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Austria
Tourist guide

Driving in Austria

Complete guide for tourists and expats. Learn the road rules, speed limits, and essential information before you drive in Austria.

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130km/hMax highway speed
112Emergency number

Briefing

Austria charges a two-layer toll: the Vignette (or "Pickerl") gets you onto the Autobahn and Schnellstraße network, but five of the busiest Alpine corridors then bill you again. The annual digital Vignette is €106.80 in 2026, with a 10-day at €12.80, a 2-month at €32.00, and a 1-day at €9.60 (ASFINAG, valid from 1 December 2025).

The paper Klebevignette is being sold for the last time in 2026 — from 2027 the digital plate-linked version is the only option. The five Streckenmaut sections — A9 Pyhrn (Bosrucktunnel €7, Gleinalmtunnel €12), A10 Tauern/Katschberg €15, A11 Karawanken €9, A13 Brenner €12.50, S16 Arlberg €13 — are now fully digital with automatic plate recognition at toll lanes, and these prices stack on top of the Vignette.

Driving Vienna to Villach on the A10 means you pay both. The Ersatzmaut for getting caught without a Vignette rose to €200 on 1 January 2026 (previously €120); ignore the offer and it escalates to a €300–3,000 administrative penalty.

Speed limits are 50 in town, 100 on Freilandstraße and Schnellstraße, 130 on Autobahn. The 2018 Tempo-140 pilot on the A1 Westautobahn was terminated on 1 March 2020 by then-environment minister Gewessler — there are no 140 sections anywhere in Austria today.

The IG-L "Lufthunderter" still drops you to 100 km/h on signed sections (notably the permanent Feldkirchen segment of A2 between Graz-Ost and Graz-West since 2017), though Styria lifted the variable A2/A9 limits on 18 April 2025 after PM10/NO2 measurements stayed within limits.

The 0.5‰ BAC limit is generic; the 0.1‰ rule for the three-year Probezeit, for all Category C/D professional drivers, and for anyone transporting schoolchildren is effectively zero. Hit 0.5–0.79‰ and it's €300–3,700 with a register entry; from 0.8‰ your licence goes; at 1.6‰ minimum €1,600 plus a €363 traffic-psychological exam.

Winter tyres are mandatory 1 November–15 April when conditions are wintry, and from November 2024 tyres on newly manufactured vehicles must carry the 3PMSF symbol, not just M+S. Vienna's Kurzparkzone became citywide in March 2022 and rates jumped 30% on 1 January 2026 to €1.70 per 30 minutes.

Snow chains are Pflicht on signed sections of Großglockner Hochalpenstraße, Timmelsjoch, Sölkpass and the Nockalmstraße when displayed.

Can you drive in Austria?

Accepted licenses from

EUEEASwitzerlandUSACanadaUKAustraliaJapan
Validity period

EU/EEA and Swiss licences are valid in Austria indefinitely. Non-EU tourist licences are accepted for the duration of a visit (up to 6 months). After establishing residence in Austria, non-EU/EEA holders must exchange for an Austrian licence within 6 months (the exchange may require a theory and/or practical test depending on the issuing country).

Important note

An International Driving Permit (IDP) is recommended for non-EU licences not issued in German — it acts as a certified translation. The IDP does not extend the 6-month grace period; it is not a substitute for licence exchange after residency.

What to carry in your car

Mandatory items

  • Warning triangle (Pannendreieck)
  • First-aid kit (Verbandskasten)
  • Reflective high-visibility vest (Warnweste) — one per vehicle, must be worn by anyone leaving the car on a motorway or in poor visibility
  • Valid driving licence
  • Vehicle registration document (Zulassungsschein)
  • Proof of motor insurance (green card not required for EU/EEA-registered vehicles)
  • Valid Vignette — digital (plate-linked) or paper Klebepickerl — if using any Autobahn (A) or Schnellstraße (S)

Recommended items

  • Winter tyres (3PMSF symbol; M+S alone no longer sufficient for newly manufactured tyres from November 2024) — mandatory 1 November–15 April when winter conditions exist
  • Snow chains for at least two driven wheels — legally required on signed Alpine sections (round blue sign with tyre + chain), commonly enforced on Großglockner Hochalpenstraße, Timmelsjoch, Sölkpass, Nockalmstraße, Maltatal Hochalmstraße and Staller Sattel
  • Spare bulbs
  • A torch (useful in long Alpine tunnels — Arlberg, Tauern, Plabutsch)

Speed limits

Urban areas

km/h

Rural roads

km/h

Highways/motorways

km/h
Test your knowledge of Austria traffic rulesFree practice questions based on official test material.Start practicing

