzerland.
Driving on it after that is an offence (Art. 147 no. 1 VZV). The ordinance provides for a fine; none of the official sources states an amount. You can still exchange your licence after the deadline, but you may have to pay a fine.
- Moving here you now live in Switzerland
- 12 months how long you may drive on your foreign licence
- after that only with a Swiss licence – otherwise it’s an offence
Watch out
- Important for your preparation: once the 12 months are up, you may no longer drive on your foreign licence in Switzerland – not even in a driving lesson. If your deadline has already passed, ask the office before our first lesson what you may drive on until your control drive.
- Driving for work: if your licence was issued outside the EU and EFTA, you need the Swiss licence before your first professional trip – for example driving a lorry, a bus or a taxi (Art. 42 para. 3bis let. b VZV). More on my page about the taxi licence.
Got your licence abroad while already living here? Then it can only be exchanged in certain cases: in Lucerne, only if you got it during a stay of at least 12 consecutive months in the issuing country; at the VSZ, only if you got it in your previous country of residence within three months of moving to Switzerland.
Sources (in German): VZVLucerne office: foreign licenceVSZ: exchange fact sheet (PDF)ch.ch: Exchanging your driving licence (in English)
Which countries simply exchange – and who needs a control drive
It depends on the country that issued your licence. As a rule, you only get a Swiss licence after passing a control drive (Art. 44 para. 1 VZV); for countries with equivalent training and testing, the Federal Roads Office (ASTRA) can waive it (Art. 150 para. 5 let. e VZV). For category B, that gives three groups:
No control drive
EU, EFTA and the UK: straightforward exchange
With a licence from one of these 31 countries, you need neither a control drive nor an additional theory test – a visit to the office is enough. You still need your original licence and an eye test.
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- United Kingdom
Lucerne’s website only mentions “EU/EFTA countries” and doesn’t list the United Kingdom; the VSZ and ASTRA list it explicitly. If you hold a UK licence and live in the canton of Lucerne, please check with the road traffic office.
No control drive – Lucerne exception
14 more countries: exchange without a control drive
Licences from these countries don’t need a control drive for categories A and B either:
- Andorra
- Australia
- Canada
- Israel
- Japan
- Monaco
- Morocco
- New Zealand
- San Marino
- Singapore
- South Korea
- Taiwan
- Tunisia
- USA
In Lucerne, there’s a catch: if you exchange your licence more than five years after entering Switzerland, you need a control drive after all. Only Lucerne has this rule – the VSZ, ASTRA and the ordinance don’t mention it.
According to the VSZ, the exemption for Taiwan only covers categories A1 and B. Outside Lucerne, this group only differs from the first one for professional categories (lorries, buses and the permit for professional passenger transport), which need an additional theory test.
Control drive required
All other countries: exchange with a control drive
Licences from countries that aren’t on either list get no exemption – you take a control drive.
There’s no official list of examples. But it follows from the two lists that licences from Turkey, Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Ukraine, India, Brazil, China or South Africa, for example, need a control drive, because these countries aren’t on either list.
If your licence covers several categories, the control drive is taken in a vehicle of the category that covers all of them; an additional motorcycle entitlement doesn’t need a second control drive (Art. 44 para. 1 VZV). You can give up higher categories when you apply; if you need them later, you get them the regular way. I prepare you for category B – cars.
Sources (in German): VZVVSZ: exchange fact sheet (PDF)ASTRA: licence exchange (blog)ch.ch: Exchanging your driving licence (in English)Lucerne office: foreign licence
How the exchange with a control drive works
From the eye test to your Swiss licence – this is the route if you need a control drive. If you don’t, steps 4 to 6 drop out.
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Eye test
Have your eyesight tested by a doctor or an authorised optician. The eye test must be no more than 24 months old when you submit your application (Art. 9 para. 3 VZV). In the city of Lucerne, you bring the form with the optician’s confirmation on it.
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Submit your application
In Lucerne, you fill in forms 12a and 13. Your municipality’s residents’ office confirms your details; in Schötz, for example, it then sends the application with all enclosures straight to the road traffic office. You can also hand it in in person at the road traffic office. In Nidwalden and Obwalden, you use the VSZ application form; the first time you apply, you go in person to your residents’ office or to the VSZ.
