Austria Traffic Fines 2026: Speeding, Vignette, Alcohol

Austria has no fixed federal fine catalogue

Before you read a single number below: Austria does not run a unified federal Bußgeldkatalog like Germany does. The figures on this page come from the ÖAMTC Strafenkatalog (12 December 2024), which lists Richtwerte for the Anonymverfügung and Organmandat (on-the-spot fines). Actual amounts vary by Landespolizeidirektion, and statutory maxima under the Straßenverkehrsordnung (StVO) and Verwaltungsstrafgesetz (VStG) reach far higher than the typical on-the-spot ticket.

A federal unification package is in Begutachtung with a 2027 target date. The maxima in the current draft rise to €5,000-6,000. When it lands, this page will be updated.

How traffic fines work in Austria

Three concepts matter for foreign drivers:

1. Organmandat (Organstrafverfügung): on-the-spot ticket handed out by police for minor offences, capped at €100 per case.
2. Anonymverfügung: anonymous penalty notice posted to the vehicle keeper for automated detections (radar, camera). Capped at €365. If unpaid or contested, it converts into a Strafverfügung.
3. Strafverfügung / ordentliches Verfahren: formal administrative proceedings by the Landespolizeidirektion or Bezirkshauptmannschaft, with real teeth (VStG maxima).

Foreign drivers can also be required to pay a roadside security deposit for serious offences (alcohol, extreme speed) under § 37a VStG. Refusal risks vehicle immobilisation until the case is resolved.

Speeding: ÖAMTC Richtwerte

The federal StVO fixes speed limits at 50 km/h built-up, 100 km/h country roads, and 130 km/h motorway (with variable and section-specific limits). The ÖAMTC Richtwerte below are the amounts typically issued as Organmandat or Anonymverfügung. Formal proceedings can go higher, up to the StVO maximum of €5,000 (€7,500 for Raser).

Built-up area (Ortsgebiet, 50 km/h default)

Country road and motorway

Raser: 34. StVO-Novelle in force since 1 March 2024

Extreme speeding is now a separate regime. The thresholds:

• Over 60 km/h above the built-up limit
• Over 70 km/h above the country-road limit
• Over 80 km/h above the motorway limit

Consequences:

• Fine: €500-7,500
• Licence withdrawal: minimum 3 months
• Vehicle seizure and forfeiture from +80 km/h (built-up) or +90 km/h (motorway), even for foreign-registered cars and rental vehicles. On second offence at the lower Raser threshold, the vehicle is also forfeitable.
• Lifelong driving ban for rental/leasing cars in the most severe Raser cases (aim: prevent Raser from switching to hire cars).

Source: KFV FAQ on the 34. StVO-Novelle.

Vignette and motorway fines

Austria uses a vignette (digital or paper Klebevignette) for the entire motorway network except a handful of section-toll routes. For 2026 prices consult ASFINAG directly (asfinag.at); prices change annually. Note: 2026 is the last year for the paper Klebevignette; from 1 February 2027 only the digital variant will be sold.

Ersatzmaut (substitute toll)

If you are caught without a valid vignette on a motorway, you can pay an Ersatzmaut on the spot: €200 for a passenger car (PKW). This amount replaced the previous €120 at the start of 2026. Paying Ersatzmaut closes the case and no further administrative proceedings follow for that specific violation.

If you cannot or will not pay Ersatzmaut, the case enters formal Verwaltungsstrafverfahren: €300 minimum, up to €3,000 under the Bundesstraßen-Mautgesetz (BStMG).

How detection works

• Stationary Automatic Vignetten-Kontrolle cameras at motorway entrances read plates against the digital vignette register
• Mobile ASFINAG patrols with handheld scanners at Rastplätze
• Random Polizei checks

Foreign rental cars are enforced identically. The rental company receives the ticket and re-charges you plus admin fee (typically €25-50).

Section tolls (on top of the vignette)

Some routes require additional per-passage toll:

• A9 Bosrucktunnel and Gleinalmtunnel
• A10 Tauern and Katschberg tunnels
• A11 Karawankentunnel
• A13 Brennerautobahn
• S16 Arlberg Straßentunnel

Evading a section toll: administrative penalty from €300 upward under BStMG, in addition to the missed toll.

Mobile phone at the wheel

Hand-held phone use while driving is banned under § 102 (3) KFG:

• Anonymverfügung: €100
• Ordinary proceedings: up to €140
• Statutory maximum: €365
• Repeated offence: entry in the Vormerksystem

Permitted: Bluetooth hands-free calls, voice control, brief touch of the fixed built-in infotainment. Not permitted: holding the phone at all, video recording, texting, or watching content while the engine is on, including at red lights.

Alcohol and drugs

Austrian BAC limits (Alkohol am Steuer):

• 0.5 g/L blood (0.25 mg/L breath) general limit
• 0.1 g/L for the first three years after licence issue (Probeführerschein), and for professional drivers of buses, trucks and taxis

Penalty bands (ÖAMTC and oesterreich.gv.at)

VPU (Verkehrspsychologische Untersuchung) costs around €363, Nachschulung around €495. These are charged to the driver.

