Crossing the EU border in a car hired in Switzerland
Discussion
Help!
I have a skiing holiday in France in a couple of months and have arranged car hire at the airport I am flying to, which is in Switzerland (Geneva, Swiss side). I recently heard from a friend that there was a problem with this due to changes in EU regulations prohibiting an EU resident from driving a hire car from Switzerland into the EU.
I spoke with the company I hired the car from (a major international firm) who told me there is no problem with this, and certainly having searched their website can find no reference to this. However, another hire company's website make specific reference to this saying that it may be treated as a criminal offence and say that you cannot do this.
If I cancel the rental now I may incur a charge for this. Given that they make no reference on their website to this and told me on the phone (at the local office) that there was no problem I would be grateful for any advice from anyone who has experience or knowledge of this rather bizarre situation.
I have a skiing holiday in France in a couple of months and have arranged car hire at the airport I am flying to, which is in Switzerland (Geneva, Swiss side). I recently heard from a friend that there was a problem with this due to changes in EU regulations prohibiting an EU resident from driving a hire car from Switzerland into the EU.
I spoke with the company I hired the car from (a major international firm) who told me there is no problem with this, and certainly having searched their website can find no reference to this. However, another hire company's website make specific reference to this saying that it may be treated as a criminal offence and say that you cannot do this.
If I cancel the rental now I may incur a charge for this. Given that they make no reference on their website to this and told me on the phone (at the local office) that there was no problem I would be grateful for any advice from anyone who has experience or knowledge of this rather bizarre situation.
http://www.blick.ch/news/wirtschaft/ploetzlich-gib...
Yes it seems to be a problem unless it has been solved since this newspaper article in June. Says you can't drive a rental car out of Switzerland into the EU then bring it back into Switzerland.
Article also says that you can't drive an EU rented car in Switzerland for more than 8 days. I didn't know that.
See this also
https://www.ch.ch/en/driving_foreign_car_across_bo...
Yes it seems to be a problem unless it has been solved since this newspaper article in June. Says you can't drive a rental car out of Switzerland into the EU then bring it back into Switzerland.
Article also says that you can't drive an EU rented car in Switzerland for more than 8 days. I didn't know that.
See this also
https://www.ch.ch/en/driving_foreign_car_across_bo...
Edited by Esceptico on Tuesday 11th October 06:46
PoleDriver said:
I often fly to Basel airport (Swiss side) and hire a Swiss registered car then drive to either Germany or France, never had a problem! I'm doing it next week in fact!
The Swiss side (together with the rest of the airport) is actually in France, not Switzerland. There is a treaty between France and Switzerland that lets the Swiss use the airport. May make a difference.Interesting, "Persons residing abroad
In principle EU residents are not entitled to drive a vehicle registered in Switzerland on EU territory. If an EU resident drives a Swiss-registered vehicle borrowed from a Swiss resident in the EU, this can already be considered as car smuggling. European Union regulations apply."
I think that the key is "in principle" - my interpretation is that there is a law, but it isn't used to catch hire car users...
In principle EU residents are not entitled to drive a vehicle registered in Switzerland on EU territory. If an EU resident drives a Swiss-registered vehicle borrowed from a Swiss resident in the EU, this can already be considered as car smuggling. European Union regulations apply."
I think that the key is "in principle" - my interpretation is that there is a law, but it isn't used to catch hire car users...
Esceptico said:
PoleDriver said:
I often fly to Basel airport (Swiss side) and hire a Swiss registered car then drive to either Germany or France, never had a problem! I'm doing it next week in fact!
The Swiss side (together with the rest of the airport) is actually in France, not Switzerland. There is a treaty between France and Switzerland that lets the Swiss use the airport. May make a difference.More stupidity from the EU giving out "laws" which aren't, it's a customs abberation!!!
JMGS4 said:
Esceptico said:
PoleDriver said:
I often fly to Basel airport (Swiss side) and hire a Swiss registered car then drive to either Germany or France, never had a problem! I'm doing it next week in fact!
The Swiss side (together with the rest of the airport) is actually in France, not Switzerland. There is a treaty between France and Switzerland that lets the Swiss use the airport. May make a difference.More stupidity from the EU giving out "laws" which aren't, it's a customs abberation!!!
wasn't aware of any issues. Anyway, most CH hire cars go straight across the border as nobody hires a car for GVA town centre and the place is pretty much in France already. Just join all the other hire cars on the A40.
There was an issue a few years back with hire cars not coming with chains or snow tyres as standard unless requested/paid for. Deceitful really, as it's either mandatory is some areas nearby or at least you'll be at fault if involved in an accident Dec-Mar on summers.
There was an issue a few years back with hire cars not coming with chains or snow tyres as standard unless requested/paid for. Deceitful really, as it's either mandatory is some areas nearby or at least you'll be at fault if involved in an accident Dec-Mar on summers.
I have exactly this issue coming up over Xmas.
The only scare stories I can find are RENTAL COMPANIES refusing to rent to people on the Swiss side.
In other words, Brits turn up and go to the Swiss rental desks to be asked "going to France?", "Yes", "Well, no car for you!"
I can't actually find any info on people stopped at the border facing problems.
It just looks like SOME rental companies getting worried.
I always book through Auto Europe and they agreed with the above.
I happened to have booked with Hertz and AE confirm that Hertz don't have a problem with it, but that some other rental companies still do.
This appears to be a good summary, which makes it clear that there is just one example.
