Administrative Fines in Austria: Organmandat, Anonymverfügung, Strafverfügung and Appeals

Whether you receive a parking fine, a speeding notice or another official letter, the type of document determines the possible fine and whether you can challenge it. In Austria, these offences are generally handled by administrative authorities rather than courts. The following overview explains the rules applicable in 2026.

In brief:

• An Organstrafverfügung, also called an Organmandat, can be up to 90 euros. An Anonymverfügung can be up to 365 euros, and a Strafverfügung can be up to 600 euros.
• There is no legal remedy against an Organmandat or Anonymverfügung. If you do not pay, the matter may proceed to an ordinary procedure and the fine may be higher.
• You can lodge an Einspruch against a Strafverfügung within two weeks of service.
• A Beschwerde against a Bescheid can be submitted within four weeks to the administrative court.

Who handles administrative offences?

Administrative authorities sanction breaches of certain laws, including road traffic rules under the StVO, building law and opening-hours rules. This area is known as administrative criminal law, or Verwaltungsstrafrecht.

At first instance, the case is generally handled by the district administrative authority, the Bezirkshauptmannschaft or Magistrat, or by the provincial police directorate, the Landespolizeidirektion. Usually, the responsible authority is the one where the offence occurred, unless another authority is designated by law.

The most common sanction is a fine, or Geldstrafe. Except in the case of an Organmandat, the fine must be at least 7 euros. A substitute custodial sentence for non-payment, known as an Ersatzfreiheitsstrafe, is always set alongside a fine. However, an initial custodial sentence cannot be imposed in the abbreviated procedures.

What types of fines are there?

The abbreviated administrative penalty procedure, or abgekürztes Verwaltungsstrafverfahren, has three forms:

• Organstrafverfügung, or Organmandat: up to 90 euros. Typical examples include illegal parking or using a phone while driving without a hands-free device. There is no legal remedy.
• Anonymverfügung: up to 365 euros. Typical examples include minor speeding or driving through a red light. There is no legal remedy.
• Strafverfügung: up to 600 euros. A typical example is more serious speeding. You can lodge an Einspruch within two weeks.

If none of these procedures applies, an ordinary administrative penalty procedure, or ordentliches Verwaltungsstrafverfahren, will begin.

Organmandat: what happens if you do not pay?

The police or trained officers of the public-order authorities can issue an Organmandat on the spot. There is no legal remedy against it.

If you do not pay within two weeks, the fine becomes ineffective and a report is sent to the authority, which then starts proceedings. The penalty imposed in those proceedings may be higher than the original amount.

Anonymverfügung: who receives it and what should you do?

An Anonymverfügung is not addressed to a specific offender. It is sent to someone who knows or may know who committed the offence. In road-traffic cases, this is generally the registered keeper of the vehicle, known as the Zulassungsbesitzer. The notice may follow a police observation or image-based enforcement, such as radar or Section Control.

If the amount is paid on time, the offender is not identified and the case is closed.

There is no legal remedy against an Anonymverfügung. Anyone who considers themselves innocent can simply choose not to pay. If the authority has not received the money after four weeks, the Anonymverfügung becomes ineffective and the authority will seek to identify the offender, for example through a driver information request, or Lenkererhebung. The registered keeper then has two weeks to name the driver. A Strafverfügung or an ordinary procedure may follow, potentially with a higher fine.

Strafverfügung: how can you lodge an objection?

A Strafverfügung is addressed to a specific person and is served by registered “white letter”, known as an RSb-Brief.

You can submit an objection, or Einspruch, within two weeks of service. It must be submitted either in writing or orally to the authority that issued the Strafverfügung. The objection may concern:

• the amount or type of penalty;
• the decision on costs; or
• the finding of guilt, or Schuldspruch.

If you challenge only the amount of the penalty or the costs, the remaining parts, particularly the finding of guilt, become legally binding. In other cases, the Einspruch makes the entire Strafverfügung ineffective and an ordinary procedure begins. In that procedure, a higher penalty cannot be imposed. If no objection is submitted, the order becomes legally binding and enforceable.

Appealing to an administrative court

You can challenge an authority’s decision, or Bescheid, by submitting a Beschwerde to the competent administrative court. Austria has eleven such courts: nine provincial courts, the Landesverwaltungsgerichte, as well as the Bundesverwaltungsgericht and the Bundesfinanzgericht.

• Beschwerde against the Bescheid: four weeks from service.
• Beschwerdevorentscheidung: the authority has two months.
• Vorlageantrag: two weeks from service.
• Revision to the VwGH or complaint to the VfGH: six weeks.

The complaint must be submitted in writing to the authority that issued the Bescheid. The court generally holds a public hearing. Based on the affected person’s complaint, a higher penalty cannot be imposed than the one stated in the challenged decision.

A revision before the Verwaltungsgerichtshof is available only where a legal question is of fundamental importance, and where the possible fine exceeds 750 euros, a custodial sentence is also possible, or a fine exceeding 400 euros has been imposed. Only an authorised lawyer may submit a revision or a VfGH complaint.

“Beraten statt strafen”

For certain minor offences that are still continuing, the authority may first issue a written request to restore the lawful situation. If this is done within the deadline, no penalty is imposed. This approach cannot be used for intentional or repeated offences. Vienna has also excluded it for several provincial laws, including the Parkometergesetz.

Practical steps after receiving a fine

1. Identify the document: Organmandat, Anonymverfügung, Strafverfügung or Bescheid.
2. Check the service date and calculate the applicable deadline carefully.
3. If you accept an Organmandat or Anonymverfügung, pay the stated amount within the required period.
4. If you do not accept an Anonymverfügung, understand that the authority may seek to identify the driver and that a later fine may be higher.
5. If you receive a Strafverfügung and wish to challenge it, submit an Einspruch within two weeks of service to the issuing authority.
6. For a Bescheid, submit a written Beschwerde to the authority that issued it within four weeks.
7. Keep the notice, proof of service, payment confirmation and a copy of every objection or complaint.
8. For specialist advice, contact a lawyer or another qualified legal professional. This information is not legal advice.

Source: oesterreich.gv.at