Penalties and consequences

Fines & Consequences

Since a vignette is mandatory in Austria and compliance is usually checked automatically, driving without a valid vignette on most Austrian roads (there are also a few roads and sections without a corresponding vignette or toll requirement) constitutes a legal violation.

1. Request for Substitute Toll Payment, Even Though No Violation of Vignette or Toll Requirement Exists

Due to the automatic control of the vignette requirement, it is quite common for the official letter from ASFiNAG related to the violation (regular letterhead) to arrive in your mailbox only several months later.

Have you received a letter from ASFiNAG requesting a substitute toll payment of EUR 120, although you are sure that you did not violate the vignette or toll requirement?

In this case, you can contact the European Consumer Centre Italy, which, in direct cooperation with the European Consumer Centre Austria, can review the cancellation of the payment request. Additionally, you can request evidence photos from ASFiNAG.

2. Received an “Anonymous Order” (Administrative Fine in Reduced Amount) of EUR 300

If you did not receive a request to pay the substitute toll of EUR 120, you can apply for the payment of the substitute toll.

Are you absolutely sure that you have followed all regulations and have not violated any of the rules? Then you can apply to the local authority for the fine to be archived (proof of toll payment required).

Note: As this is a penalty against which no legal remedy can be lodged under Austrian law, the issuing authority is not obliged to respond to applications in this procedure.

3. Received a Request for “Disclosure of Driver’s Details”

If the “Anonymous Order” is not paid within 4 weeks, it will automatically expire and be replaced by a new, higher fine.

The competent district administrative authority will then initiate administrative penalty proceedings and identify the driver of the vehicle through a driver inquiry.

In this case, the vehicle owner has two weeks to name the driver of the vehicle.

At the latest, the driver of the vehicle should be named now, as otherwise, you could face another traffic violation and a very high fine.

4. Penalty Order (Between EUR 300 and EUR 3,000)

After the Anonymous Order has not been paid, the administrative penalty (so-called penalty order) is issued. If there are valid reasons, you can appeal against this penalty.

This must be done within two weeks of receiving the penalty order (free of charge, no legal representation is required).

An appeal can also be submitted via email (in German).

The appeal must include the following information:

• It must clearly state that it is an appeal
• Designation of the penalty order being appealed (date and reference number of the penalty order)
• District authority (date and reference number of the penalty order)

Example: “I appeal the penalty order BH Bregenz dated 01.08.2023 BHBR/X/042020020607”

Tip

When submitting your appeal, be sure to request a warning and, if applicable, an extraordinary reduction of the penalty. In cases of minor oversights (e.g., a typo when purchasing the digital vignette or incorrect application of the sticker vignette), the competent district administrative authority often shows leniency, issues a warning, and waives the fine.

If you cannot provide reasons for an appeal, you should pay the fine.