Welcome to Geneva! ~ A practical Guide to
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- Navigate this page:
- Secrétariat CASBIA, bureau A 840
- TCS Website . CERN
- Bureaux de Douane
- Sous-Préfecture de Gex
- Bicycles and Scooters To use a bicycle in Switzerland
- MIGROS
- ScooterPoint
- Medical Examination needed
- Public Transport Geneva has a well-functioning bus and rail system. For details of bus routes consult the TPG Website
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* unless otherwise indicated.
Car insurance companies are listed in local telephone books. Also the Association Coopérative des Automobilistes et des Motocyclistes des Secrétariats et Bureaux des organizations internationales et des Institutions Accréditées (CASBIA) has a list of car insurance companies who are accustomed to dealing with UN staff. If you become a member of CASBIA and pay an annual membership fee of CHF 25.- per calendar year (1st January-31st December), you can get discount on your insurance premium and on some other services. For more information: Secrétariat CASBIA, bureau A 840 Palais des Nations 1211 Genève 20 Tel. 022 917 16 20 Fax 022 917 05 26 casbia@unog.ch
In Switzerland: To register a vehicle, the following are required:
Any vehicle imported by a staff member may be driven in Switzerland with its foreign number plates for one year2 from the date the staff member first takes up his /her duties. During this period, the vehicle will not be required to undergo a technical inspection. When the car is registered in Switzerland, however, a technical inspection by the cantonal traffic department will be required except in the case of cars with CD plates. Vehicles must normally comply with Swiss technical standards, with certain exceptions applicable to international civil servants. The Swiss Customs Office (Bureaux de Douane) and the Service des Automobiles et de la Navigation will advise on requirements in individual cases. Bureaux de Douane Geneva: Tel. 022 747 72 72 Geneva: Service des Automobiles et de la Navigation Route de Veyrier 86 1227 Carouge Tel. 022 388 30 30 (open from 07.30 to 16.00) Bus Number 21, Val d’Arve Stop
Tel. 022 388 31 10 Vaud: Service des Automobiles et de la Navigation Chemin du Bochet 8, 1260 Nyon Tel. 022 557 52 90 or in the case of CD plates : Avenue du Grey 110 - 112, 1014 Lausanne Tel. 021 316 82 10 In France: For France, any car more than four years old will have to pass a mechanical and safety check-up called a "contrôle technique" before it can be re-registered. The contrôle technique is mandatory on all vehicles in France over four years old, and you must submit your vehicle for the test every two years. Registration is called "immatriculation", and you'll need to go to your local préfecture or sous-préfecture (chief, or sub-regional administration center) whichever's nearest to your home to collect a "demande de certificat d'immatriculation" to complete. You will also need an official document showing the vehicle conforms with French standards and this is obtained from the Direction Régionale de l'Industrie et de la Recherche, the DRIRE. This organisation handles all the technical aspects of re-registration and a successful application will give you the necessary attestation d'identification du véhicule (vehicle identification certificate). When you have all your re-registration documents assembled you take them to the "carte grise" (literally "grey card," but meaning vehicle registration documents) offices at the préfecture or sous-préfecture. For car registration in France please contact: Sous-Préfecture de Gex 26, rue Charles Harent 01170 Gex Tel. 00 33 4 50 41 51 51 Fax. 00 33 4 50 41 42 87
4, av. Genève 74160 Saint Julien-en-Genevois France
Tel. 00 33 450 35 13 13 Carte grise: 00 33 450 35 37 03
To use a bicycle in Switzerland you must obtain a “vignette”, i.e. a license, which also provides the obligatory third-party liability insurance. The “vignette” is valid from 1st June through 31st May. It can be purchased at post offices, town halls, at MIGROS and at TCS (Swiss Touring Club). The cost is currently CHF 5.-. The Vignette with your name and address is to be posted on the bicycle. The receipt is to be kept at home. Please refer to the Association des Services des Automobiles (ASA) website to see an example of the vignette. Due to traffic congestion in Geneva, motorbikes, scooters and motorcycles are very popular. The licence required depends on the engine type (see table below). For more information check Zurich Insurance Group’s ScooterPoint, the TCS website or the Service des Automobiles et de la Navigation (SAN) of Geneva.
Geneva has a well-functioning bus and rail system. For details of bus routes consult the TPG Website. TPG has an office at Gare Cornavin where weekly, monthly, or yearly tickets can be purchased (open until 7 p.m. on weekdays). For railway information consult the CFF Website or visit the CFF information office at Gare Cornavin (expect a waiting period of at least 15 minutes most of the time, and remember to take a number from the machine near the entrance as soon as you enter the CFF information office!). For train trips in France, you can also go to the French Railways shop, which is sometimes cheaper: MDLF Suisse – Genève c/o SNCF-RailEurope Rue de Lausanne 11 1201 Geneva Tel.: 0900 900 699 (CHF 1.20/call + 0.30/min) Mail : info.ch@franceguide.com France has an excellent internal rail system, especially the TGV intercity service. You must pay a supplement to travel on the faster TGV trains. Remember to validate (compostez) your ticket before boarding the train or risk a large fine. You do not need to go to the ticket office to validate your ticket - the validation machines are usually located at the entrance to platforms. UNIRESO is a tariff community covering the area of the Geneva Canton. Tickets are valid on all buses, local trains (up to Celigny in Vaud), and some lake boats. Tickets can be purchased at vending machines at bus stops and in the railway stations. There are single-ride, half-day or full-day tickets available at vending machines. For monthly or yearly tickets, visit the TPG Office at Gare Cornavin. You need to bring a passport picture. Information on fares is available on the TPG website. Youths/students under 25 years of age and senior citizens of legal retirement age travel at reduced rates. The reduced rate is also available to holders of the CFF Half Fare pass. There are no tickets sold on buses and in regional trains, it is therefore recommended that you buy tickets before getting on the bus (in some cases where there is no ticket machine or the machine is out of service, you may ask the driver to wait for you at the next stop with a machine available so that you may buy a ticket.) Passengers who are on buses without a valid ticket risk an on-the-spot fine of CHF 80, or CHF 100 if payment is deferred. Members of the MEC also get a discount on their monthly or annual TPG passes (see § 10.1 MEC). |
