Last Tuesday I went down to the Strassenverkehrsamt (Swiss DMV) to find out about getting a driver’s license. I know my US license is valid for a year, but I also know getting a driver’s license in Europe can be a long process, so I wanted to start the process early.
They handed me a form, said I need to get an eye check, bring my US license in and the form, and I’d get a swiss license. Neat!
Thursday morning I stopped by and handed them my US license and my form. I noted that I had both a car and a motorcycle endorsement on my US license. They said that was no problem I’d have both on my Swiss version and that they’d mail me both my US and Swiss licenses within two weeks.
Monday morning I had both sitting in my mailbox! Talk about fast service! Unfortunately, they’d missed my motorcycle endorsement. I thought “oh, man, this is going to be a pain to get fixed.” So I went ot the office and called the Strassenverkehrsamt, and explained to them what happened. The guy on the other end was very nice, said that indeed they had made a mistake, and that I could mail or drop off my Swiss license and they’d get me another right away. So after lunch, I went down to the Strassenverkehrsamt again. I got there around 2:30pm on Monday. I explained the situation and handed them my Swiss license. They gave me a temporary license, and said I should have a new one within a day or two. The next morning I had a new one in my mailbox with a motorcycle endorsement! Think about that – I dropped it off at 2:30pm on Monday and at 10am on Tuesday, it was already in my mailbox!
That’s one place where the Swiss administration blows the socks off of US administration!
Now, on to buying a motorcycle!
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