Austria on a Brazilian Licence — The Vignette, Winter Tyres & 130 km/h

A Brazilian driver gets one easy break in Austria — both countries drive on the right, so there is no side switch to relearn. The traps are administrative and seasonal instead: the CNH needs a companion document, the motorways are toll-by-vignette, and the winters demand specific tyres.

The CNH and its companion

Austria’s foreign ministry puts the rule in one sentence: a foreign licence that is not written in German counts only together with an international driving permit or a translation. The CNH is in Portuguese, so one of the two has to travel with it. The PID (Permissão Internacional para Dirigir) from your DETRAN follows the 1968 Vienna model, the only one Brazil issues, and Austria is a party to that convention, so it is the straightforward choice. Arrange it in Brazil before you fly. A visitor who does not take up residence can drive on the CNH for up to twelve months from entry.

The vignette catches first-timers

Austria’s motorways and expressways run on a vignette — a prepaid toll sticker, or its digital plate-linked version, that you must hold before you join. There is no booth to stop at; cameras read your plate as you drive, and being caught without a valid vignette costs far more than buying one would have. Pick up a 10-day or 2-month vignette at the border, a petrol station or online before your first motorway. Our vignette calculator lays out the options and our Austria vignette guide covers buying and displaying it correctly.

Winter tyres are a legal requirement

Between roughly November and mid-April, winter tyres are mandatory in wintry conditions — snow, ice or slush on the road. If you rent in that window the car should come fitted, but confirm it at pickup, because any fine and the liability sit with the driver.

Alcohol and speed

The alcohol limit is 0.05 — looser than the zero-tolerance Lei Seca you are used to, but enforced, so the safe habit carries over. Motorways allow 130 km/h, towns 50, and a minor speeding fine starts around EUR 30; check yours on our speeding fine calculator. The emergency number is 112.

The mountain routes are scenic but demand attention — steady gradients, tunnels and tight passes. Read the full rules on our Austria driving guide and check any onward country with the Driving Permit Checker.

Sources

• Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, driving in Austria (non-German licence valid only with an international permit or translation; up to twelve months from entry without residence): bmeia.gv.at
• UN Treaty Collection, 1968 Convention on Road Traffic (Brazil and Austria parties): treaties.un.org