If you are travelling through Austria by car or motorcycle, you will usually need a vignette to use Austrian motorways and expressways. Instead of putting a traditional sticker on the windscreen, drivers can purchase an Austria Digital Vignette, which is electronically linked to the vehicle’s licence plate.
This guide explains how to buy an Austrian digital vignette, how activation works, when it becomes valid, and what you should check before driving on Austrian toll roads.
What Is the Austria Digital Vignette?
The Austrian Digital Vignette is an electronic motorway toll for vehicles with a technically permissible maximum laden mass of up to and including 3.5 tonnes.
It is linked directly to your vehicle’s licence plate number, so there is no sticker to attach to the windscreen.
Digital vignettes are available for:
- 1 day
- 10 days
- 2 months
- 1 year
The 1-day vignette is available only as a digital product.
Where to Buy the Austria Digital Vignette
The safest option is to purchase it directly from ASFINAG, Austria’s official motorway operator.
The official shop sells digital vignettes for cars and motorcycles as well as digital section-toll products.
Digital vignettes are also available through the ASFINAG app and authorised sales partners.
Buying directly from ASFINAG helps avoid unofficial websites that may add additional service or processing charges.
Austria Digital Vignette Prices 2026
For passenger cars, the official 2026 prices shown by ASFINAG are:
| Vignette | Price for cars |
|---|---|
| 1 day | €9.60 |
| 10 days | €12.80 |
| 2 months | €32.00 |
| Annual | €106.80 |
For motorcycles:
| Vignette | Price for motorcycles |
|---|---|
| 1 day | €3.80 |
| 10 days | €5.10 |
| 2 months | €12.80 |
| Annual | €42.70 |
These are the official ASFINAG prices displayed for the 2026 vignette products.
How to Buy an Austrian Digital Vignette Online
Purchasing the vignette online normally takes only a few minutes.
Step 1: Visit the Official ASFINAG Website
Open the official digital vignette page:
Buy Austria Digital Vignette – ASFINAG
Select whether you are purchasing the vignette for a car or motorcycle.
Step 2: Choose Your Vignette
Select the required validity period:
1 day, 10 days, 2 months or annual vignette.
For a short holiday or transit journey through Austria, the 10-day vignette is often the most practical option.
Step 3: Select the Start Date
Choose when your vignette should become valid.
This step is important because not every type of online vignette can necessarily start immediately.
The 1-day and 10-day digital vignettes can be purchased with immediate validity.
Different rules apply to 2-month and annual vignettes purchased online by private consumers.
Step 4: Enter Your Vehicle Details
You will need to provide information including your:
- country of vehicle registration;
- licence plate number;
- vehicle type.
Enter the registration number carefully.
The digital vignette is linked to that specific licence plate, and ASFINAG uses the plate information to determine whether the vehicle has a valid digital toll product.
Step 5: Check Your Information
Before completing the transaction, verify:
Licence plate → registration country → vignette type → start date
A simple typing mistake in the licence plate can cause problems when your vehicle is checked on the motorway.
Step 6: Pay for the Vignette
Complete the payment through the ASFINAG Toll Shop.
After completing the purchase, keep your order confirmation or invoice.
How Do You Activate the Austria Digital Vignette?
There is normally no separate physical activation process.
When purchasing the digital vignette, you choose the validity date and register the licence plate. Once the selected validity period begins, the vignette is electronically associated with that registration number.
You do not need to:
- print the vignette;
- collect a sticker;
- place anything on the windscreen;
- stop at the Austrian border to activate it.
However, you must make sure that the vignette has actually reached its valid start date before using roads where a vignette is required.
Can the Digital Vignette Be Activated Immediately?
It depends on which vignette you purchase.
1-Day Vignette
The digital 1-day vignette can have immediate validity.
For example, ASFINAG explains that if a 1-day vignette is purchased at 15:07 for immediate use, it is valid from 15:07 until 23:59 on that calendar day.
If you buy it in advance for another date, it is valid from 00:00 until 23:59 on the selected day.
10-Day Vignette
The 10-day vignette can also be activated immediately.
It covers 10 consecutive calendar days: the selected first day plus nine additional calendar days.
For example:
Start date: 10 July
Last valid day: 19 July
2-Month Vignette
This is where travellers need to be careful.
