Austrian Traffic Law (Verkehrsrecht): StVO, FSG, KFG and the Vormerksystem

Austrian traffic law does not sit in one single code. It runs across four separate federal statutes, each covering a different piece of what happens when a vehicle is on the road, who is allowed to drive it, and what happens once a rule is broken. A driver new to Austria, or an English language search that assumes Austrian and German traffic rules are interchangeable, quickly runs into confusion for exactly that reason.

This hub is the entry point for the site's Austrian traffic law section, Verkehrsrecht. It orients the four statutes to each other, summarises the three areas covered in depth elsewhere in this section, and links out to the pages that work through the actual figures, tiers and procedures.

For the wider legal system this section sits inside, including the courts, the codes and how Austrian statutes are cited, see the Austria overview.

Information last verified on 22 July 2026. This page provides general legal information about Austrian law and does not constitute legal advice in an individual case.

The Four Codes: StVO, FSG, KFG and VStG

Four federal statutes carry almost everything in this section, and each answers a different question about the same underlying situation, a vehicle on an Austrian road. Keeping them separate is the single most useful mental model for this entire area of law.

The Straßenverkehrsordnung 1960 (StVO) governs behaviour on the road itself: right of way, speed, how a driver must act around alcohol, stopping and parking, signs and signals, and the base traffic offence penalties in § 99. In short, the StVO answers how you must drive.

The Führerscheingesetz (FSG) governs the driver and the licence rather than the act of driving: licence classes and the Probezeit for new drivers, the driving reliability test (Verkehrszuverlässigkeit), licence withdrawal (Entziehung), the Vormerksystem strike list, and the driver specific alcohol limits. The FSG answers who is allowed to drive and for how long that permission lasts.

The Kraftfahrgesetz 1967 (KFG) governs the vehicle: type approval, registration (Zulassung), the periodic roadworthiness inspection commonly called the Pickerl, technical requirements, and duties placed on whoever operates the vehicle. The KFG answers whether the machine itself, and its paperwork, meet the legal standard.

The Verwaltungsstrafgesetz 1991 (VStG) sits underneath all three of the others as a procedural layer. It does not set traffic rules of its own. It supplies the mechanism by which an offence under the StVO, FSG or KFG actually turns into a fine, from a roadside payment through to a full administrative ruling. Every fine described anywhere in this section is issued under one of the VStG's instruments.

A useful one line summary for the rest of this section: StVO is how you drive, FSG is your licence, KFG is your car, and VStG is how a fine is imposed once one of the other three has been broken.

Austria Is Not Germany, Even Where the Terms Look Familiar

A German language search on Austrian traffic law returns a great deal of German content, since the two countries share a language and much of the underlying legal vocabulary. That content answers German law, not Austrian law, and the two systems diverge in ways that matter to an actual driver.

The clearest example is licence points. Germany's Fahreignungsregister, commonly called the Flensburg register, assigns points to a wide range of offences, from minor to serious, and totals them toward a withdrawal threshold. Austria runs nothing like this. Its Vormerksystem tracks only a short, closed list of genuinely serious offences and ignores everything else for this purpose, described in the next section.

Anyone relying on a German source for an Austrian question, on this topic or elsewhere in this section, should treat that source as answering a different country's law rather than an approximate version of the Austrian one.

The Vormerksystem at a Glance

One of the more consequential parts of the FSG is the Vormerksystem, and it is also the part most likely to be misunderstood by a reader used to the German model just described. §§ 30a and 30b FSG set out a closed list of thirteen defined serious offences, the Vormerkdelikte, and what happens next depends on how many of them a driver commits within a rolling window, not on any accumulated score.

A first Vormerkdelikt only creates a record in the local Führerscheinregister. A second one, committed within two years of the first, and that window extends to three years if the second offence itself falls inside it, triggers a mandatory besondere Maßnahme, typically a Nachschulung retraining course. A third triggers Entziehung der Lenkberechtigung, full licence withdrawal, on the basis that the driver is no longer considered verkehrszuverlässig, driving reliable.

A single sufficiently serious offence, most often a higher tier drink driving offence, can also cause an Entziehung directly, without needing three Vormerkungen at all. The full mechanics, the complete Vormerkdelikte list, and how the minimum withdrawal period is actually calculated are covered on the driving ban and points page.

Drink Driving at a Glance

Alcohol behind the wheel is governed jointly by the StVO, which sets most of the fine tiers, and the FSG, which sets the actual limits for different groups of drivers and the resulting licence consequences. The general limit is 0,5 per mille blood alcohol under § 14 Abs 8 FSG. A stricter 0,1 per mille limit applies to drivers still in the three year Probezeit and to Class C and D licence holders driving in that class.

