Search for a vehicle by plate
Swiss license plate search
Select the canton and enter the number (1 to 7 digits). Only technical data is displayed — no personal data.
No personal data displayed
Swiss License Plate Search
Search for a vehicle by its plate and access official technical data
Example result
Here is an example of the data returned. The data comes from cantonal registers — no personal data (name, address) is accessible.
BE654 536
VW Passat Var. 2.0T
Standard plateCantonBE – Bern
Plate number654536
Brand & modelVW Passat Var. 2.0T
Type approval no.1VD327
First registration05.05.2006
InterchangeableNo
Displacement1,984 cm³
Power147 kW (200 hp)
Cylinders4
FuelPetrol
TransmissionAutomatic
DrivetrainFront-wheel drive
Kerb weight1,680 kg
Gross weight2,150 kg
Euro standardEuro 4
Last inspection07.03.2019
Next inspection06.03.2021
Seats
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The Swiss registration system
Structure of a Swiss plate
Each Swiss plate is made up of two elements:
- The cantonal abbreviation (2 letters) — identifies the canton (e.g. BE for Bern, ZH for Zurich, VD for Vaud)
- The number (1 to 7 digits) — assigned by the cantonal road traffic office
The number is unique within a canton. Thus, BE 654536 and ZH 654536 refer to two different vehicles.
Low numbers (1 to a few hundred) are often reserved for official vehicles. Short numbers are the oldest and sometimes the most sought-after.
Personal data protection
SwissCarInfo does not display any personal data linked to the owner. The search returns only:
- Technical data (brand, model, engine, weight, dimensions)
- General administrative data (inspection dates, first registration)
- Environmental data (CO2, Euro standard, fuel)
The name, address, phone number or any other information identifying the owner is neither stored nor accessible on SwissCarInfo.
Update frequency
License plate data is updated once a month from cantonal registers. This means a recent change (new vehicle, plate transfer, canton change) may not yet be reflected in our results.
If the data shown does not match the vehicle currently registered under this plate, the change likely occurred after our last update.
Plate types by colour
The plate colour indicates the type of use:
White
Cars, motorcycles, trucks, coaches, trailers
Yellow
Mopeds and slow vehicles (max 45 km/h)
Green
Agricultural vehicles
Blue
Work vehicles (construction equipment, fire trucks, etc.)
Brown
Special vehicles (oversized dimensions/weight)
Black
Military vehicles (white lettering, M prefix)
The 26 Swiss cantons
Each canton has its own road traffic office:
- AG – Aargau
- AI – Appenzell I.Rh.
- AR – Appenzell A.Rh.
- BE – Bern
- BL – Basel-Land.
- BS – Basel-Stadt
- FR – Fribourg
- GE – Geneva
- GL – Glarus
- GR – Grisons
- JU – Jura
- LU – Lucerne
- NE – Neuchâtel
- NW – Nidwalden
- OW – Obwalden
- SG – St. Gallen
- SH – Schaffhausen
- SO – Solothurn
- SZ – Schwyz
- TG – Thurgau
- TI – Ticino
- UR – Uri
- VD – Vaud
- VS – Valais
- ZG – Zug
- ZH – Zurich
Interchangeable plates (Wechselschild)
What is an interchangeable plate?
The interchangeable plate system (German: Wechselschild, French: plaque interchangeable, Italian: targa intercambiabile) is a Swiss speciality. It allows one plate number to be used for two vehicles.
How it works
- The owner has two vehicles but only one set of plates
- Only one vehicle may be on the road at a time — the other must remain parked
- Insurance covers whichever vehicle is carrying the plate at the time
- Both vehicles must be of the same category (e.g. two cars, or car + motorcycle)
Advantages
- Tax savings on the cantonal vehicle tax: only the more heavily taxed vehicle is charged at 100%
- One insurance policy covers both vehicles
- Ideal for collectors, seasonal motorcycles, or families with two vehicles
On SwissCarInfo
When an interchangeable plate is detected, a brand verification is required before displaying the technical data.
Available data
The plate search gives access to the following fields:
| Category | Fields | Access |
|---|---|---|
| Plate | Canton, number, plate colour, plate type, interchangeable | Free |
| Vehicle | Brand, brand & type, type approval no., class, type | Free |
| Dates | First registration, registration date, last inspection, next inspection | Subscription |
| Engine | Displacement, power, cylinders, fuel, hybrid, transmission, drivetrain | Subscription |
| Details | Type, variant, version, body shape | Subscription |
| Weight | Kerb weight, gross weight | Subscription |
| Environment | CO2 WLTP, CO2 NEDC, Euro standard | Subscription |
| Other | Seats, body colours (3 codes) | Subscription |
Frequently asked questions
Select the canton and enter the plate number (1 to 7 digits). The system searches the cantonal registration database and returns the technical data of the associated vehicle. No personal data (name, address) is displayed.
The search returns the vehicle's technical data: brand, model, displacement, power, weight, fuel type, transmission, CO2 emissions, Euro standard, first registration date, last and next inspection dates. No personal information about the owner is accessible.
An interchangeable plate allows the same registration number to be used for two different vehicles (but not simultaneously). Only one vehicle may be on the road at a time. This system is common in Switzerland for people who own a car and a motorcycle, or two cars. For interchangeable plates, an additional brand verification is required before displaying the data.
No. SwissCarInfo never displays personal data. The plate search returns only the vehicle's technical data (brand, model, engine, weight, emissions, etc.). The name, address, or any information identifying the owner is neither stored nor displayed.
Swiss plates consist of a cantonal abbreviation (2 letters: BE, ZH, VD, GE, etc.) followed by a number from 1 to 7 digits. The plate colour indicates the type of use: white for cars, motorcycles, trucks, coaches and trailers; yellow for mopeds and slow vehicles (max 45 km/h); green for agricultural vehicles; blue for work vehicles (construction equipment, fire trucks, etc.); brown for special vehicles (oversized dimensions/weight); black for military vehicles (white lettering, M prefix). The number is assigned by the cantonal road traffic office.
All 26 Swiss cantons are covered: AG, AI, AR, BE, BL, BS, FR, GE, GL, GR, JU, LU, NE, NW, OW, SG, SH, SO, SZ, TG, TI, UR, VD, VS, ZG, ZH. Data availability depends on cantonal imports.