Hello,
Is it possible to purchase the Swiss Half Fare Card in Switzerland? (After we determine if it would be helpful?) Or do we need to purchase it in the United States before we leave? Thank you!
Posted by
Green Bay
20081 posts
You can buy at just about any Swiss railway station. You need your passport to prove you are not a Swiss resident (although they get even better deals).
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
A) You do not need proof of residence to buy a Swiss half fare card, they are also available to Swiss residents.
B) A passport does not proof that you are not a Swiss resident (though it may imply it). I have a non-Swiss passport and I am a Swiss resident.
Posted by
Green Bay
20081 posts
A) From the SBB site for the 30-day Half Fare Card:
Only persons domiciled outside Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein are entitled to purchase this ticket.
Of course, why would anybody domiciled IN Switzerland want one, when for just a bit more money you can get one good for a whole year.
B) Agree with that statement, but then how do you prove that you are not "domiciled outside Switzerland".
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
Sam, why would they want to put that restriction on?
A 30-day half fare card is not good value if you stay for more than 30-days. As you say an annual one (of which I have one) costs only slightly more, and is available to both residents and non-residents.
It is easy to "prove that you are *not** "domiciled outside Switzerland".*", I have a Swiss Ausländerausweis (residence permit and identity card), but that is only valid in Switzerland. It would not be accepted in any other country.
What you have to prove is that your ARE domiciled outside Switzerland, which is a negative and virtually impossible to prove. They accept a passport, but that only implies you are probably living in the country of your nationality (true for 95%+ of people). There is no internationally recognised document to prove where you live.