Road Traffic Office and civil registry office

In the canton of Zurich, the Road Traffic Office (Strassenverkehrsamt) is responsible for cars and driving. It belongs to the canton, not to the municipality. The Road Traffic Office holds driving tests and issues driving licences. It also inspects vehicles and registers them for use on the road. Then the car gets its number plates. The police, on the other hand, only check the traffic on the road. They do not issue driving licences and do not register cars. Car garages may not do this either.

Anyone who wants to get married goes to the municipality's civil registry office (Zivilstandsamt). The civil registry office keeps the civil status registers: birth, marriage, divorce and death. It checks whether the marriage is allowed and performs the wedding ceremony. Civil status is, for example, «single», «married» or «divorced».