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Hand in your original licence
You hand in your original foreign licence with your application. You may still drive while the exchange is in progress – but only within the 12 months since you started living in Switzerland; after that, your foreign licence is no longer valid here (Art. 42 para. 3bis let. a VZV). The Lucerne Road Traffic Office confirmed this when I asked on 1 October 2026.
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Summons to the control drive
The office orders the control drive and has to tell you that not turning up without a valid excuse counts as a fail (Art. 44 para. 1ter VZV). In Nidwalden and Obwalden, the VSZ assigns the date; you take the control drive within three months of your application, and it can only be postponed in exceptional cases. The Lucerne Road Traffic Office doesn’t publish a deadline.
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Preparation
The VSZ recommends preparing for the control drive with a driving instructor. In our first lesson, we see where you stand; after that, we work on exactly what’s still missing.
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Control drive
The examiner checks that you know the traffic rules and handle the vehicle safely. In Lucerne, control drives take place in Kriens; the office decides how long it takes. The VSZ doesn’t publish where its control drives take place. The control drive is held in German – how you get by with very little German is explained below.
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Result
Passed: your Swiss licence is sent to you by post. Failed: your foreign licence is no longer recognised, and there’s no second attempt – more on that below.
Sources (in German): VSZ: exchange fact sheet (PDF)VZVCity of Lucerne: residenceLucerne office: formsMunicipality of SchötzVSZ: application form (PDF)VSZ: foreign licencesLucerne office: foreign licenceLucerne fee ordinance (SRL 778)ch.ch: Exchanging your driving licence (in English)
What to submit
Canton of Lucerne
For a licence from a country outside the EU and EFTA, the Lucerne Road Traffic Office asks for:
- form no. 12a (application to exchange a foreign driving licence) and form no. 13 (giving up categories when exchanging)
- a current colour passport photo
- your original driving licence
- a copy of your foreign national’s ID card (Ausländerausweis), i.e. your residence permit
- a certified translation if your licence isn’t in Latin script – if it’s in neither German nor English, the office may ask for one anyway
Lucerne’s website asks for a medical check-up from the age of 65; the VSZ and the ordinance (Art. 27 VZV) set the age at 75. If you’re over 65, ask the Lucerne office what applies to you. Its postal address is: Strassenverkehrsamt des Kantons Luzern, Postfach 3970, 6002 Luzern 2.
Nidwalden and Obwalden
For a licence from a country outside the EU, the VSZ asks for:
- the application form – the same one as for a provisional licence (Lernfahrausweis), with the line for exchanging a foreign licence
- your original driving licence and your foreign national’s ID card
- a certified translation if your licence isn’t in Latin script
- your photo and signature via the VSZ’s Photo Collect e-service; if you can’t identify yourself there, you get your login details at the counter
- an eye test by a doctor or an authorised optician
- from the age of 75: a medical check-up of your fitness to drive
Sources (in German): Lucerne office: foreign licenceLucerne office: formsVSZ: foreign licencesVZVVSZ: application form (PDF)VSZ: exchange fact sheet (PDF)
What the exchange costs
You pay these fees directly to the office. According to ch.ch, exchanging a foreign licence costs more than CHF 100. In detail:
| Item | Lucerne | Nidwalden · Obwalden |
|---|---|---|
| Control drive | CHF 130 per hour per examiner | CHF 150 (category B) |
| Exchange and licence | CHF 95 to exchange the foreign licence | CHF 35 for processing the application and CHF 50 for the licence |
| Photo | Passport photo, which you bring yourself | CHF 8 for the digital photo via Photo Collect |
| Municipality | Confirmation by the residents’ office, for example CHF 13 in Schötz and in the city of Lucerne | no information found |
| No-show | Not turning up without a valid excuse is charged, too. | If the control drive doesn’t take place, the full fee is charged. |
Control drive in Lucerne: charged for at least 15 minutes; the office sets the duration. According to the office’s fee list, control drives are charged at the rate of the corresponding test (practical test, category B: CHF 130). The VSZ fee list has no separate item for exchanges.
