Vehicle Registration, Austrian License Plate 2024

Hello everyone!

I recently successfully registered my Hungarian-plated car in Austria. It wasn’t exactly easy, but not too complicated either; the main issue was the overwhelming amount of information, with many people saying or writing different things, often contradictory. I decided to share my experiences with you and explain in a few steps how to “register” a Hungarian-plated car in Austria.

The legal basics and misconceptions:

According to the law, if you live here permanently, you can use your Hungarian-plated car for a maximum of 1 month. After that, you are required to register it in Austria. It doesn’t matter if you have a temporary or permanent residence (Hauptwohnsitz or Nebenwohnsitz); what matters is where you live permanently (commuters from Sopron are a different matter).

There are various tricks, such as transferring the car’s ownership to a family member and driving it that way, but I don’t want to comment on that since I have no experience, and I don’t know how or based on what they check. Most likely, it could be a problem during a roadside inspection or if you have a less-than-friendly neighbor who sees a foreign car regularly parked in front of the house, taking up space.

Step 0: Suitable Technical Condition

In Austria, not only are the technical inspection requirements stricter, but inspections are also required annually. The expiration date is based on the month of the car’s initial registration (Hungarian registration!). In my case, the car was registered in Hungary on 2014.07.08, so the Austrian inspection expires every July. It’s determined by the month, not the exact day.

Additionally, from the expiration date, there is a four-month grace period for the car’s inspection. However, if you continue driving the car without an inspection after the grace period, there will be serious financial consequences. Important: During the four-month grace period, the car can only be used in Austria.

Step 1: Obtain an EU CoC (Certificate of Conformity)

This certificate is required for registration. It is an A4 paper that includes the vehicle’s details, emission values, etc. I recommend requesting it from the Hungarian dealership (arranged by phone or email, with a scanned copy of the vehicle registration) for free, and they will mail it to a Hungarian address.

Step 2: Technical Inspection

Find a nearby inspection station (57a Prüfstelle). Have the car inspected, even if it has Hungarian plates; they will issue a certificate based on the chassis number if everything is in order. Be sure to have the Hungarian vehicle registration with you. The inspection costs €75.

Step 3: Registration – Dateieintrag

You need to visit the dealership of your car’s brand in Austria. At the dealership, there are people who can register vehicles in the Austrian system.

It is advisable to handle this in person, as not all places accept card payments. The fee for this is €180, and it is completed within a few days. You will also receive an A4 certificate. You can check whether your car has been registered using the chassis number at the following link: https://gdb.vvo.at/kfz-finanzsperrauskunft/

You can find the list of authorized importers and dealerships here: https://www.bmk.gv.at/…/typengenehm…/fahrzeugimport.html

Click on Liste der Ermächtigen, and a large Excel table will download. For a specific example: there are several different Suzuki options on the list, so it’s best to search for the first three characters of the chassis number. For example, for my Suzuki motorcycle, “JS1.” This will narrow down the results.

Step 4: Pay the NoVA Tax

The NoVA (Normverbrauchsabgabe) is a tax that must be paid before registering a new vehicle or importing a foreign vehicle, but fortunately, it only needs to be paid once. If there is a match for your chassis number at the above link and the status is “gesperrt,” it means registration was successful.

The “gesperrt” (locked) status indicates that the NoVA has not yet been paid. Make an appointment at the local Finanzamt for NoVA calculation and payment. Be sure to bring the sales contract and the Hungarian vehicle documents.

The NoVA is determined based on the vehicle’s age, value, and emission data. In my case (2014, ~€4000, 1200cc, 3 cylinders, petrol), it was €228.

Step 5: Purchase Mandatory Insurance

Just as in Hungary, liability insurance is mandatory for all vehicles. Request a quote based on the car’s details.

Find a nearby Zulassungsstelle (there are many, and you can go to any within the state). Call them or ask for an email address where they usually receive offers from insurance agents. This is completely normal. The insurance for my car – without transferring the bonus for now – is €50 per month.

Step 6: Registration and New License Plate

Visit the previously mentioned Zulassungsstelle in person with all the documents you’ve gathered. They will see your car in the system based on the chassis number and will also see that there is a valid insurance offer for it. They will issue the Austrian registration certificate (a foldable orange paper consisting of two parts – although you can request a plastic card for an additional €25), give you a windshield sticker indicating the inspection’s validity, and provide two nice new Austrian license plates. The total cost for this was €208.

As soon as I got home, I put on the new license plates and placed the sticker on the top left corner of the windshield from the outside. If you have an online toll sticker, don’t forget to buy a new one. In theory, you can transfer it, but since mine was expiring within two weeks, I didn’t bother.

Be prepared for the fact that the Austrian license plate may not fit, or may fit only with difficulty, into the Hungarian license plate holder. It’s worth getting a new one, which only costs a few euros.

Step 7: Deregister the Car in Hungary

Next time you are in Hungary, bring both the Austrian and Hungarian registration documents, as well as the Hungarian license plates. Go to any government office, take a number for vehicle administration.

Show the Austrian registration certificate and request the car’s permanent deregistration. Your Hungarian insurance company will also be notified, and the contract will be terminated due to a change of interest, with the remaining paid amount refunded.