Driving licence and vehicle registration certificate

When driving a motor vehicle in Austria, you always need to carry your driving licence and vehicle registration certificate (Zulassungsbescheinigung) with you.

Driving licence

The service website of the Austrian government offers detailed information on the validity of foreign driving licences in Austria, their conversion, as well as on the system for recording driving offences.

Driving licences are issued by the Vienna provincial police directorate - motor vehicle department (Landespolizeidirektion Wien - Verkehrsamt Wien):

Landespolizeidirektion Wien - Verkehrsamt Wien (Vienna provincial police directorate - motor vehicle department) (German)
1030 Vienna, Dietrichgasse 27
Phone: +43 1 313 10-0
Office hours: Monday to Wednesday, 8 am to 12.30 pm. Thursday, 8 am to 12.30 pm, and 1.30 pm to 5 pm. Friday, 8 am to 12 noon. Standby duty on Christmas Eve, and New Year’s Eve, 8 am to 12 noon. No public health officer services on Christmas Eve, and New Year’s Eve.

Driving schools

If you want to learn to drive and get a driving licence, the Wirtschaftskammer Wien (Vienna economic chamber) provides a list of driving schools (German) in Vienna.

Vehicle registration certificate

If you have your primary residence in Austria, you also have to get an Austrian vehicle registration certificate (Zulassungsbescheinigung) for your motor vehicle. You can register your vehicle at the vehicle registration offices (Zulassungsstelle) of insurance companies. You will get your number plate there as well. The Versicherungsverband Österreich - VVO (Austrian Insurance Association) informs you about the nearest registration office.

General information

Since 1 July 2007 vehicles can only be registered in Austria if the vehicle data has been entered into the database of the Versicherungsverband Österreich. In case of vehicles with an EU type approval (approval according to EU law) the general representative of the car manufacturer, or general importer is obliged to enter the data.

In other cases, the Vienna vehicle testing unit (Wiener Landesfahrzeugprüfstelle) is responsible for data entry. This applies if

• there is no general representative of the car manufacturer,
• the vehicle has been altered or adapted,
• the general representative neglects their duty to enter the data within 14 days,
• vehicles approved before 1 July 2007 that were not registered for the first time within the transition period that ended on 1 July 2008.

The application form for database entry (German) can be submitted either by e-mail, fax, post, or in person. The charge for the database entry is at EUR 130.

Data entry usually takes place within five working days. Altered vehicles are checked after application (German) by appointment. Appointments can be made by e-mail, fax, post, or in person.

Vehicles without an EUR type approval

If you bring a vehicle to Austria, it has to be authorised by Municipal Department 46 - Traffic Management and Organisation (MA 46) upon application (German), when it

• has no EU type approval,
• has no vehicle log book (Typenschein),
• is not registered in the database of the Versicherungsverband Österreich, or
• it is a custom car.

Historic (classic) cars

Historic (classic) cars have to be authorised by Municipal Department 46 - Traffic Management and Organisation (MA 46) upon application (German).

Contact

Wiener Landesfahrzeugprüfstelle (Vienna vehicle testing unit) (German)
1110 Vienna, 7. Haidequerstraße 5
Phone: +43 1 955 59
Fax: + 43 1 4000-99-9220
E-mail: landesfahrzeugpruefstelle@ma46.wien.gv.at

Office hours: Monday to Friday, 8 am to 12 noon, and 1 pm to 3 pm. Thursday 3 pm to 5 pm. Good Friday, Christmas Eve, and New Year’s Eve, 8 am to 12 noon. Closed on public holidays.