Zurich public transport: the fine, validation and contactless payment (2026)

Public transport · Zurich2026

According to ZVV, the Zurich transport network, checked on 31 October 2026, travelling without a valid ticket costs CHF 100 for a first offence, CHF 140 for a second and CHF 220 for a third within two years, and you must have a valid ticket before you board.

Fines and payment rules change, often at the start of the year. We quote the transport company’s own pages word for word, with the date we checked them; this is information, not legal advice. The inspector, the fine notice and the official page decide.

At a glance

Zurich public transport: our summary of the official sources, checked on 31 October 2026
Network	trams, buses, S-Bahn and boats in the ZVV area
Fine without a valid ticket	CHF 100 for a first offence (CHF 140 for a second, CHF 220 for a third)
Contactless bank card	Not stated on the ZVV pages we read: buy at machines, sales outlets, online or in the ZVV app
Validate or tap?	Only tickets for validation: stamp them at the machine or right after boarding the bus
How to pay	Ticket machines, sales outlets, online, ZVV app
Change announced	None on the pages we read
Checked	31 October 2026

What the official sources say

Fines

Penalty fares for travelling without a valid ticket Penalty fare for 1st offence CHF 100.– Penalty fare for 2nd offence CHF 140.– Penalty fare for 3rd offense (incl. CHF 50.– for the application fee to request criminal proceedings) CHF 220.– In all cases, the amount includes a flat-rate fare of CHF 10.–
The amount of the fine depends on the number of times you have been caught without a valid ticket in the last two years.

Source: ZVV: Penalty fares in the ZVV region (ZVV (Zürcher Verkehrsverbund)), checked on 31 October 2026. Quoted word for word.

Validating and tapping

You must check that you have a valid ticket before boarding. On vehicles where the driver sells tickets, the ticket must be purchased when boarding. Tickets for validation must be stamped at the ticket machine or immediately after boarding at the validation machine on the bus.

Source: ZVV: Ticket inspection (ZVV (Zürcher Verkehrsverbund)), checked on 31 October 2026. Quoted word for word.

Driving instead?

Driving in Switzerland, do you need an international driving permit? Canadian licence · Australian licence

Other cities

Athens€100 Barcelona€100 minimum charge Berlin€60 Brussels€107 Budapest30,000 HUF from 2 November 2026 Dublin€100 standard fare plus the unpaid fare Edinburgh£10 on-board fare if you have not tapped on GenevaCHF 100 if paid to the inspector, CHF 125 if paid later Hamburg€60 Lisbon€120 to €350 for a serious offence Madrid€80 surcharge Milan€39.30 plus the ticket if paid to the inspector MontrealUp to $500 plus fees Munich€60 OsloNOK 1,200 paid to the inspector by card, NOK 1,470 by invoice PragueCZK 1,200 on the spot, CZK 1,500 within 15 days, CZK 2,000 otherwise TorontoUp to $425, or a criminal charge Vancouver$173

Public transport rules in 40 cities: every fine in one table

Questions

What is the fine for no ticket in Zurich?

ZVV says: “Penalty fares for travelling without a valid ticket Penalty fare for 1st offence CHF 100.– Penalty fare for 2nd offence CHF 140.– Penalty fare for 3rd offense (incl. CHF 50.– for the application fee to request criminal proceedings) CHF 220.– In all cases, the amount includes a flat-rate fare of CHF 10.–” “The amount of the fine depends on the number of times you have been caught without a valid ticket in the last two years.”

Do you need to validate tram tickets in Zurich?

Only tickets that need validating. ZVV says: “You must check that you have a valid ticket before boarding. On vehicles where the driver sells tickets, the ticket must be purchased when boarding. Tickets for validation must be stamped at the ticket machine or immediately after boarding at the validation machine on the bus.”

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