Foreign drivers will have to pay a transit tax for passing through Switzerland

The “transit tax” proposal is now one step closer to becoming law after the National Council voted to pass the initiative. In the future, foreign drivers passing through Switzerland will have to pay a toll.

Swiss Parliament passes new tax on foreign drivers

Following approval by the Council of States in September 2025, the National Council has followed suit and voted in favour of a new “transit tax” that will see foreign drivers pay a new toll to pass through Switzerland on their way to another country.

The motion, proposed by Marco Chiesa (SVP), passed by 173 votes. 13 councillors were against it and 3 abstained, reports 20 Minuten. The Federal Council will now move forward with drafting a bill.

Foreign driver tax could raise 11 million Swiss francs

The new tax aims to reduce heavy traffic on Swiss motorways, particularly during peak times like Easter and summer holidays. Depending on the time of day, day of the week and amount of traffic, foreigners will be charged varying amounts to drive through Switzerland to, for example, Italy, Germany, France or Austria.

National councillor Simon Stadler (Centre Party) argued that, particularly during peak times, “around 80 percent of the vehicles [on Swiss roads] have foreign license plates”. Not only would the tax help reduce congestion, but “with a price of 21 francs per ride, we could generate over 11 million francs”, Stadler continued.

However, transport minister Albert Rösti has warned of the administrative difficulties that the additional toll would see. The new charge would “effectively necessitate monitoring all border crossings in Switzerland”, Rösti argued, and it would be difficult to define how long drivers have to stay to avoid the charge.

It is now over to the Swiss government to draft a legislative bill which, because the proposal may require a change to the Swiss constitution, would most likely be put to a referendum.