On top of this comes the eye test at an optician or doctor. Fee lists as of 1 January 2026. The office’s current list always applies.
Sources (in German): ch.ch: Exchanging your driving licence (in English)Lucerne fee ordinance (SRL 778)Lucerne office: feesVSZ: fees (PDF)Municipality of SchötzCity of Lucerne: residenceLucerne office: control drive
If the control drive doesn’t go well
Can’t be repeated
- There’s no second attempt: the control drive can’t be repeated. If you don’t turn up without a valid excuse, it counts as failed, and if you fail, your foreign licence is no longer recognised in Switzerland (Art. 44 para. 1bis to 1quater VZV). A licence that is no longer recognised isn’t valid in Switzerland.
- You would then have to get a Swiss licence the regular way, starting with an application for a provisional licence (Lernfahrausweis) – in Lucerne with form no. 12. After that come a new theory test and practical test; how the practical test works is explained on my page about the driving test in Lucerne. Whether you also have to repeat the first aid course and the traffic skills course isn’t published for this case – please ask the office.
- The office keeps your foreign licence while you live in Switzerland (Art. 45 para. 4 VZV). Among other things, you get it back on request when you leave Switzerland and no longer live here.
That’s why preparing pays off even if you’ve been driving for years: seeing your driving through an examiner’s eyes – priority rules, observation, speed, lane choice. In our first lesson, we find out where you stand.
Sources (in German): VZVVSZ: exchange fact sheet (PDF)Lucerne office: control drivech.ch: Learning to drive (in English)Lucerne office: non-recognition
Passed: your Swiss driving licence
Your Swiss licence is sent to you by post, within a period of time that varies from canton to canton.
If you exchange a foreign licence for category A or B, you usually get a probationary licence. The probation period starts when your Swiss licence is issued and lasts three years, minus the time between the issue date of your foreign licence and the last regular date for exchanging it (Art. 44a para. 1 VZV). You don’t get a probationary licence if your licence was issued before 1 December 2005, or if it had already been valid for at least a year when you moved to Switzerland (Art. 44a para. 2 VZV).
And your original? EU and EFTA licences are returned to the issuing authority. Other licences are either sent back or handed back to you (Art. 44 para. 4 VZV); which option Lucerne and the VSZ use isn’t published.
Sources (in German): ch.ch: Exchanging your driving licence (in English)VZVVSZ: exchange fact sheet (PDF)
What’s still unclear – and whom to ask
I asked the Lucerne Road Traffic Office three questions on 1 October 2026, and it confirmed: the control drive is held in German, my GR86 is approved for it like any normal car, and you may keep driving during the exchange within the 12 months. Other things aren’t regulated or published – I couldn’t find the following points at the Lucerne Road Traffic Office, the VSZ or the federal authorities. Please ask the office directly before you rely on anything here:
- Driving during the process: what document you carry while driving once you’ve handed in your original isn’t published – ask when you hand it in.
- Automatic and your licence: whether a control drive in an automatic affects your licence isn’t explicitly regulated by Lucerne or the VSZ.
- Deadline and duration in Lucerne: the Lucerne Road Traffic Office doesn’t publish how quickly you’re summoned or how long the control drive takes.
- UK licences in Lucerne: the VSZ and ASTRA list the United Kingdom as exempt; Lucerne’s website only mentions the EU and EFTA.
- Your original from outside the EU and EFTA: whether you get it back after the exchange isn’t published.
Where to ask
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Lucerne Road Traffic Office
Driver licensing
Arsenalstrasse 45, 6010 Kriens
Phone +41 41 318 18 22
Post: Postfach 3970, 6002 Luzern 2
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VSZ in Stans (Nidwalden)
Kreuzstrasse 2, 6371 Stans
Phone +41 41 618 41 41
Email info@vsz.ch
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VSZ in Sarnen (Obwalden)
Enetriederstrasse 1, 6060 Sarnen
Phone +41 41 666 66 00
Sources (in German): Lucerne office: foreign licenceVSZ: foreign licences
How we prepare
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Message me on WhatsApp
Tell me which country your licence is from and whether you already have a date for your control drive.
