Documents and plates when you sell
Most of the stress in a Swiss car sale is paperwork, and almost all of it is predictable. Two rules carry the whole thing: the registration document belongs to the car, and the plates belong to you.
What the buyer receives
The vehicle registration document goes to the buyer at handover, because they cannot register the car in their own name without it. Hand over both keys, the service booklet with its invoices, the latest inspection report if the car has one, and the manuals.
Anything you keep, such as a second set of wheels or an accessory, belongs in the contract so nobody remembers it differently later.
What you keep
The plates stay with you. Take them off before the buyer drives away, and either move them to your next car or return them to your cantonal road traffic office.
Keep a signed copy of the sale contract and a photo of the mileage at handover. That is your evidence if anything is questioned afterwards.
Stop the running costs
Vehicle tax and insurance keep running until the registration is closed, so deal with the plates promptly rather than in the following weeks. Once the registration is closed, ask your insurer for the unused premium and your canton for the unused tax back.
If the car is leased or financed, contact the lender before you advertise it. The outstanding amount has to be settled through them and that changes the timing of the sale.
How we handle it
With Carease the paperwork is prepared for you: we check your registration document during onboarding, prepare the digital sale contract, and the buyer signs it online.
You keep driving your car until it is sold. Nothing to pay upfront, a flat CHF 990 Success fee only once the car sells, and your money reaches you within 5 days.
Let us handle the whole sale.
You set your price, we list your car on AutoScout24 and take care of the buyers, the contract and the payment.
Get my selling priceFrequently asked questions
Who keeps the licence plates when a car is sold in Switzerland?
The seller. Plates are issued to the owner, not the vehicle, so you remove them at handover and either transfer them to another car or return them to your canton.
Do I have to deregister the car myself?
You close your own registration by returning or transferring the plates. Registering the car in their name is the buyer's responsibility, using the vehicle registration document you hand over.
Can I get insurance and vehicle tax back?
Yes, normally the unused part. Once the registration is closed, your insurer refunds the remaining premium and your canton refunds the remaining tax for the year.
Can I sell a car that is still on a lease?
Not directly. Speak to the leasing company first, because the outstanding balance has to be settled through them before ownership can pass to a buyer.