Emissions maintenance document and emissions test: what an import really needs
By Anna Katharina Finsler, Managing Director, Finsler Customs GmbH · Last updated:
In short: An Abgas-Wartungsdokument (emissions maintenance record) is required for petrol and diesel vehicles registered in Switzerland with a first registration from 1976. Since 1 January 2013 vehicles with a recognised OBD system are exempt — retrospectively too. A separate emissions and noise test is only needed when the European evidence is missing; two bodies in Switzerland may carry it out.
Two things that get confused
Two terms come up on an import that have nothing to do with each other:
- The Abgas-Wartungsdokument (AWD) is a service record for the exhaust system. It accompanies the vehicle in use, not the import.
- The emissions and noise test is a report showing that the vehicle meets the emission and noise rules. It is only demanded when that evidence does not already follow from the European papers.
For an ordinary EU vehicle with a COC certificate you need no test. The COC proves the type approval, and emissions and noise are covered with it. More in the guide type approval and COC.
The emissions maintenance document: who needs one
The emissions maintenance obligation covers every petrol and diesel vehicle registered in Switzerland that first entered service after 1 January 1976. Exempt are petrol vehicles with a top speed of 50 km/h or less, vehicles over 3,500 kg gross weight and agricultural work vehicles.
The big exception arrived in 2013: since 1 January 2013 vehicles with a recognised on-board diagnostics system are exempt from emissions maintenance — and not only new vehicles, but retrospectively those already on the road. You recognise the system by the yellow engine warning light on the dashboard, which reports a fault while you drive. For nearly every import from the past twenty years that means no AWD is needed.
Where maintenance is still required, these intervals apply:
| Vehicle | Emissions maintenance every |
|---|---|
| Petrol vehicle without catalytic converter | 12 months |
| Petrol vehicle with converter, diesel vehicle | 24 months |
| Diesel engine up to 30 km/h | 48 months |
The interval runs to the end of the month and cannot be extended. The garage orders the document from auto-schweiz; it is filled in during the service.
The emissions and noise test: only two places in Switzerland
If the European evidence is missing, the vehicle has to be measured. Not every test centre may do this: recognised under article 17 paragraph 1 of the Swiss type approval ordinance are two bodies:
| Body | Location |
|---|---|
| DTC Dynamic Test Center AG | Vauffelin, canton of Bern |
| FAKT AG | Salez, municipality of Sennwald, canton of St. Gallen |
Both run the rolling road test for emissions and the drive-past measurement for noise. The report then goes to the cantonal road traffic office and is the precondition for individual approval.
When a test becomes necessary
- Vehicles from overseas — typically from the USA. They carry no European type approval; American EPA or California figures are accepted in certain cases, otherwise the vehicle is measured.
- Modified vehicles — changed exhaust system, more power, a different engine. The original approval no longer carries.
- One-offs and small series — anyone putting fewer than five identical vehicles into service can choose individual approval instead of a type approval.
- Vehicles without usable papers — when the COC and the data sheet are missing and nothing can be obtained from the manufacturer.
The test costs time and money, and both depend on the vehicle. Expect an appointment by arrangement and a four-figure sum — it becomes binding only with the test centre's quote.
What we take care of
We check before you buy whether your vehicle needs a test — that is the point at which an import turns expensive if you notice it too late. For an EU vehicle with complete papers the answer is usually no. If something is missing we say so before you buy, and we arrange the appointment with the responsible body. Ask us before you buy a car from overseas or a modified vehicle.
More information
- Import calculator — duty, vehicle tax, VAT and CO₂
- Guides on importing a car into Switzerland
- Frequently asked questions
- About Finsler Customs
- Contact and advice
- Car import Switzerland — start here
Import by country of origin
- Importing a car from Germany into Switzerland
- Importing a car from Austria into Switzerland
- Import a car from France into Switzerland
- Import a car from Italy to Switzerland
- Import a car from the Netherlands into Switzerland
- Import a car from Belgium to Switzerland
- Importing a car from Luxembourg into Switzerland
- Importing a car from Czechia into Switzerland
- Importing a car from Poland into Switzerland
- Import a car from Sweden into Switzerland
- Import a car from Norway to Switzerland