No front plate in Switzerland!

I know from Marcel's posts that the Swiss police are most unamused by cars without front license plates leading to large fines and I think possible impounding of the car.

I will be driving through Switzerland with 0895gt en route to the 70th celebrations in September. The car is US registered and currently has no front license plate. Am I ok to drive through Switzerland without a front plate or not?

Thank you.

 

you are probably fine because you have a foreign registered car and the proper insurance.

just dont speed. i mean it.

 

Mark:

Don't do that. NOT a good idea (I mean driving into and thru Switzerland without front plate). Also, crossing border at Chiasso from Switzerland to Italy without a front plate will cause you massive additional trouble.
You can easily install a removable front plate with some bracket etc.

Marcel Massini

 

With plate or not, the car will enjoy the long cruise through Europe.

Enjoy the celebrations

 

Not a good idea as Marcel said, it's mandatory here, and I believe in just about every country in mainland Europe.

Whilst I sometimes see cars driving without their license plate (fell off or something similar, maybe just a short journey), you are highly likely to be intercepted at the border coming in/going out, or at gas stations or in the cities.

 

After reading the above, and who posted, I will assume the old front plate on the dashboard it NOT going to work either
I would suck it up and put a temp bracket on the front.

 

What about printing the plate out in sticker/vinyl form and putting it on the front bumper? You could print off several and just peel them off when you arrive at your destination.

 

Switzerland has probably the toughest enforcement of rules anywhere in the world and using a front license plate is no exception. Putting it in the front window is almost never accepted and breaks a number of international rules regarding how a plate is to be displayed.

Luckily we have the solution as we have removable front plate mounts that fit just about every Ferrari from 1948-present. These mounts go on and off in seconds and are totally self contained and leave no trace once they are removed. All models are tested at speed for stability and cooling. We have sold many to classic Ferrari owners and a number of Ferrari dealers carry them and fit them with every new car they sell.

Here is link to the product page and some photos of installations on older Ferrari's (ignore the link saying 488 as this is a coding error we will resolve):

Carbonio Performance - Ferrari 488 No-Drill Plate Mount
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Mandatory in France too.

Rgds

 

What if your car is registered in a U.S. state that does not issue front plates, such as Florida?

 

You don't argue with Swiss cops... :\

 

Sticker/vinyl form: Seriously ILLEGAL and you will not only be heavily fined for not using a proper front plate but also for falsifying a plate, and that will be very very very costly in Switzerland.
(And a side note: Please note that all license plates in Switzerland do belong to the Government, not to the car owner).

Additional info for Mark D and his superb TDF which originally had Italian plates:
I understand you have reproduction Italian plates. If so, do NOT keep them in the car while you are driving through Switzerland and entering Italy at the border. If the cops or customs people search your car and find another plate inside or in the trunk, even a reproduction one from some other country, your car will be confiscated/impounded immediately (especially by the Italians!) because of the possibly unpaid TVA/VAT (value added tax) and import/re-import tax questions.
Trust me, I have experience with that, crossing borders with classic Ferraris from Switzerland into Italy with cars on foreign plates or old Italian (historic/period) plates. Do not keep those in the car anywhere. Send such historic plates by fedex to your hotel in Italy, completely separate from your car.

Marcel Massini

 

Yes, all correct. Good solution.

Marcel Massini

 

Lots of (probably frustrated) Swiss citizens notify the Police whenever they see a car without plates.

Marcel Massini

 

YIKES! Thank you Marcel I am glad I asked!

 

Marcel and thank you for the plate advice too, I wouldn't have thought of that either!

 

Carbonio the plate holder looks good. Would it fit for a 250 and where/how does it attach?

 

Marcel's warnings make Switzerland sound like a police state! Perhaps they need to eat more chocolate and mellow out some.

 

They are!
A few years ago, I have got a fine for speeding 11.500,- Euro / 13.500,- US$

 

Mate you're not even allowed to wash your car on Sunday.

 

The following video should explain it all:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gfvWasNIxY[/ame]

 

How would the Italians or Swiss know that a Vinyl plate of a US plate is a reproduction? Are all police in Europe well versed in each US state law? I don't by any means advocate anyone purposely break the laws in Europe but here in the US several states don't even issue a front plate at all.

 

When you travel from USA to some other country, just adapt to the laws of the country you visit.
Whenever I go to USA I also do exactly what is required in USA.
It's quite easy, just do it.
When an European country requires a front plate (and they all do) then just make sure that you have one. You can save a lot of $$$ and avoid any trouble.

Marcel Massini

 

Incorrect.
You ARE allowed to wash your car but not at home on Sunday and not on your private grounds/area (this to protect environment and neighbors). Only in a self-wash station specifically set up for car wash.

Marcel Massini

 

I paid US$ 4'500 in 2014.
No complaints, just pay.

Marcel Massini