Have you decided to travel to Austria by car? The country occupies a worthy place not only in the rating of comfortable countries for tourism and life in the world, but also in terms of highways. A network of highways with a total length of 200,000 km was located here on 83,000 2 km of territory, one tenth of which is toll. This applies to high-speed autobahns, certain sections, tunnels.
How to pay toll roads in Austria?
A vignette is required to drive on Austrian toll roads. You can use the old model – a sticker that is sold when entering the country, at sales points, at gas stations, and at the post office. A more modern option to pay toll roads in Austria is a digital vignette linked to a number. It can be purchased through the Unterwegs application, at any checkpoint, some gas stations, and stores.
Separately, it is necessary to mention the GO-Box on-board device, which is necessary for all cars that exceed the weight of 3.5 tons. It reads the passage of all sections equipped with special transmitters.
In addition to expressways, there are additional toll roads in Austria that are not covered by the vignette. First of all, these are six tunnels of the so-called sections. You can pay them at the entrance in cash (this method is planned to be canceled), by card, through the ASFINAG website. There are still panoramic roads in the country designed for tourists and travelers, there is no need to drive them to get from point A to point B, but enjoying the beauty is exactly what is needed.
Prices for toll roads in Austria
The state has a finely thought-out toll road tariff system. Yes, the prices for toll roads in Austria may depend on the validity period of the vignette, the category of the vehicle, the type of section, sometimes even the time of day.
The cost of vignettes for passenger cars up to 3.5 tons:
- 10+1 days – 9.6 €;
- for 2 months – €28.2;
- annual (actually valid for up to 14 months) – €93.8.
Trucks are subject to a separate fee.
Each tunnel and panoramic road has its own tariff, it is allowed to pay for a one-time pass or to take a subscription for a month or a year. A single trip through the tunnel will cost from €6 to €13. Admire the views is much more expensive – 9-35 € per day or one way, depending on the area, but in some cases discounts are provided.
What are the fines in Austria for free travel?
The state takes a very strict approach to traffic violations, especially for those who try to avoid punishment by violating the traffic rules. Standard fines for driving without a vignette in Austria or an unpaid ticket are €120 for motorists and almost half as much for motorcyclists – €65. This is only if the payment is instant, on the spot. For delay, fines will increase to 300 €, but that’s not all. If a court case is instituted, even more – 3,000 €.
You need to be careful with sticker vignettes. Due to the fact that fraudulent schemes often occur, especially among visiting drivers who transfer them from one car to another, an additional fine has been introduced. €3,000 will have to be paid if the sticker is re-glued, it is not located there at all, there is already a trace of glue nearby. Therefore, it should be attached to the glass as indicated in the instructions and not corrected if it turned out crooked. Foreigners can also be asked about the availability of a ticket purchase receipt.
Conclusions
As you can see, driving on Austrian toll roads is not a cheap pleasure, and if there is no need, they can be bypassed by other routes. However, if you decide to drive through an expressway, tunnel or see nature, be sure to pay the toll or vignette. Fines will be tens, and sometimes hundreds of times higher, and the grace period for Ukrainians has long been canceled.