Motorway vignettes in Austria and Switzerland: the 2026 guide

What you need to do before you set off

If you drive a car, motorbike or motorhome up to 3.5 tonnes on Austrian or Swiss motorways, you need a valid vignette before you join the motorway, not after. In Austria the vignette must be properly affixed or bought online in good time when you drive onto a toll motorway or expressway. In Switzerland the sticker must be on the windscreen or the number plate registered for the e-vignette before you use a national road.

The quick version:

• Austria: choose a 1-day, 10-day, 2-month or annual vignette. If you buy a 2-month or annual vignette online as a private person, plan for the 18-day rule.
• Switzerland: there is only an annual vignette at CHF 40. The e-vignette is valid as soon as you buy it.
• Alpine routes in Austria: some sections, such as the Brenner, charge a separate section toll instead of the vignette.

The 2026 vignettes of both countries remain valid until 31 January 2027.

Austria: which vignettes exist

Austria has required a vignette on its motorways and expressways since 1997. The obligation applies to all vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes technically permissible maximum mass (tzGm). Since 1 December 2023 this technical mass, shown in your registration certificate, decides whether you need a vignette and section toll (up to 3.5 tonnes) or the GO toll for heavier vehicles (more than 3.5 tonnes).

There are 4 durations, according to the ASFINAG vignette FAQ:

• Annual vignette: valid for 14 months, from 1 December of the previous year to 31 January of the following year, 23:59.
• 2-month vignette: valid for 2 months. Example: from 10 January to 10 March, 23:59.
• 10-day vignette: valid for 10 days. Example: from 10 January to 19 January, 23:59.
• 1-day vignette: valid for 1 calendar day, from 0:00 to 23:59. It is only available as a digital vignette.

Sticker or digital

For 2026 you can still choose between the sticker and the digital vignette, and prices are the same. ASFINAG states that 2026 is the last time it offers the sticker. From the 2027 vignette year, only the digital vignette will be available.

The digital vignette is linked to your number plate, so there is nothing to stick or scrape off. If you have an interchangeable plate, 1 digital vignette covers up to 3 vehicles. The sticker, by contrast, is tied to the vehicle and cannot be transferred to another car. You cannot switch between sticker and digital during a vignette’s validity period, only for the following vignette year.

When buying the digital annual vignette in the Mautshop, you can activate a subscription so it renews automatically.

Austria: prices for 2026

The ASFINAG vignette page lists these tariffs in euros, including 20% VAT, valid from 1 December 2025.

Cars and vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes tzGm

• Annual vignette: €106.80
• 2-month vignette: €32.00
• 10-day vignette: €12.80
• 1-day vignette: €9.60

Motorcycles

• Annual vignette: €42.70
• 2-month vignette: €12.80
• 10-day vignette: €5.10
• 1-day vignette: €3.80

Austria: when an online vignette becomes valid

This is the rule that catches most visitors. Under EU consumer protection, a private buyer has 14 days to cancel an online purchase. ASFINAG adds a further 3 days for possible postal delivery, so a digital 2-month or annual vignette bought online is valid at the earliest from the 18th day after purchase, as explained on the digital vignette page.

The ASFINAG help page gives an example: if you buy a digital annual vignette in the Mautshop on 15 January, the earliest start date is 2 February, and only from that day may you use the toll network. For a 2-month vignette you can choose a later start date, such as 5 April, but never earlier than 18 days after purchase. You count as a consumer when you buy in the Mautshop for private purposes.

The 18-day rule does not apply when:

• you buy a 1-day or 10-day vignette online, where you can choose immediate validity;
• you buy the digital vignette from a sales partner (ÖAMTC, ARBÖ, ADAC, various petrol stations and tobacconists), at an ASFINAG toll station or at a vending machine. It is then valid immediately.

Austria: where a section toll replaces the vignette

On costly Alpine crossings, vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes tzGm pay separate section toll tariffs. According to the ASFINAG section toll page, these sections are on the A 9 Pyhrn Autobahn, A 10 Tauern Autobahn, A 11 Karawanken Autobahn, A 13 Brenner Autobahn and S 16 Arlberg Schnellstraße. Between the toll stations, no vignette is required.

The 2026 tariffs apply from 1 January 2026 and include 20% VAT. Examples published by ASFINAG:

A 13 Brenner Autobahn

• Italian border to Nösslach and back: €3.50
• Innsbruck to Stubaital and back: €4.00
• Matrei to Brenner Pass and back: €6.00
• Full route: €12.50

A 9 Pyhrn Autobahn

• Single trip Gleinalm Tunnel: €12.00
• Single trip Bosruck Tunnel: €7.00
• Multi trip card: €80.00
• Commuter multi trip card Gleinalm: €12.00

ASFINAG also lists a single trip at €13.00, a multi trip card at €78.00 and a commuter multi trip card at €13.00 for another section toll route. With a digital section toll card you can pass the 6 ASFINAG toll stations without stopping. You can check whether a multi trip card is activated for your plate on evidenz.asfinag.at.