Toll roads

Payment methods

  • Digital Vignette via ASFINAG App or asfinag.at — linked to the number plate (2-month and annual must be purchased at least 18 days before first use under the EU consumer-protection cool-off rule)
  • Paper Klebevignette (sticker) at petrol stations, post offices, tobacconists, ÖAMTC/ARBÖ offices and border outlets — 2026 is the last sales year; from 2027 digital only
  • Digital Streckenmaut single-trip or multi-trip ticket (asfinag.at) for the five toll sections — automatic plate recognition at the gantries, no need to stop
  • Cash and credit/debit cards still accepted at the manned Brenner, Tauern, Karawanken and Arlberg toll plazas as a backup
Average cost

2026 digital Vignette for cars (Category B, up to 3.5 t): 1-day €9.60, 10-day €12.80, 2-month €32.00, annual €106.80 (valid 1 December 2025 – 31 January 2027). Section tolls on top of the Vignette (single trip, Category B): A9 Bosrucktunnel €7, A9 Gleinalmtunnel €12, A10 Tauern + Katschberg €15, A11 Karawanken €9, A13 Brenner €12.50, S16 Arlberg €13. Multi-trip annual cards available, e.g. A13 Brenner €75, A10 Tauern €90, S16 Arlberg €78, A9 Pyhrn €80.

A Vignette is required on every Autobahn (A) and every Schnellstraße (S) — driving on either without one is a flat €200 Ersatzmaut from 1 January 2026 (raised from €120), and ignoring the Ersatzmaut offer escalates to a €300–€3,000 administrative penalty plus court costs. The five Streckenmaut routes (A9 Pyhrn, A10 Tauern, A11 Karawanken, A13 Brenner, S16 Arlberg) are separate tolls additional to the Vignette — many tourists driving north–south through the Alps pay both for the same trip. Buy the Vignette only through the official ASFINAG App or asfinag.at; numerous look-alike resellers mark it up by 30–50%.

Parking

Line colors

Blue lines / blue zone signs (Kurzparkzone)

Paid time-limited parking — pay via Parkschein voucher (sold at tobacconists, supermarkets, petrol stations) or the HANDY Parken app; covers all of Vienna citywide since March 2022, Mon–Fri 09:00–22:00 except business streets

White lines

Free parking outside Kurzparkzone hours, or in towns with no zone — always check the sign for time restrictions

Yellow lines (Halte- und Parkverbot)

No stopping or no parking — fines €36–€90 plus tow-away on red routes

Anrainer / Bewohnerparken signs

Residents-only parking — Parkpickerl required (€156/year citywide in Vienna from 1 Jan 2026; €13/month for residents)

Parking tips

  • HANDY Parken (handyparken.at) is the dominant pay-by-phone app — Easy Park works in Vienna and Salzburg, less reliable elsewhere
  • Vienna Kurzparkzone is now citywide (since March 2022) — assume every street is paid Mon–Fri 09:00–22:00 unless signed otherwise
  • Park+Ride at U-Bahn end stations (Erdberg, Hütteldorf, Spittelau, Heiligenstadt) is cheap (€3–€5/day) and bundles well with a tourist transit pass
  • A Parkschein voucher must be filled in (date, time of arrival) and visible behind the windscreen — incomplete or backdated Parkscheine are treated as no ticket
  • In Salzburg Altstadt and Innsbruck Altstadt, surface parking is essentially zero — head for Mönchsberg-Garage (Salzburg) or Markthalle/Congress (Innsbruck) garages instead
Average cost

Vienna citywide Kurzparkzone (from 1 January 2026): €1.70 per 30 minutes (up 30% from €1.30), 60 min €3.40, 90 min €5.10, 120 min €6.80. The 15-minute violet Parkschein remains free. Salzburg, Graz, Innsbruck, Linz: €1.20–€2.00 per hour in core zones. Public Parkhaus garages in Vienna 1st district typically €4.00–€5.50 per hour with a daily cap of €30–€40.