Novice drivers with 0.1 BAC

For probationary licence holders, driving with 0.1-0.49 g/L is not sanctioned as a Geldstrafe. The consequence is: Nachschulung (approx. €495) plus extension of the Probezeit by 1 year. For professional drivers over 0.1 g/L: Geldstrafe from €136 to €2,180 plus Vormerkung.

Drug driving

Driving under influence of cannabis, cocaine, opiates, benzodiazepines or amphetamines: treated as high-BAC in effect. Saliva screening is routine at roadside checks. Confirmatory blood test at the station.

Roadside cash deposit for foreign drivers

Under § 37a VStG, foreign drivers without a permanent Austrian address can be required to deposit a security equal to the expected fine, typically €300 upward for alcohol offences. Non-payment risks vehicle immobilisation.

Parking fines

Vienna Kurzparkzone (from January 2026)

Wien raised the Organstrafverfügung entry rate to €50 for missing or invalid Kurzparkschein (up from €36). This is a Wiener Landesabgabe collected by MA 67, separate from federal Verwaltungsstrafen under StVO. If the ticket escalates into a formal Strafverfügung, MA 67 issues higher amounts.

Other Kurzparkzone cities (Graz, Linz, Salzburg, Innsbruck) set their own tariffs, generally €20-40 entry.

Other parking violations (federal StVO)

Tow-away costs are separate (€300+ Abschleppgebühr in Vienna).

Other common offences

Rettungsgasse (emergency corridor)

Austria pioneered the mandatory emergency corridor in traffic jams on multi-lane roads. When traffic slows to standstill, drivers form a clear channel between the leftmost lane and the lane to its right (or between the two leftmost lanes on 3+ lane roads).

• Failure to form (no delay caused): up to €726; delaying an emergency or breakdown vehicle: €72-2,180. Driving in it is a Vormerkung offence since 1.9.2019.
• Delaying an emergency vehicle: toward the upper end plus Vormerkung
• Aggravated case: proceedings can reach the StVO maximum

How fines reach foreign drivers

EU cross-border enforcement (Directive 2015/413)

Austria participates fully. The federal Justizministerium exchanges plate and owner data with EU member states. The fine arrives at your registered address 30-120 days after the offence, in German with a translated cover letter into your language.

UK drivers post-Brexit

Austria and the UK operate a reciprocal enforcement agreement. DVLA shares owner data on request. Delivery 60-120 days.

US and other non-EU rental drivers

The rental company receives the fine, identifies you as the driver, and re-charges your credit card the fine amount plus admin fee.

How to pay or contest

Payment

• SEPA transfer to the account on the notice
• Credit card via the payment portal named on the notice (ASFINAG for vignette/Ersatzmaut, Landespolizeidirektion for Verkehrsstrafen)
• Cash at any Austrian post office with the Zahlschein

Standard payment window: 2-4 weeks.

Contesting (Einspruch)

Within the deadline named on the notice you can:

1. Submit a written Einspruch to the issuing authority
2. Request the evidence file (radar photo, camera image)
3. Identify a different driver if the car had multiple users (Lenkerauskunft under § 103 (2) KFG)

For clear automated detections, contests rarely succeed. For misidentification or technical error, a legal review is worthwhile above €500. ÖAMTC and ARBÖ provide member legal support.

Vormerksystem: the Austrian selective points register

Unlike the German Flensburg register or the UK penalty points system, the Austrian Vormerksystem is selective: only 13 particularly safety-relevant offences enter the register (not every traffic violation).

The most common trigger offences:

• Alcohol at the wheel 0.5-0.8 g/L
• Running a red light with pedestrians crossing
• Improper child restraint
• Repeated mobile-phone offence
• Overtaking in unsafe situations (curve, crest, pedestrian crossing)

Two Vormerkungen within 2 years: mandatory Nachschulung (retraining). Three Vormerkungen: licence withdrawal in Austria.

For foreign drivers: Vormerkungen are not transferred to your home country register (Flensburg, DVLA, DGT, CEPiK). They apply only on Austrian territory. Drivers who spend significant time in Austria (truck drivers, company-car users) should know the system: three Vormerkungen can mean a driving ban on Austrian territory.

Practical tips for visitors

• Buy the vignette (digital via ASFINAG or Klebevignette at any Tankstelle) before entering the motorway. From 1 February 2027 only digital sold; Klebevignette 2026 valid through 31 January 2027.
• Rentals: confirm whether the rental already has a vignette, or purchase separately
• Set your speed warning to the local limit itself, not 10 percent above it (Anonymverfügung starts at low tolerance)
• Keep a Bluetooth headset or use factory car voice control
• Carry cash (€300+) for potential § 37a VStG roadside deposit
• Radar hot spots: A12 Inntal, A1 Salzburg-Wien, A2 Wechsel, S6 Semmering
• If stopped: hand over licence, passport, vehicle registration and insurance Green Card