Austrian motorway vignette 2026: Is there a grace period?
Austrian motorway vignettes are required when driving on Austria’s motorways and expressways. If you forget to buy one before entering the motorway, you cannot rely on a grace period: driving without a valid vignette can result in a replacement toll or a fine.
Is there a grace period for the Austrian vignette?
No. A grace period is a myth. Austria does not provide additional time to purchase a motorway vignette. If you enter a motorway or expressway without a valid vignette, you may be charged a replacement toll (Ersatzmaut).
ASFINAG inspectors and automatic vignette-control systems check vehicles on Austrian motorways and expressways. The replacement toll is:
- €200 for passenger cars and motorhomes up to 3.5 tonnes;
- €100 for motorcycles.
If the replacement toll is not paid, administrative penalty proceedings may follow. The fine in that case can be between €300 and €3,000.
2026 Austrian vignette prices
The 2026 prices have applied since 1 December 2025:
- Annual vignette: €106.80 for passenger cars up to 3.5 tonnes; €42.70 for motorcycles
- 2-month vignette: €32.00 for passenger cars; €12.80 for motorcycles
- 10-day vignette: €12.80 for passenger cars; €5.10 for motorcycles
- 1-day vignette, digital only: €9.60 for passenger cars; €3.80 for motorcycles
The 2026 annual vignette is valid from 1 December 2025 until 31 January 2027. 2026 is the final year in which a windscreen sticker vignette can still be purchased. From the 2027 vignette year, only digital vignettes linked to the vehicle’s registration number will be available. ASFINAG has not yet published the 2027 prices.
How to avoid a fine
The simplest way to avoid a fine is to buy the vignette before entering the motorway. You can purchase it online through the ASFINAG website or app, or at petrol stations and motorway toll points near the Austrian border. The 1-day vignette is available only digitally.
ASFINAG checks motorways frequently, and the police also operate mobile inspection points.
Important digital-vignette traps
The 18-day rule for online purchases
Under European consumer rules, consumers generally have the right to withdraw from an online purchase within 14 days. This also applies to motorway vignettes purchased online. Because ASFINAG allows 3 days for withdrawal by post, an online 2-month or annual vignette purchased by a private consumer becomes valid only from the 18th day.
This means that an online 2-month or annual vignette cannot normally be made valid on the purchase date or within the following few days. The exception is when the vignette is purchased as a business in accordance with the applicable legal requirements. In that case, the consumer withdrawal right does not apply and the 18-day waiting period does not have to be observed.
The 1-day and 10-day vignettes are also exceptions because their validity periods are shorter than the 14-day withdrawal period. They can be purchased online with immediate validity. When doing so, the buyer gives up the right of withdrawal and cannot later request a refund on that basis.
Buying at a sales outlet
If you need an immediately valid 2-month or annual vignette, you can buy one at one of the many hundreds of petrol stations or other sales outlets across Austria. A digital vignette purchased at a sales outlet or vending machine can be selected for immediate validity.
If you buy a windscreen sticker vignette in 2026, it must be attached to the windscreen in the prescribed manner. If it is not attached, you can still be fined even if you have paid for it.
Sections requiring an additional toll
Although Austrian motorway vignettes are valid throughout Austria, some sections were privately financed and require an additional toll. These include, among others:
- part of the A13 Brenner motorway;
- part of the A10 Tauern motorway;
- part of the S16 Arlberg expressway;
- part of the A11 Karawanken motorway;
- part of the A9 Pyhrn motorway, including the two tunnels.
On the sections between the toll gates, a vignette is not required because the section toll (Streckenmaut) replaces it.
Before travelling, always check that the current information is up to date. On the ASFINAG website, you can buy a single-journey ticket for any of these sections. There is also a card for an unlimited number of journeys for one year, called the Mehrfahrten-Karte. Another option is Digitale Streckenmaut FLEX, which charges the assigned payment method after each passage and can be used on all sections.
2026 single-journey prices for passenger cars
- A10 Tauern, entire section: €15
- A9 Gleinalm Tunnel: €12
- A9 Bosruck Tunnel: €7
- A11 Karawanken: €9
- A13 Brenner, entire section: €12.50
- S16 Arlberg: €13
Further information about vignette purchases and additional section tolls is available on the ASFINAG website.
Practical steps before driving
- Check whether your route uses an Austrian motorway or expressway.
- Buy the required vignette before entering the road.
- If buying online as a private consumer, remember the 18th-day validity rule for 2-month and annual vignettes.
- Choose a 1-day or 10-day vignette if you need immediate online validity and accept that the purchase cannot be refunded under the withdrawal right.
- If you need an immediately valid 2-month or annual vignette, buy it at a petrol station, vending machine or other authorised sales outlet.
- Check whether your route includes an additional-toll section and purchase the relevant Streckenmaut ticket or use Digitale Streckenmaut FLEX.
- If using a sticker vignette, attach it to the windscreen as required.
Sources: ASFINAG: Vignette and ASFINAG: replacement toll (Ersatzmaut).