Austria: vignette free border sections

Since 15 December 2019, some short stretches near the borders are exempt from the vignette. The sources disagree on the number: the FAQ speaks of 5 sections, while the main vignette page speaks of 4. ASFINAG names these sections:

• A 1 West Autobahn between the border at Walserberg and the Salzburg Nord junction;
• A 12 Inntal Autobahn between the border at Kufstein and the Kufstein-Süd junction;
• A 14 Rheintal/Walgau Autobahn between the border at Hörbranz and the Hohenems junction;
• A 26 Linzer Autobahn, which is still under construction.

Switzerland: price and validity

The Swiss vignette costs CHF 40, whether you choose the sticker or the e-vignette. It is valid for 14 months, from 1 December of the previous year to 31 January of the following year. The 2026 vignette is valid from 1 December 2025 to 31 January 2027, according to ch.ch.

Unlike Austria, there are no daily, weekly or monthly vignettes, only the annual one. The BAZG FAQ explains that short term vignettes would make the annual charge significantly more expensive.

The obligation covers motor vehicles and trailers up to 3.5 tonnes each: cars, motorcycles, vans, motorhomes, caravans and other trailers. It applies equally to Swiss and foreign vehicles. Heavier vehicles do not need a vignette but pay the heavy vehicle charge. The roads concerned are national roads of the first and second class, marked with green signs for motorways and expressways.

Switzerland: how to buy

E-vignette: available since 1 August 2023 via the BAZG Via Portal at e-vignette.ch. You enter the vehicle category, country of registration and number plate. The e-vignette is valid immediately after a successful purchase, because Swiss law gives no right of withdrawal for online purchases. You do not need to carry a receipt, and it cannot be renewed automatically. With interchangeable plates, 1 e-vignette is enough, as explained on the BAZG page on both types.

The BAZG e-vignette page warns of online fraud: BAZG charges exactly CHF 40, asks for no deposit and never asks you by email to confirm payment details. Use only the official channels.

Sticker: sold at petrol stations, post office counters and customs offices at the border, and online on the Swiss Post website. You can also buy it before entering Switzerland at selected outlets. The sticker is tied to the vehicle, so each vehicle needs its own.

The sticker must go directly on the inside of the windscreen, clearly visible. For vehicles without a windscreen, such as trailers, it goes on a visible, non removable part. Tape, film or other aids are not allowed, and simply carrying an unattached vignette is punishable.

Buying second hand unused vignettes online is not forbidden, but BAZG warns that already used, and therefore invalid, vignettes are often sold on auction platforms. Using one is an offence.

Controls and fines

Austria

Control systems only store data on vehicles without a valid sticker or digital vignette. A sticker that is not affixed, or a 10-day or 2-month sticker that is not punched, is invalid and can lead to fines between €300 and €3,000 unless a substitute toll (Ersatzmaut) is paid. Annual and 10-day stickers must always be stuck on.

Switzerland

Anyone driving on a toll national road without a valid vignette, intentionally or negligently, or using it incorrectly, is fined CHF 200 according to BAZG guideline 15-01, dated 1 March 2025. You must also buy the vignette for CHF 40. If the driver cannot be identified, the fine is sent to the vehicle keeper.

Punishable cases include driving with an expired vignette, an unattached vignette, a trailer vignette stuck on the towing car, a vignette on interchangeable plates, or a vignette on the rear or side windows instead of the windscreen.

Exceptions worth knowing

• Swiss border stretches: at the motorway customs offices of Basel-St. Louis, Rheinfelden and Kreuzlingen, you may drive between the border and the first exit without a vignette.
• Swiss trailers: rigid trailers, motorcycle trailers and sidecars are exempt.
• Austrian vehicles without a windscreen: carry the vignette with you. If you park on a toll rest area, display it visibly inside the vehicle.
• Broken windscreen in Austria: owners of an Austrian annual vignette can get a replacement or a refund. ÖAMTC and ARBÖ charge non members a handling fee of €10. You need a copy of the registration certificate and the removed vignette. No replacement is given if a third party, for example the other driver’s liability insurer after an accident, must pay.

Checklist before the trip

• Check your vehicle’s technical maximum mass in the registration certificate: up to 3.5 tonnes means vignette.
• Austria: buy a 2-month or annual vignette online at least 18 days ahead, or choose 1-day or 10-day, or buy at a sales point or machine.
• Austria: machines take only credit or debit cards.
• Check whether your route uses a section toll, such as the Brenner, and budget for it.
• Switzerland: buy the CHF 40 vignette only from official channels, and a separate one for your trailer or caravan.
• Stick any sticker directly on the inside of the windscreen, never with tape.
• Remember that the 2026 vignettes in both countries expire on 31 January 2027, and that Austria’s 2027 vignette will be digital only.