Third license plate for bike carrier saves the need to change plates
30.1.2022
Translation: machine translated
From March 1, 2022 you can get a third license plate for your car. It is intended for mounting bike racks on the rear or the trailer coupling.
If you want to transport bicycles by car, you can either pack them in the trunk in Tetris style, clamp them to the roof, or mount them on the trunk lid or trailer hitch using a rear rack.
The problem with this so far has been that you cover the rear license plate. This is not allowed according to Art. 45, Para. 2, of the Ordinance on Technical Requirements for Road Vehicles (VTS). The law states that and how the license plates must be visible. If you do not comply with this, you will be fined.
Until now, you had to remove the rear license plate of your car and mount it on the bike rack to comply with the law. If you do this more often, you may have already used interchangeable license plate holders. This made it a little easier. Dirty fingers or broken fingernails can't be avoided completely. But there was no other choice. Because more than two license plates for one car - this possibility did not exist until now.
From March 1, everything will be different, new and better. From then on you will be able to order an additional license plate. The cantonal road traffic offices and the Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) are working closely together on this, according to a media release.
Accordingly, the new third license plate will be a copy of the rear main plate. Provision has also been made for possible misuse. The third license plate will have a red base color instead of the white one. And it "may only be used together with the main plate pair," writes FEDRO. The authorities have already clarified that the new plate will be recognized in neighboring countries. Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein already gave the go-ahead in the fall. In the meantime, it has also been clarified that France and Italy as well as Spain, Estonia, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and the United Kingdom know the new red sign. The list will also be published on the ASTRA website at the start of March - and will be updated as further countries are added.
Incidentally, the third plate innovation is not mandatory. According to the press release, you can continue to put on plates if you still want to amortize your interchangeable license plate holder, for example. Or if red is simply not your color.
What does the third license plate cost?
The cost of a third license plate can vary depending on the canton. The issuing offices are the cantonal road traffic offices. You can apply for the third license plate at these offices and you will then also directly find out the costs for it. In the canton of Zurich, there is a notice on the corresponding website that the newly introduced third license plates can only be ordered from the beginning of March. The price is 20 francs. In the canton of Berne, orders can also only be placed from the beginning of March; here, a single plate costs 30 francs. In both cantons it can take up to several weeks until the third license plate is made and sent to you. The websites of other cantonal road traffic offices do not yet contain any information about the third license plate.
Martin Jungfer
Head of Content
Martin.Jungfer@digitecgalaxus.chJournalist since 1997. Stopovers in Franconia (or the Franken region), Lake Constance, Obwalden, Nidwalden and Zurich. Father since 2014. Expert in editorial organisation and motivation. Focus on sustainability, home office tools, beautiful things for the home, creative toys and sports equipment.
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