Perhaps I will rue the day but the risk some border guard thinks my family is smuggling a rental car in order to avoid French VAT seems very small.
http://lenews.ch/2016/06/01/new-eu-customs-rules-c...
The only scare stories I can find are RENTAL COMPANIES refusing to rent to people on the Swiss side.
In other words, Brits turn up and go to the Swiss rental desks to be asked "going to France?", "Yes", "Well, no car for you!"
I can't actually find any info on people stopped at the border facing problems.
It just looks like SOME rental companies getting worried.
I always book through Auto Europe and they agreed with the above.
I happened to have booked with Hertz and AE confirm that Hertz don't have a problem with it, but that some other rental companies still do.
This appears to be a good summary, which makes it clear that there is just one example.
Perhaps I will rue the day but the risk some border guard thinks my family is smuggling a rental car in order to avoid French VAT seems very small.
http://lenews.ch/2016/06/01/new-eu-customs-rules-c...
jm doc said:
I am flying into Geneva, there is a french side there as well but have booked on the Swiss side originally as intend to go into Geneva initially on arrival, also it's a more convenient location. Problem now is that I have to cancel current booking if I want to change and will incur a penalty. And most articles I have read, including a warning on the Avis website say that insurance is not valid and you will be responsible for any damage...
It is more convenient and usually cheaper to rent from the Swiss side however, the Swiss have a 'motorway toll' which rental cars don't have. Costs about £90 for the year (when I was last there >5rys ago. This means that when you enter back into Switzerland to return the car, you will have to pay this toll at the border. When I did it I didn't know about this and when I reached the border, I drove straight through as there were no barriers but they were doing spot checks so I was probably lucky to get away with it. Hiring and returning the car from the French side will avoid this hassle I believe. E36GUY said:
It is more convenient and usually cheaper to rent from the Swiss side however, the Swiss have a 'motorway toll' which rental cars don't have. Costs about £90 for the year (when I was last there >5rys ago. This means that when you enter back into Switzerland to return the car, you will have to pay this toll at the border. When I did it I didn't know about this and when I reached the border, I drove straight through as there were no barriers but they were doing spot checks so I was probably lucky to get away with it. Hiring and returning the car from the French side will avoid this hassle I believe.
You have that the wrong way round.If you hire from the French side, you get a French car which won't have the Swiss Vignette.
So to avoid having to buy one, you go through the centre of Geneva and avoid the Swiss motorways to get to France.
Hiring on the Swiss side they are Swiss cars which will already have one, IIRC.
Certainly in the 10x I have hired on that side they have had one.
Esceptico said:
http://www.blick.ch/news/wirtschaft/ploetzlich-gib...
Yes it seems to be a problem unless it has been solved since this newspaper article in June. Says you can't drive a rental car out of Switzerland into the EU then bring it back into Switzerland.
Article also says that you can't drive an EU rented car in Switzerland for more than 8 days. I didn't know that.
See this also
https://www.ch.ch/en/driving_foreign_car_across_bo...
That would kill the car rental business at Geneva Airport.Yes it seems to be a problem unless it has been solved since this newspaper article in June. Says you can't drive a rental car out of Switzerland into the EU then bring it back into Switzerland.
Article also says that you can't drive an EU rented car in Switzerland for more than 8 days. I didn't know that.
See this also
https://www.ch.ch/en/driving_foreign_car_across_bo...
Edited by Esceptico on Tuesday 11th October 06:46
jm doc said:
I am flying into Geneva, there is a french side there as well but have booked on the Swiss side originally as intend to go into Geneva initially on arrival, also it's a more convenient location. Problem now is that I have to cancel current booking if I want to change and will incur a penalty. And most articles I have read, including a warning on the Avis website say that insurance is not valid and you will be responsible for any damage...
I had the exact problem this summer. I cancelled my original booking and rebooked on the French side, no cancellation fee but the cost was £100 more.My French car had the Swiss Vignette...luck of the draw, but I didn't need to use their motorways anyway.
What I will stress is though finding your way back to the French rental carpark is very hard, it isn't sign posted and nearly cost me my marriage. We went round in circles for over an hour.
Just hired a car at Basel on the weekend (Swiss side).
The guy gave as a warning about the new EU directive - but said that so no border officials have done anything about it for anyone renting their cars.
So it seems it is a new thing (since May 2016 I think) but not being strictly enforced.
The guy gave as a warning about the new EU directive - but said that so no border officials have done anything about it for anyone renting their cars.
So it seems it is a new thing (since May 2016 I think) but not being strictly enforced.
I posted a thread on this a while ago - http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=160... - I ended up going through 3 different companies before I found someone who would give me an EU car. The other two told me that it was illegal to take the car out & they'd either not supply a car or I'd have to sign a disclaimer saying I was aware of the law & that if I took the car out the country it was my responsibility.
This isn't exactly a new law and it's been Swiss policy as well for obvious reasons. What has changed is that it now applies to hire cars which were previously a bit of a loop hole. It's an issue of bringing items from one customs area to another and the payment of import duty.
I hope it's a situation that will be sorted out sensibly (although I get the feeling the law needs to be better explained by both government sources and journalists) but to put the blame solely on the EU is absurd. There are plenty of countries where you can't rent a car and take it a few miles down the road and into the next country. How is the situation different from if France wasn't part of the EU?
I hope it's a situation that will be sorted out sensibly (although I get the feeling the law needs to be better explained by both government sources and journalists) but to put the blame solely on the EU is absurd. There are plenty of countries where you can't rent a car and take it a few miles down the road and into the next country. How is the situation different from if France wasn't part of the EU?
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