Road signs in Switzerland and Liechtenstein generally conform to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals. As a result, its road signs largely follow the general European conventions concerning the use of shape and color to indicate their function. Switzerland signed the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals on November 8, 1968 and ratified it on December 11, 1991. On March 2, 2020 Liechtenstein acceded to the Convention.
The Swiss road signs are defined in the Road Signs Act, which is based on several laws and ordinances. Liechtenstein largely follows the legislation of Switzerland. The principal law for road signs in Switzerland is the Road Signs Act (, , ). In Liechtenstein, it is the Road Signalling Ordinance ().
In Switzerland, each canton is responsible for the management and placement of its road signs and complementary panels and they use the whichever of the four official languages of Switzerland is appropriate. In Liechtenstein, German is used.
Distances and other measurements are displayed in metric units in all cases.
In 2003, the ASTRA-Frutiger font replaced the SNV font, which is still used in Liechtenstein.
All signs can be combined with 1 or more supplementary panels. If a supplementary panel is accompanied by the words / / (excluding) or / / (permitted), it means that the indicated kind of transport (e.g. bicycles (panel 5.31) or tanks (panel 5.37)) is excluded from the regulation of the main sign.
Panel 5.31 for bicycles also applies to mopeds with a designed maximum speed of 20km/h.
A number of road markings are used in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The road markings themselves give instructions to drivers, but they may at times also be accompanied by signs giving the same or additional instructions.
Working traffic light signals (not turned off or not flashing yellow) take precedence over priority signs, road markings, and general road rules. A yellow flashing traffic light signals a need for special caution, and the general road rules, priority signs, and road markings must be applied and followed (including in particular stop signs or give way signs and all other priority signs, as well as direction indications). White traffic lights are addressed to public transport only.
Traffic signals containing direction indications apply only for the (lane with) corresponding direction(s) â traffic is required to follow the indicated direction. All traffic light rules apply to bicycles and mopeds as well, but can be exclusively addressed to them by showing a bicycle icon.
When parking in a Blue Zone, it is mandatory to set and display a blue parking disc with the time of arrival according to the Blue Zone Rules. Parking in a blue zone space is limited to 1 hour unless otherwise indicated. No part of a parked vehicle, including bumpers, may protrude outside the marked parking space.
Blue disks are available in various places, such as police stations, hotels, tourist offices, newsstands, the local Gemeinde/Town hall, garages and gas stations.
The disc must be set to the exact time, or to the next half-hour mark if the exact time is not printed on the disc.
From 6:00 p.m. Saturday to 9:00 a.m. Monday, blue-zone parking is free and no blue disc is needed.
In blue zones marked with a 4-digit area code, parking is free for those with a valid parking permit for that specific area code. For those without the corresponding parking permit, regular Blue Zone parking rules apply.