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Assessment drive
In the first lesson – ideally a double lesson – we drive a route with the kind of situations a control drive includes. Afterwards you know what’s solid and what we’ll work on, and I’ll give you an honest assessment of how many lessons make sense.
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Targeted practice
We work on exactly what’s still missing. After every lesson, your training card – a Google Sheet on your phone – shows where you stand.
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Control drive day
On request, you can take the control drive in my Toyota GR86 – it’s approved for it like any normal car. We use the time beforehand to prepare, including the German words you’ll need on the drive. It’s billed as one double lesson – no flat fee.
On the day
On request, I provide my driving school car for the control drive: a Toyota GR86 with automatic transmission, fitted with dual pedals and extra mirrors. I charge one double lesson (CHF 180) for it – or two lessons from your pack – including preparation and waiting time, with no flat fee. Office fees aren’t included; you pay them directly to the office.
My GR86 is approved for the control drive like any normal car – the Lucerne Road Traffic Office confirmed this when I asked on 1 October 2026. I’ve never had any problems with it at practical driving tests either. In theory, you could even take the control drive in your own car: the road traffic offices’ guideline requires the vehicle to meet the rules for test vehicles as a rule (Art. 88 VZV), and the examiner briefly checks that it’s roadworthy and looks at its registration document.
About automatic cars: in Lucerne, passing the practical driving test in an automatic entitles you to drive cars with any type of transmission. For the control drive, the road traffic offices’ guideline says vehicles with assisted gear shifting lead to no restriction on your licence; whether Lucerne and the VSZ treat every automatic that way, they don’t say explicitly – if it matters to you, ask the office when you apply.
I’m not in the car during the control drive – the examiner rides with you.
Sources (in German): asa: guideline 19bLucerne office: test vehicles
In English – and the language of the test
Explanations, feedback and debriefs – everything is in English. The control drive itself is always held in German – the Lucerne Road Traffic Office confirmed this when I asked on 1 October 2026. Some examiners speak a little English, but you can’t rely on it. If needed, you and the examiner get by with hand signals, simple words such as links (left), rechts (right), geradeaus (straight on), anhalten (stop) and parkieren (park), and by pointing to the signposts – so you don’t need much German. We practise these words together beforehand. The road traffic offices’ own guideline expressly requires the examiner to make sure you understand each other and to agree on hand signals for changes of direction. Official information in English is available on ch.ch, the Swiss authorities’ portal; the office contacts are listed above.
Five German words we practise
- links left
- rechts right
- geradeaus straight on
- anhalten stop
- parkieren park
Sources (in German): asa: guideline 19bch.ch: Exchanging your driving licence (in English)
Other control drives
The road traffic office can also order a control drive if there are doubts about someone’s driving ability – for example for older drivers or drivers with medical conditions. I prepare you for these in English, too. You’ll find the details in German on my page Kontrollfahrt Luzern.
Source (in German): Lucerne office: medical checks
Meeting point near Lucerne station
All lessons start at Sempacherstrasse 14, a few minutes’ walk from Lucerne station – directly reachable by Zentralbahn from Nidwalden and Obwalden. From here, we’re in city traffic within minutes and close to Kriens, where Lucerne’s control drives take place. Lessons run from Sunday to Friday, 10am to 10pm.
Lucerne station
about a 5-minute walk
Prices
Preparation is charged at my standard lesson prices – no admin fee, no insurance surcharge.
- Single lesson 45 min CHF 95
- Double lesson 90 min CHF 180 CHF 90 per lesson
- 5-lesson pack 5 × 45 min CHF 445 CHF 89 per lesson
- 10-lesson pack 10 × 45 min CHF 870 CHF 87 per lesson
- 20-lesson pack 20 × 45 min CHF 1,680 CHF 84 per lesson
Control drive day: one double lesson (CHF 180) or two lessons from your pack, including my car, preparation and waiting time – no flat fee. The office fees are listed by canton above.