Above the general limit, both the fine and the minimum licence withdrawal period rise across four bands, from a few hundred euros with no fixed withdrawal at the lowest tier up to several thousand euros and a minimum six month withdrawal at 1,6 per mille or above, or on refusing the test altogether. The lower tiers also feed into the Vormerksystem described above, since a 0,5 to 0,8 per mille offence is itself one of the thirteen Vormerkdelikte.

The exact euro figures, the full tier table, and how a repeat offence within five years changes the minimum withdrawal period are covered on the drink driving page.

The Penalty Ladder at a Glance

Not every traffic offence in Austria goes through a court or even a written file. The VStG builds a four step ladder running from a cheap roadside payment up to a full administrative prosecution, and where a given case lands on that ladder depends mainly on how the offence was detected and how serious it is.

The cheapest and fastest instrument is the Organmandat, an on the spot fine an officer can issue directly, capped at 90 euros under § 50 VStG. Camera detected offences with no identified driver typically move instead to an Anonymverfügung, addressed to the vehicle's registered keeper and capped at 365 euros under § 49a VStG. Once a specific driver is identified, a case can instead proceed to a Strafverfügung, capped at 600 euros under § 47 VStG, which carries a genuine two week right to object.

The most formal instrument, the Straferkenntnis, is the outcome of the ordinary administrative penal procedure and can reach the full statutory maximum for the underlying offence. The complete ladder, how to object at each stage, and a worked example are covered on the on the spot fines page.

Finding the Right Page

Each of the three areas above has a dedicated page with the full figures and procedure. A reader asking whether they are close to losing a licence, or what a Vormerkdelikt actually is, should start with the driving ban and points page.

A reader asking about a specific blood alcohol reading, a fine amount, or how a repeat drink driving offence is treated should start with the drink driving page. A reader who has just received a ticket, a notice in the mail, or a formal ruling, and wants to know whether and how to object, should start with the on the spot fines page.

E-scooters have their own dedicated guide: e-scooter laws in Austria covers the 2026 rule changes, helmet ages, and where you can ride.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between the StVO, FSG and KFG in Austria?

The StVO 1960 governs behaviour on the road, such as speed, right of way and alcohol conduct. The FSG governs the driver and the driving licence, including the Vormerksystem and licence withdrawal. The KFG 1967 governs the vehicle itself, including registration and roadworthiness. A fourth statute, the VStG, supplies the procedure behind fines issued under any of the other three.

Is Austria's driving ban system the same as Germany's points system?

No. Germany's Flensburg register assigns points across a wide range of offences and totals them toward a threshold. Austria's Vormerksystem instead tracks only thirteen specifically listed serious offences under § 30a Abs 2 FSG, and the consequence depends on how many of those specific offences occur within a rolling window, not on any accumulated score.

What is the general alcohol limit for driving in Austria?

The general limit is 0,5 per mille blood alcohol, or 0,25 mg per litre breath alcohol, under § 14 Abs 8 FSG. A stricter 0,1 per mille limit applies to drivers in the three year Probezeit and to Class C and D licence holders driving that vehicle class. The full tier table with fines and minimum withdrawal periods is on the drink driving page linked above.

What is an Organmandat?

An Organmandat, formally an Organstrafverfügung, is the on the spot fine an authorised officer can issue directly at the roadside, capped at 90 euros under § 50 VStG. It sits at the bottom of a four step penalty ladder that can escalate to an Anonymverfügung, a Strafverfügung or, for serious matters, a full Straferkenntnis.

How many serious offences does it take to lose a licence in Austria?

Three, if the offences fall within the closed thirteen item Vormerkdelikte list and are committed within the relevant window. The first creates a record only, the second triggers a mandatory training measure, and the third results in Entziehung der Lenkberechtigung. A single sufficiently serious offence, such as higher tier drink driving, can also cause an Entziehung directly without needing three Vormerkungen.

Where do Austrian traffic fines actually come from legally?

From the Verwaltungsstrafgesetz 1991 (VStG), Austria's general administrative penal code. The StVO, FSG and KFG define what counts as an offence, but the VStG supplies the actual instruments, an Organmandat, an Anonymverfügung, a Strafverfügung or a Straferkenntnis, through which a fine is set, collected and, where the driver disagrees, contested.

Do these rules apply to visitors and cross-border commuters driving in Austria?

Yes. The StVO, FSG and KFG apply to anyone driving on an Austrian public road, regardless of where the driver lives or where the vehicle is registered. A visiting or commuting driver faces the same alcohol limits, the same Vormerksystem exposure for a listed offence, and the same VStG fine ladder as an Austrian resident.