Foreign driving licences – conversion

General information

EU/EEA driving licences

EU and EEA driving licences are recognised in Austria. This means they do not have to be converted, but you may do so voluntarily.

When moving your residence to Austria, driving licences for cateogries C (C1 or D (D1) that were issued in another EEA state are valid until the expiry date specified by the issuing country, but for no more than five years, unless they have been converted by that point in time.

Non-EU/EEA driving licences

Holders of a non-EEA licence who move their place of residence to Austria may usually continue driving vehicles for six months. After this point, their licence will expire and must be converted.

Usually, it is only possible to convert foreign licences if they are still valid. Expiry dates specified in the holder’s country of origin will also apply in Austria.

When converting non-EU/EEA driving licences, it is usually necessary to take a practical driving test. In order to do so, holders must provide a suitable vehicle from the relevant licence category.

However, no practical driving test is required upon converting the following non-EU/EEA driving licences:

• For all categories: Andorra, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Japan, Jersey, Monaco, Montenegro, San Marino, Switzerland, Serbia, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
• For category B: Australia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Hong Kong, Israel, Canada, North Macedonia, New Zealand, Republic of South Africa, Republic of South Korea (if issued after 1 January 1997), USA, United Arab Emirates

Austrian nationals having acquired a driving licence outside of the EU/EEA must also have their foreign licence converted. However, conversion is only possible if they were resident in the country in which they acquired the foreign driving licence for at least six months.

Requirements

Holders of foreign driving licences must be at least 18 years old to drive in Austria.

Deadlines

Driving licences from non-EU/EEA countries must be converted within six months of the holder first registering Austria as their place of residence.

Competent authority

Any driving licence authority in Austria

• In cities with a State Police Department: the State Police Department^{German text}
  • In Vienna: State Police Department Vienna- Traffic Department (→ BMI)^{German text}
• In cities without a state police department or in municipalities: the District Authority^{German text}
  • In the Chartered Cities Krems and Waidhofen/Ybbs: the Municipal Administration^{German text}
  • In the chartered urban district of Rust: the Burgenland State Police Department (→ BMI)^{German text}

Procedure

You must submit an application to exchange your foreign driving licence. You can obtain the form from the driving licence authority or download it.

Required documents

Most driving licence authorities require the original documents as well as a copy.

For voluntary conversion of an EU/EEA driving licence:

• Passport or ID card
• Foreign driving licence
• One photo (portrait, 35 mm x 45 mm) in which the applicant is clearly recognisable (if possible in line with passport photo criteria)
• Where applicable, a translated extract from a driving licence from the issuing country (facilitates processing for the authority)
• Where possible, confirmation of registration in the civil register (facilitates processing for the authority)

For conversion of a non-EU/EEA driving licence:

• Passport
• Foreign driving licence
• In some cases, a translation of the driving licence
• One photo (portrait, 35 mm x 45 mm) in which the applicant is clearly recognisable (if possible in line with passport photo criteria)
• Medical certificate
• Where possible, confirmation of registration in the civil register (facilitates processing for the authority)

In certain cases, the driving licence authority may request additional documents.

Upon request, the confirmation of registration can be obtained by the driving licence authority via a search in the Central Civil Register (ZMR).

Costs and fees

• Exchange:  60.50 Euro

Driving test and medical certificate fees are not included in the costs listed above.

Further information

If you have a foreign driving licence that is not in German, it is only valid in conjunction with an international driving licence or a translation.

Legal basis

• sections 20 and 23 of the Führerscheingesetz (FSG)
• sections 8 and 9 of the Führerscheingesetz-Durchführungsverordnung (FSG-DV)

Link to form

Application for conversion of a foreign driving licence^{German text}