The path to the licence follows stages set out in law. Some of them change with the 2027 reform – in particular the order of the awareness course and the theory test.
The path to the driving licence
First aid course and eyesight check.
Application for the learner driver's licence at the road traffic office.
Theory test – possible from age 17 for category B.
Practice: lessons with a driving school and private practice drives with an accompanying person.
Awareness course before the practical test.
Practical test → licence on probation for 3 years.
New from 2027: the awareness course must be completed before the basic theory test – the reverse of current practice.
Practice drives: the rules
The blue «L» plate must be displayed clearly visible at the rear during practice drives.
Anyone obtaining the category B learner permit before the age of 20 must practise for at least 12 months before taking the practical test.
The accompanying person must be at least 23 years old, have held a category B licence for at least 3 years, and that licence must no longer be on probation. All three conditions must be met together.
Lessons and private practice
Both have their place, and it is the combination that prepares you for the test:
Professional lessons build the technique correctly from the start and stop errors from settling in.
Private practice provides the mileage and the routine in varied situations.
Licence on probation: 3 years
After the practical test the licence is valid on probation for 3 years.
A further training course must be completed, as a rule within the first year.
An offence leading to a withdrawal extends the period by one year.
A second such offence results in annulment of the probationary licence.
After an annulment you have to start again from scratch, with a waiting period and a psychological assessment. Remember too: throughout the period the 0.0 ‰ limit applies.
The keeper's responsibility
As the keeper of the vehicle you are jointly responsible for who drives it.
You may only hand it over to people with a valid licence who are fit to drive. If you lend the car to someone without a licence or under the influence of alcohol, you answer alongside that person.
Motorcycle: basic practical training
For categories A and A1, 12 hours of basic practical training are compulsory after the theory test.
Only then may the candidate take the practical test.
Practise now
Practise with official exam questions
Over 800 official questions of the Swiss driving theory exam.
