Austria on an Indian Licence — IDP, the Side Switch & the Vignette

Austria is one of the most rewarding countries in Europe to drive — alpine passes, clean motorways and tight enforcement that keeps traffic orderly. For an Indian visitor there are three things to get right before the wheels turn, and only one of them is about your licence.

Buy the vignette before you touch a motorway

This is the Austria-specific catch that informational guides bury. Before you drive on any autobahn or expressway you must have a vignette — the motorway toll sticker, now also sold digitally. There is no toll booth to remind you; you are simply expected to have bought it in advance at a petrol station, border shop or online. Getting caught without one means an immediate penalty that dwarfs the sticker’s cost. Work out the price for your trip with the Vignette Calculator and sort it before you join the first motorway.

You switch to the right, and you need the IDP

India drives on the left; Austria drives on the right, so your first hour is the one to take slowly — roundabouts flow the other way and your reflexes at junctions point the wrong direction. As a non-EU visitor you also need an International Driving Permit, carried with your Indian licence and passport. Arrange the IDP in India before you fly, since you cannot get one in Austria; the Driving Permit Checker confirms your exact requirement.

Speeds, cameras and alcohol

Motorways run at 130 km/h, rural roads 100, towns 50. Cameras — fixed and mobile — are widespread, and Austria does not treat enforcement loosely; a modest overspeed can start at around EUR 30. The alcohol limit is 0.05, marginally higher than India’s 0.03, but that small headroom is not worth using given how seriously drink-driving is policed. Keep it at zero before driving.

Kit and practicalities

The car must legally carry a warning triangle, reflective vest and first-aid kit, and Austria’s winter-tyre rule applies in cold-weather conditions — relevant if you are travelling outside summer. Petrol is roughly $1.65 a litre. The general emergency number is 112, though the police line is 133.

For the complete set of rules, read our Austria driving guide before you collect the car, and have the vignette and IDP ready before anything else.