Own car
DRIVERS’ LICENSE
If the owner of a non-EEA driving license relocates to Austria, the license is valid for up to 6 months. After 6 months, the foreign license is no longer valid and an Austrian license is necessary.
When converting from a non-EEA license to an Austrian license, a practical driving test, in a driver-provided motor vehicle of the appropriate steering rating class, is required.
PERSONAL VEHICLE REGISTRATION
A non-EU vehicle with a foreign registration number may be driven legally in Austria for a maximum of one month from the time of transfer to Austria, by a person whose main residence is in Austria. After that, the vehicle must be registered in Austria or be exported. Use of foreign registered vehicles by legal Austrian residents for longer than 1 month is subject to administrative and financial penalties.
HIGHWAY
An Autobahnvignette for highways is mandatory in Austria. The vignette (a small, coloured sticker affixed to a vehicle’s windscreen) is used in several European countries and is a form of use-based road pricing, in addition to the compulsory road tax. It’s based on a period of time instead of road tolls (as in Italy) that are based on distances travelled.
Vignettes are overseen by the police and toll-sheriff employees of the federal motorway administration. A €240 fine with an additional obligatory payment of a substitute toll are charged to travelers without a valid vignette, and unpaid fines lead to penalties between €300 and €3,000. Furthermore, the vehicle may be confiscated from foreigners to guarantee payment of the penalty.
