[throwaway0a5e]

Do you actually get heavily fined or does the cop say "you should really get a new license" and let you go on your way (assuming he has no other reason to really screw you)?

My US state would give the most authoritarian parts of Europe a run for their money when it comes to blind worship of and adherence to rules for the sake of rules and on paper you must obtain a license as soon as you become a resident with no grace period. In practice they just want you to drive with a valid license from any state. No part of government really cares about you getting a state license from this state any more than they care about any other law that mostly gets used for power of arbitrary enforcement.

[zhdc1]

This thread gives more details: https://www.englishforum.ch/transportation-driving/267870-dr...

I'm surprised that the other commenters make it sound less definitive. In my experience, Swiss authorities are extremely strict when it comes to any sort of driving infraction, so the default expectation should be that you will get fined.

[saiya-jin]

I'd say maybe 75% chance of fine. Cops generally don't fuck around here, and sweet talking isn't something that would usually work. The good thing is, under normal circumstances cops never just stop random cars. Another good thing is, I actually like it - same rule for all, male, female, young, old, poor, rich.

If you cross the borders, you either are lucky and pass or when stopped, driver's license is always inspected. In that case expect trouble.

Really not worth the risk.

[CaptainZapp]

Probably depends on the cop. But chances are quite good that you're fined. Having your paperwork in order has quite a high premium in Switzerland.