Austria on a German Licence 2026: Buy the Vignette First

Crossing into Austria from Germany is one of the smoothest drives in Europe: the same side of the road, the same 112 for emergencies, and a licence that needs no extra paperwork. There is really only one thing that catches German drivers out, and it happens at the first Austrian motorway.

The motorways are tolled: buy the vignette first

The German Autobahn is free for cars; the Austrian motorway and expressway network is not. It runs on a vignette, either a windscreen sticker or a digital version linked to the number plate, and you must hold it before you join. ASFINAG’s 2026 prices for cars are EUR 9.60 for one day, EUR 12.80 for ten days, EUR 32 for two months and EUR 106.80 for a year. Bought online, the one-day and ten-day digital vignettes are valid at once, but the two-month and annual ones only from the 18th day after purchase, so a short trip calls for a ten-day vignette or a sticker. There is no booth: cameras read plates, and a car caught without a vignette faces a EUR 200 substitute toll, rising to an administrative fine of EUR 300 to 3,000 if that is not paid. Our Austria vignette guide covers where to buy it.

No IDP, and the rest is familiar

Your German licence is valid in Austria as it is, because licences issued in EU member states are mutually recognised. The general alcohol limit is 0.05%, the same as Germany’s 0.5 per mille, with 0.01% for Austrian probationary drivers. Default limits are 50 km/h in towns, 100 outside them and 130 on motorways; unlike much of the Autobahn, every Austrian motorway has a ceiling.

Winter tyres get a calendar

Germany ties its winter-tyre duty to the conditions alone. Austria keeps the condition but adds a season: from 1 November to 15 April, a car on snowy, slushy or icy roads must have winter tyres, or chains on the drive wheels where the road allows. If you cross in your own car in that window, fit them before you go; a rental should already have them, but confirm it, as the responsibility sits with the driver.

The Alpine passes and tunnels reward steady, unhurried driving. Emergencies: 112, police 133, ambulance 144. Estimate penalties with the speeding fine calculator and read the full rules on our Austria driving guide before you head south.

Sources

• Directive 2006/126/EC on driving licences, art. 2 (mutual recognition of EU licences): eur-lex.europa.eu
• ASFINAG, 2026 vignette prices and online validity: asfinag.at
• ASFINAG, controls and substitute toll (EUR 200; EUR 300-3,000 if unpaid): asfinag.at
• Austria, Kraftfahrgesetz §102 (winter tyres 1 November-15 April in wintry conditions): ris.bka.gv.at
• WHO Global status report on road safety 2023, Austria profile (50/100/130 km/h; 0.05 and 0.01 g/dl): who.int
• StVG §24a (0.5 per mille in Germany): gesetze-im-internet.de
• StVO §2(3a) (German winter-tyre rule tied to conditions): gesetze-im-internet.de
• Global Affairs Canada, Austria travel advice (112, police 133, ambulance 144): travel.gc.ca