All prices are in Swiss francs, with nothing added on top; driving lessons are exempt from VAT. One lesson lasts 45 minutes. Trial and single lessons are paid right after the lesson by TWINT (the Swiss payment app) or in cash, or by bank transfer within 10 days if we’ve agreed on that. Packs are paid in advance, before their first lesson. Packs have no expiry date and can be transferred to someone else. If you don’t use up a pack, I refund the rest on request, with the lessons you’ve taken charged at the single-lesson price. If you pass your practical driving test or a control drive with me before a pack is used up, or if I can no longer teach, I refund the remaining lessons at the pack price. Details are in my terms and conditions (sections 5.3 to 5.5, in German).
What a student says
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5 out of 5 stars
Great classes! He has a lot of patience and flexibility with his time . I could pass my Kontrollfahrt.
Frequently asked questions about the control drive
Do I need a control drive to exchange my licence?
It depends on the issuing country. You don’t need one with a licence from
- an EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway,
- Andorra, Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, Monaco, Morocco, New Zealand, San Marino, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan (categories A1 and B only, according to the VSZ), Tunisia or the USA.
The VSZ and ASTRA list the United Kingdom as exempt, too; Lucerne’s website doesn’t mention it – if you hold a UK licence and live in the canton of Lucerne, please check with the road traffic office. In Lucerne, licences from Andorra to the USA need a control drive after all if you exchange more than five years after entering Switzerland. For all other countries, it’s mandatory.
How long can I drive on my foreign licence?
For 12 months from your date of entry, according to the Lucerne Road Traffic Office; after that you may no longer drive on it in Switzerland – not even in a driving lesson. Exchanging later is still possible, but you may have to pay a fine.
Can I drive while my exchange is being processed?
Yes – but only within the 12 months since you started living in Switzerland (Art. 42 para. 3bis let. a VZV); after that, your foreign licence is no longer valid here, not even until your control drive. The Lucerne Road Traffic Office confirmed this when I asked on 1 October 2026. If you’ve lived here longer than that, ask the office before our first lesson what you may drive on until your control drive: Lucerne on +41 41 318 18 22, the VSZ on +41 41 618 41 41.
What happens if I fail?
The control drive can’t be repeated. Your foreign licence is no longer recognised in Switzerland, and you would have to take the regular route: provisional licence, theory test and practical test.
What does the exchange with a control drive cost?
In Lucerne, CHF 95 for the exchange and CHF 130 per hour per examiner for the control drive; in Nidwalden and Obwalden, CHF 150 for the control drive plus the application and licence fees. On top of that come the eye test, a photo and, depending on your municipality, a small fee. Preparation is charged at my lesson prices; on the day of the control drive, I charge one double lesson (CHF 180).
Can I use your car for the control drive?
Yes, on request you can use my automatic Toyota GR86 – it’s approved for the control drive like any normal car, as the Lucerne Road Traffic Office confirmed when I asked. I charge one double lesson (CHF 180) or two lessons from your pack, including preparation and waiting time; office fees are paid directly to the office. In theory, you could also take the control drive in your own car.
Can I take the control drive in English?
No. The control drive itself is always held in German – the Lucerne Road Traffic Office confirmed this when I asked on 1 October 2026. Some examiners speak a little English, but you can’t rely on it. If needed, you and the examiner get by with hand signals, simple words such as links (left), rechts (right), geradeaus (straight on), anhalten (stop) and parkieren (park), and by pointing to the signposts – so you don’t need much German. We practise these words together beforehand. All of my preparation can be in English.
Sources (in German): VSZ: exchange fact sheet (PDF)Lucerne office: foreign licenceASTRA: licence exchange (blog)ch.ch: Exchanging your driving licence (in English)VZVVSZ: foreign licencesLucerne fee ordinance (SRL 778)VSZ: fees (PDF)
All sources accessed between 27 September 2026 and 1 October 2026. The offices’ current information always takes precedence.
Ready for your control drive?
Send me a WhatsApp message: which country your licence is from and when your control drive is. I’ll get back to you with a suggestion for your first lesson.