My badge on a loaned car

My badge on a loaned car

"I have a "badge" for parking my car in the blue zone in my neighbourhood. However, the car is getting old and every time I have to leave it at my garage, I can't park any other replacement vehicle near me because it doesn't have the same plate number. I've been told that there are interchangeable badges, but I don't know if I'm entitled to them. How does this work?

The answer to your question can be found in articles 7A et seq. of the Geneva Road Traffic Enforcement Regulations.

Essentially, residents of the various sectors of the City of Geneva can request the issue of a parking badge at a cost of CHF 200 per year for vehicles registered in their name, provided they are domiciled and actually reside in the sector in question. People who have a business establishment in the area may do the same, provided that they can prove that the vehicle is necessary for their activity; they will be charged CHF 400 per year for this privilege.

As you mentioned, the badge includes the registration number and the name of the sector, as well as the date on which it expires. This means that if the plate number on the sticker does not correspond to that of the vehicle you are using, you run the risk of being fined.

Admittedly, the regulations stipulate that an interchangeable badge may be issued for two vehicles owned by the same person. However, the second vehicle must also be registered in your name with the Service des automobiles, which rules out any replacement or loan vehicle that you might use temporarily.

The parking badges are managed by the Car Parks Foundation, but it is the Parking Department that is responsible for fining anyone who contravenes the rules governing their use. According to the information I have obtained from the Parking Department, insofar as the legislation does not contain any precise indication of the problem you are referring to, it is accepted in practice for the holder of a parking badge to use it occasionally with a vehicle loaned to him or her as a replacement for his or her own, provided that a certificate from the garage where the regular vehicle is immobilised is visibly displayed under the windscreen, to enable the officers to check that there is no abuse.