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Car and Driving in Upper Austria

Non-Austrian driving license

Driving licenses which have been issued in EU or EEA countries are recognised in Austria and can be voluntarily transcribed. For driving licenses issued outside the EEA, i.e. in a third country, transcription is compulsory in order to be permitted to drive. The transcription must be applied for within six months of residing in Austria, whereby a minimum age of 18 is also required. If the driving license is not in German, it is only valid in combination with an international driving license or a certified translation. Translations of driving licenses can be made by court interpreters: www.gerichtsdolmetscher.at/Verzeichnis International driving licenses can be issued by the following automobile associations:
www.arboe.at
www.oeamtc.at
www.vcoe.at

After the transcription to an Austrian permit, a European credit card-sized driving license is issued.


Practical driving test in Austria

As part of the transcription, a practical driving test must be taken, and the participant must provide a suitable vehicle according to the class of driving license. The driving school for the practical test can be freely chosen:
Fahrschulsuche – Fahrschulen in Österreich


Driving license from third countries

All driving license holders from third countries are required to have their driving license transcribed, but citizens of the following countries are exempt from taking a practical driving test:

All classes: Andorra, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Japan, Jersey, Monaco, Montenegro, San Marino, Switzerland, Serbia

Class B: Australia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Hong Kong, Israel, Canada, New Zealand, Northern Macedonia, South Africa, South Korea (date of issue from 1997), United States of America, United Arab Emirates


Relevant departments

The application for transcription is submitted to the local body responsible for the chosen driving school: the district authority, the driving license department of the state police headquarters in Linz, or the respective police department in Steyr or Wels. If no practical driving test needs to be taken, the location for the transcription application can be chosen freely. Further information, including the required documents, can be found at:
Führerschein (oesterreich.gv.at)


Acquiring your first driving license

To get your first class B driving license, there is a minimum age of 17 (L17: for a certain period, driving is only allowed in the presence of an authorized person), or you must be 18 years of age or older. A medical report is also needed, along with a first aid certificate.

www.roteskreuz.at/ich-will-helfen/erste-hilfe
www.asb.or.at/seite164.aspx

After attending a theory course at a driving school of your choice, a theory test must be taken. It is possible to simultaneously driving and take the driving test once you have passed the theory test.

If all requirements are met, an application for a driving license can be filed at the local district authority responsible for the driving school, or at the driving license department of the state police headquarters if the driving school is located in Linz. This credit card-sized license is valid across Europe and elsewhere.
 

How to import a car

For the legal import of your car from a third nations country to Austria, it must conform to EU standards. This conformity can be demonstrated through a Certificate of Conformity (COC), obtainable exclusively from the general importer of your car. The procedure for obtaining this document may vary depending on your car's brand. Subsequently, after acquiring all necessary documents, you will need to contact the tax authority to fulfill the NoVA (Normverbrauchsabgabe) tax obligation, which applies to various goods, including vehicles.
For detailed information on the car import process, please visit the Province of Upper Austria's website. Additionally, you can find information on the NoVA tax on the Ministry of Finance's website. Please be aware that these websites are primarily in German; if you need our help, we can provide necessary translations of the essential steps to assist you.
Below are the links: