Switzerland’s new Ordinance on Automated Driving (VAF) has been in force since 1 March 2025. Behind the scenes, two complementary teams, one led by public authorities, the other by SAAM and CertX, are turning the legal text into a working reality. Here is a high-level look at what has been put in place, what has happened so far, and what comes next.
1. FEDRO–Cantons Monitoring Group
(“Begleitgruppe”) – created by the Federal Roads Office, FEDRO)
Mission
Help cantonal authorities apply the new rules; share experience on vehicle technology, road design and traffic law; and advise on authorization requests for driverless vehicles and automated parking systems.
Who sits at the table?
Representatives of Swiss public bodies (cantons, federal offices, police forces, etc.) The group can invite external experts whenever needed.
Why it matters
Cantons and cities have welcomed the initiative and even asked to widen participation to include road-maintenance services, police forces and urban-planning specialists, ensuring that local knowledge shapes national policy.
This work will provide the foundation for FEDRO to develop directives in collaboration with the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention BFU.
2. Application Process Working Group
(25-member interdisciplinary task-force led by SAAM & CertX)
Mission
Turn the ordinance into a single, practical application form that operators can file when they want to run autonomous-vehicle projects on public roads. The form:
- gives step-by-step guidance and ready-to-use templates,
- lists the key documents and sources to consult,
- sets out a realistic timeline,
- flags the main safety, cybersecurity and functional-safety issues, and
- shows how to link these proofs to the EU type-approval1 rules for automated vehicles (Regulation (EU) 2022/1426).
The SAAM Working Group focuses on the project application of driverless Level-4 vehicles that operate in a defined area under remote supervision. In parallel, the FEDRO is drafting an evaluation tool for cantons to review the project applications
Who sits at the table?
AV experts, engineers, safety and certification specialists from SAAM join vehicle makers, technology suppliers, cantonal road offices, police services and urban planners. This mix lets legal, technical, and operational questions be solved in the same room.
Why it matters
A harmonised form spares every operator from inventing a new dossier and helps cantons judge projects in a consistent way. That speeds up approvals and keeps Switzerland attractive for real-world trials. The work also fills a regulatory gap: because no fully automated vehicle yet holds an EU type approval, the group must show how to prove safety and cyber-resilience during pilots and how that proof can mature into full approval later. Four example approval paths, from a ready-approved car to a pilot-only vehicle that seeks a commercial licence, explain how federal checks, expert reviews and cantonal sign-off fit together.
Early meetings confirm that success depends on keeping local police and road planners involved from day one.
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- The EU type approval for autonomous vehicles is a regulatory certification that ensures such vehicles meet all safety, environmental, and technical standards required for operations within the European Union. (Regulation (EU) 2022/1426) ↩︎
