Speeding Fine arrived by registered post from Swiss police

Leper said:
1. Three offences, speeding between 16 - 20 kph and 11 - 15 kph, I could easily cycle at those speeds. €600 minimum fine although the law in Switzerland is steep . And I wonder if the Swiss pay such fines regularly? (They probably do!). Or is this a nice little earner for the local authorities in Switzerland waiting for unsuspecting non Swiss tourists?

2. If the OP never visits Switzerland again and does not pay the fine, What is the likely scenario?
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Sixteen to twenty kilometre over the 60km speed limit.
I get 20-40 franc tickets all the time.
However those on b- permits need to avoid getting too many low level tickets as it will result in a black mark and time in front of a therapist.

The Swiss pay these fines all the time.

Six hundred is not a minimum fine, twenty Franc our there abouts is. The size of the fine is in proportion to the excess speed.

The size of those fines tells me the OP was bombing post all the other traffic, who, by and large respect the posted limits.

If the OP does not pay the fine, like Liam Neson, they have the ability to hunt you down and by then the fine will be massive and criminal in nature. Extradition warrant not, but time in jail, five days perhaps, if they catch you. And if you were inclined and working there on a visa, no chance of citizenship.
 
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Ignore the fine and the payment, it was not written in your native tongue so was incomprehensible to you. End of.
Are they going to drag you back to Switzerland for a criminal trial in five years time?, get real! Even Seanie Fitzpatrick walks!
 
No, it was written in a Swiss national language.

Do you expect us to send out a ticket based upon the drivers language!?

There are hundreds of languages world wide. He sped in Switzerland, he can get an interpreter. Switzerland does not equal EU.
 
If you don't intend returning to Switzerland, then ignore it.
If you want to revisit and for peace of mind, then cough up, but pay no heed to the scare mongerers 'they will hunt you down' nonsense. this is a very minor offence and not worth stressing over.
 
From another forum
If you choose not to pay the ticket...DO NOT RETURN TO SWITZERLAND. When you check into a hotel (and sometimes cross the border) police records will list you as a "scofflaw". All hotel records are posted daily with the local comissariat. Then you will be subject to an embarrassing arrest and if you cannot pay...a short imprisonment. Also...like in the USA, these tickets can escalate as time passes. Just pay the bloody ticket and get on with you life...is this really worth all the fuss for $80-90. if you pay it, go to the swiss embassy and keep a record of your payments
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If the OP was there once, he will be there again, right?
For me, the path is clear.
 
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Im not sure what universe sirmille is on "he can get an interpreter" but thank you paddytheape.

I dont understood the writing in all the letters sent to me other than seeing dates times and chf fine amounts.
It is 85 euro to translate one page I priced it. There is no way I am paying for that.
 
As speeding is a criminal offence in Switzerland, they can and do issue international rogatories that EU and many other authorities enforce.
 
So after nearly 70 replies to your original post, Are you going to pay the fine or ignore it ??
 
I will wait for a reply to my written appeal to the Canton of the size of the fine (648 CHF).
 
In the interests of fairness to the lively debate on this. They wrote back in mid June regarding my appeal to the *shocking size* of the fine for 23kmph over, it said (I think, it was in German) I had 2 weeks (I think) to pay the fine without being tracked down (a la Liam Neeson)

So folks most of you will be glad to hear I paid the fine with no extra charges incurred and received a receipt that it was now done and dusted.

I actually transferred 608 euro by wire transfer to them (the CHF fx rate hit 1.09 there for a while in June).
 
As Leo said "Thanks for the closure" and I presume now you will be able to go out in public and sleep at night without the worry that the Swiss guard might be looking for you :)
 
Well I live in Dublin so I think a Swiss guard may just be outside their jurisdiction for a speeding fine :)
 
Good stuff Bmount, I hear you can get a speeding fine even for speeding on a bicycle over there. Would be nice if that happened here :)
 
I think the Swiss guard operate in the Vatican, ensuring you don't park in spots reserved for the PopeMobile.
 
mathepac said:
I think the Swiss guard operate in the Vatican, ensuring you don't park in spots reserved for the PopeMobile.
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The Swiss guard is actually drawn from the Swiss army and are responsible for the personal safety of the Pope. As such in addition to standard military training, they are specialists in close protection, unarmed combat, small arms etc... while they do provide the pomp with the colourful uniforms, most of them operate in plain cloths. To be considered you must be a practicing Swiss catholic between the ages of 19 and 30.

It is how a every poorly paid job with very long hours and very strict discipline, but service in the Swiss guard is highly valued in the employment market afterwards. My son is considering it at the moment.
 
Before applying for the Pontifical Swiss Guard, each recruit must be a single male of Swiss citizenship standing at least 174 cm (5’ 8 “) tall, between ages 19 and 30, and also holding a high school degree or professional diploma.


Each recruit must be a faithful Roman Catholic as endorsed by his hometown’s Parish Priest.


Each recruit must have completed basic military training in Switzerland in order to continue to the first five weeks of training with the guards in Rome. After this training period, they are known as Halberdiers, owing to their halberds, the primary weapons the Swiss mercenaries used in the 14th and 15th century.


After being sworn in, the Halberdiers and their parents get a private audience with the Pope where they receive a personal blessing.
 
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