Common mistakes tourists make

  1. Driving onto an Autobahn or Schnellstraße without a Vignette — flat €200 Ersatzmaut from 1 January 2026, and ASFINAG's automatic plate-recognition cameras are near-100% effective
  2. Buying the 2-month or annual digital Vignette the day before travel — under EU consumer-protection rules the digital Vignette only becomes valid 18 days after online purchase; if you need it sooner, buy the paper sticker or buy at a service station in person
  3. Assuming the Vignette covers the Brenner / Tauern / Arlberg / Karawanken / Pyhrn — these five Streckenmaut sections are separate tolls (€7–€15 each per trip) on top of the Vignette
  4. Treating the 0.5‰ BAC limit as universal — novice drivers in the three-year Probezeit and all Category C/D professional drivers face a 0.1‰ limit (effectively zero); Probezeit violations trigger mandatory retraining plus a one-year probation extension
  5. Speeding through an IG-L Lufthunderter section without noticing the 100 km/h sign — Feldkirchen on the A2 (Graz-Ost ↔ Graz-West) is permanent since 2017, and several A1, A12, A22 sections cycle in and out based on PM10/NO2 readings
  6. Running winter without 3PMSF-marked tyres on a newly manufactured set — from November 2024 the snowflake symbol is required; M+S alone no longer satisfies the 1 Nov–15 Apr rule on newly made tyres
  7. Forgetting the warning triangle, first-aid kit and Warnweste — they are all individually mandatory, and the Warnweste must be inside the cabin (not the boot) and worn whenever you leave the car on a motorway
  8. Parking anywhere in Vienna without a Parkschein on a weekday between 09:00 and 22:00 — the Kurzparkzone has been citywide since March 2022
  9. Buying a "Vignette" from a third-party reseller marked up 30–50% above the ASFINAG price — the digital Vignette sold through asfinag.at and the official ASFINAG App is the only one at face value

Traffic fines

Speeding
€30 for up to 10 km/h over (Organmandat); €70 for 11–20 km/h over; from 21 km/h over the case escalates to an Anonymverfügung (up to €365) or formal Strafverfügung. Above +30 km/h in town / +40 km/h outside town the fine can rise to €726, with licence withdrawal possible. Extreme speeding (Raser-style behaviour) is sanctioned under StVO §99(2c) with fines up to €2,180 and licence withdrawal for 6+ months.
No seatbelt
€35 Organmandat per unrestrained occupant. Driver responsible for passengers under 14; up to €72 if the child is in an unsuitable restraint system.
Phone use
€100 Organmandat (immediate fine) or €140 Anonymverfügung if you refuse the on-the-spot ticket — in effect since 1 May 2023 (41. KFG-Novelle). Holding the phone for any reason while driving counts, including at red lights. Hands-free via Bluetooth is allowed.
Red light
€70 Organmandat for a clean run; up to €726 under StVO §99(3a) where danger was created or the violation extended beyond the first second of red, with possible licence suspension.
Illegal parking
€36 for an expired Parkschein or missing Parkscheibe; €72 if no ticket at all in a Kurzparkzone; €90+ for parking on a yellow line, bus stop, pedestrian crossing or pavement; tow-away charge from €280.

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Austria practice questions

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On which side of the road do you drive in Austria?

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Emergency contacts

Police133(or 112 pan-European)
Ambulance144
Fire122
Roadside assistanceÖAMTC: 120 (Austria's largest auto club, free for members, paid breakdown service for non-members). ARBÖ: 123 (the smaller second auto club, similar service). Mountain rescue: 140.

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Sources

Every numeric and regulatory claim on this page is checked against the official Austria source listed below. Fines and fees in particular drift year to year — if a figure has changed since our last verification date, the linked source will reflect the current value.

Speed limitsÖAMTC — Zulässige Höchstgeschwindigkeiten in Österreich (StVO §§ 20, 42, 52)Alcohol limitoesterreich.gv.at (Federal portal) — Drinking and driving / BAC limitsAlcohol FinesÖAMTC — Alkohol am Steuer: Was alkoholisierten Lenkern blühen kannFinesStrafenkatalog Österreich — StVO Bußgeldkatalog 2026Phone Fineoesterreich.gv.at — Handyverbot am Steuer (€100 Organmandat / €140 Anonymverfügung, since 1 May 2023, 41. KFG-Novelle)TollsASFINAG — Digital Vignette and toll prices 2026StreckenmautASFINAG — Section toll (Streckenmaut) routes and 2026 prices (A9, A10, A11, A13, S16)ErsatzmautASFINAG — Service and controls (€200 Ersatzmaut from 1 January 2026)In-car equipmentBMIMI (Federal Ministry for Innovation, Mobility & Infrastructure) — Mandatory equipment & winter tyresWinter Tyresoesterreich.gv.at — Compulsory use of winter tyres (1 Nov – 15 Apr in wintry conditions, 3PMSF required from Nov 2024)Snow Chainsoesterreich.gv.at — Schneekettenmitnahmepflicht for vehicles over 3.5 t (1 Nov – 15 Apr)Foreign licenceoesterreich.gv.at — Foreign driving licences in AustriaEmergency contactsoesterreich.gv.at — Notrufnummern (112 / 133 / 144 / 122 / 140)FuelGlobalPetrolPrices.com — Austria petrol & diesel prices (May 2026)ParkingStadt Wien — Flächendeckende Kurzparkzone und Parkgebühren 2026IGLADAC — Umwelt-Tempolimit (IG-L) in Österreich, Ausnahme für E-AutosTempo140EndBMIMI — Aus für Tempo-140-Teststrecken mit 1. März 2020

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