Getting a Swiss driver’s license

You are new in Geneva, have a foreign driver’s license, and don’t know that you must change it, this article is for you !

As you may know, you have one year to exchange your driver’s license for a Swiss one – and this is mandatory if you got a B permit.

For the Geneva’s area, you will also need to visit a licensed optician.

Everything is explained on Geneva’s cantonal office website, but if you don’t read French, you may want to understand the steps :

• download, print and fill the form,
• prepare your original driver’s license that you will have to exchange,
• get a certificate from a licensed opitician – he will have to fill some parts of the form you downloaded, visit will cost a fixed price of 20CHF,
• bring a color passport picture,
• bring your residence permit.

Take a look at this image to see what you can easily fill, with some hints in blue. Section 4 have to be filled by the optician. I kindly advise you to discuss sections 2, 4 and 5 with him, as they are mostly about health.
Take everything mentioned before with you, and go personally to the driver’s licenses office :

You will then get your Swiss driver’s license.