When a private consumer purchases a digital 2-month vignette online directly through the ASFINAG Toll Shop, it can generally become valid only from the 18th day after purchase.
Annual Vignette
The same waiting-period rule applies to the digital annual vignette purchased online by a private consumer.
It can normally become valid from the 18th day after the online purchase.
The Important 18-Day Rule
The 18-day waiting period is one of the most important rules for tourists purchasing an Austrian digital vignette online.
For private consumers buying through the ASFINAG online shop:
| Vignette | Immediate validity possible? |
|---|---|
| 1 day | Yes |
| 10 days | Yes |
| 2 months | No – normally from day 18 |
| Annual | No – normally from day 18 |
The waiting period exists because of consumer withdrawal rights for online purchases. It does not apply in the same way to businesses purchasing as entrepreneurs.
Therefore, if you are driving to Austria tomorrow, do not purchase an online 2-month or annual vignette as a private consumer and assume that it will automatically be valid tomorrow.
A 1-day or 10-day digital vignette, however, can be purchased for immediate use.
How Long Is the 2-Month Vignette Valid?
The digital 2-month vignette covers two consecutive calendar months from its selected starting date.
ASFINAG gives the example of a vignette starting on 10 July remaining valid through 10 September.
How Long Is the Annual Vignette Valid?
The Austrian annual vignette has a special validity period.
Depending on when it is purchased, it can cover up to 14 months, from 1 December of the previous year until 31 January of the following year.
Buying it later during the year does not extend its final validity date.
How to Check Whether Your Digital Vignette Is Active
Before entering the motorway, you can use ASFINAG’s official validity query to check your digital toll product.
Check Austrian Digital Vignette Validity
Because the vignette is connected to the registration number, checking it before travelling can help catch problems with the selected date or licence plate information.
Do Cameras Check the Austrian Digital Vignette?
Because the digital vignette is linked to the vehicle’s licence plate, Austria can electronically verify whether the corresponding vehicle has a valid toll product.
You therefore don’t need to display proof of the digital vignette on the windscreen.
Keeping your purchase confirmation is still advisable while travelling.
Do You Need Both a Vignette and a Section Toll?
Sometimes.
Austria has certain expensive Alpine motorway sections, tunnels and crossings that use a separate section toll system.
ASFINAG identifies six section-toll segments, including routes associated with:
- Arlberg
- Bosruck
- Brenner
- Gleinalm
- Karawanken
- Tauern
These sections use separate toll products.
If you don’t know which toll products your journey requires, ASFINAG provides an official Toll Planner.
Common Mistakes When Buying a Digital Vignette
The most important mistakes to avoid are entering an incorrect licence plate, selecting the wrong country of registration, choosing the wrong start date, assuming every vignette can be activated immediately, and confusing a standard motorway vignette with a separate section-toll ticket.
Also be careful when searching for “Austria vignette” online. Third-party sellers may appear above the official website in search results.
For the official purchase portal, look for the ASFINAG domain.
FAQ
Do I have to print the Austrian Digital Vignette?
No. It is electronically linked to the registered licence plate.
Can I buy an Austrian vignette on the day of travel?
Yes. The digital 1-day and 10-day vignettes can be purchased with immediate validity.
Does the 10-day vignette have an 18-day waiting period?
No. The waiting period does not apply to the digital 1-day or 10-day vignette.
Can I immediately use a 2-month digital vignette bought online?
Generally not when it is purchased as a private consumer through the ASFINAG online shop. The earliest validity is normally the 18th day after purchase.
Is the Austrian Digital Vignette linked to the driver?
No. It is linked to the vehicle’s licence plate number.
What is the official website for buying the Austrian Digital Vignette?
Use the official ASFINAG Toll Shop:
shop.asfinag.at – Official Austrian Vignette Shop
Final Checklist Before Driving
Before entering an Austrian motorway, make sure that:
- You purchased the correct vignette for your vehicle.
- Your licence plate number and registration country are correct.
- The selected validity date has already started.
- You considered the 18-day rule for 2-month and annual online purchases.
- Your vignette covers the entire period of your journey.
- You checked whether your route includes a separately charged section-toll road.
For most tourists, the digital 10-day vignette is particularly straightforward because it can be purchased online with immediate validity and requires no physical sticker.
Official purchase: ASFINAG Digital Vignette