Rules and laws in Austria (2026)
Last reviewed: 30 October 2026
Every topic we cover for Austria. Each rule links to its official source.
Driving
Car insurance and green cards
Foreign-plated cars need liability cover in Austria. Cars from another EEA state do not have to show a green card. Other cars need a green card, assumed cover under the bureaux agreement, or border insurance.
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Drink-driving limits
Austria prohibits driving with 0.5 g/l of alcohol in the blood (0.05%) or more. Drivers in the probationary period have a limit of 0.1 g/l. Specially trained officers may test any driver's breath at any time, and the highest fine band is EUR 1,600 to EUR 5,900.
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E-bikes and speed pedelecs
An electrically assisted cycle up to 250 W and 25 km/h is a bicycle under Austrian law, with no licence, plate or insurance. A faster or stronger one is a Motorfahrrad needing licence class AM, a plate and insurance.
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E-scooters
Electric kick scooters (up to 25 km/h and 600 W) are not motor vehicles, so no driving licence is needed, and they follow the cycling rules. Under 12s may ride only under supervision by someone aged 16+ unless they hold a cycling permit, and riders under 16 must wear a helmet. No passengers are allowed and the alcohol limit is 0.5 per mille.
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Foreign driving licences
An EEA driving licence counts as an Austrian licence. A licence from a non-EEA state is valid for up to twelve months for visitors and six months after taking up residence (extendable once by six months).
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Minimum age for a car driving licence
A class B car licence is granted from age 18. Through the L17 route, training drives with a companion may start six months after the 15th birthday and the practical test can be taken at 17. The pages read set an age condition of 18 for non-EEA licences used by residents.
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Mopeds
A Motorfahrrad needs licence class AM from age 15, a helmet, registration with an official plate and compulsory liability insurance. Its design speed is at most 45 km/h.
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Motorcycles: helmets and licences
Riders and passengers of motorcycles must wear a helmet, and dipped beam or daytime running light is required while riding. The minimum age is 16 for class A1 and 18 for A2, and 24 for class A, or 20 after two years of A2.
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Road tolls and vignettes
Cars up to 3.5 tonnes need a vignette (annual, two-month, ten-day or one-day) for Austrian toll roads, bought before use. A few listed sections are excluded from the vignette.
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Seat belts and child seats
Where a seat has a seat belt, the driver and passengers must use it. Children up to their 14th birthday who are under 135 cm must be carried in cars only with an approved child restraint suited to their size and weight.
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Towing trailers and caravans
A car with a trailer may drive at 100 km/h on motorways if the combination is up to 3,500 kg, and at 80 km/h above that. Class B covers a light trailer of up to 750 kg and heavier trailers up to 3,500 kg for the combination, and class BE is needed beyond that.
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Winter tyres and snow chains
From 1 November to 15 April, cars need winter tyres on all wheels in wintry road conditions, or snow chains on two drive wheels on a fully snow- or ice-covered road. Chains are required where signed.
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Travel
Air passenger rights
Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 applies to flights departing from Austria, with compensation of EUR 250, 400 or 600 by distance. The national enforcement body is the Agentur für Passagier- und Fahrgastrechte (apf).
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Customs allowances for tobacco and alcohol
Travellers from other EU states may bring tobacco and alcohol for own use up to guide quantities of 800 cigarettes, 10 litres of spirits, 90 litres of wine and 110 litres of beer. From outside the EU the duty-free allowance is 200 cigarettes, 1 litre of spirits, 4 litres of wine and 16 litres of beer.
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Health cover for temporary visitors
The EHIC gives access to care from doctors, dentists and hospitals contracted with the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) on the same basis as insured residents. Co-payments such as a prescription fee apply. Private providers, rescue and repatriation, and planned treatment are not covered.
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Rail passenger rights
Regulation (EU) 2021/782 applies, with compensation of 25 % of the ticket price from 60 minutes and 50 % from 120 minutes. Austria exempts urban and suburban services from parts of it, including the compensation rules. The Agentur für Passagier- und Fahrgastrechte is the enforcement body.
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Short stays (90/180-day rule)
Visitors from the UK do not need a visa for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Non-EU nationals on short stays are recorded in the Entry/Exit System, which replaces passport stamping.
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Tax-free shopping for visitors
Buyers with no residence in the EU can buy VAT-free in Austria if the total invoice from one trader exceeds EUR 75. The goods must leave the EU in personal luggage before the end of the third month after the month of delivery.
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Travelling with pets
Dogs, cats and ferrets need a microchip, an EU pet passport and a rabies vaccination given at least 21 days before travel. Entry from outside the EU needs an animal health certificate and, from most countries, a rabies antibody titration test. No more than 5 animals may travel together.
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Living
Deposit return schemes and plastic bags
Austria has had a deposit of EUR 0.25 on plastic and metal drink containers of 0.1 to 3 litres since 1 January 2025. Plastic carrier bags have been banned since 1 January 2020, with exceptions for very light compostable bags and sturdy reusable bags.
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Dual nationality
Austria generally requires a person naturalised as an Austrian citizen to show that they have left their previous nationality, with exceptions such as stateless persons and cases where leaving is not possible or reasonable. An Austrian who voluntarily acquires a foreign nationality loses Austrian nationality unless retention was approved beforehand.
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Home education
In Austria, compulsory schooling can be met by home teaching if it is at least equivalent to school teaching. Parents must notify the education directorate each year, and the child's progress is tested. Compulsory schooling starts after the sixth birthday and lasts nine school years.
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Maximum working time
Normal working time may not exceed 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week. Total working time is capped at 12 hours a day and 60 hours a week, and the average may not exceed 48 hours a week over 17 weeks. Daily rest is 11 hours and weekly rest 36 hours including Sunday.
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Naturalisation by residence
Ordinary naturalisation in Austria requires ten years of lawful residence, of which at least five were settled. The residence period is six years in specific cases, such as marriage to a citizen or German at B2 level. Applicants need German at B1, a test on Austrian democracy and history, and must as a rule give up their previous nationality.
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Registering residence for longer stays
A person who takes up accommodation in a dwelling must register with the mayor as registration authority within three days. Deregistration is due within three days before or after leaving. EEA nationals staying over three months notify the authority within four months of entry.
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State pension age
The regular retirement age is 65 for men. For women it is rising from 60 to 65 between 2024 and 2033, in steps of six months per half-year of birth.
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Restrictions
Cannabis
In Austria, cannabis falls under the Narcotic Substances Act (Suchtmittelgesetz). Possession, supply and growing for drug production are criminal offences, with prosecution for personal use possible to withdraw provisionally under § 35. No official source was read on public use, medical use or how the rules apply to visitors.
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Drones
Austria applies the EU drone rules. Operators must register if the drone weighs 250 g or more or has a camera, must be at least 18, and need liability insurance where registration is required.
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Fireworks
Category F2 fireworks may be owned and used from age 16 and category F1 from age 12. F2 use is banned in the built-up area unless the mayor exempts part of it, and near churches, hospitals and care homes. No national sale period was found.
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Tobacco and nicotine age limits
Federal law bans the sale of tobacco, e-cigarettes and nicotine products to people under 18. Smoking is banned in vehicles used for paid passenger transport and in cars with a person under 18. The ban also covers products consumed by inhalation, such as e-cigarettes.
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General information, not legal advice. Rules change: check the official source before you fly or ride.