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How to get a driving licence in Austria

Getting a car licence from scratch, country by country.

Car licence, category B

Getting your licence in Austria

Theory test fee€11
Driving test fee€60
Licence fee€90
Medical report€35
Theory pass valid for18 months
Driving test length25+ min

You pay the test and licence fees together after the driving test. Driving school fees come on top.

Before you start driving

2
Learner permitNo separate permit. Your driving school files the licence application. For private practice you get a permit for practice drives.
Medical checkYes. A medical report from an authorised doctor who hasn't treated you in the last 5 years.

Required lessons

3
Driving school (compulsory)At least 32 theory units (20 basic, 12 for category B) and 18 driving units of 50 minutes, including motorway, night and cross-country drives.
Private practice (L)Instead of part of the driving-school lessons, you can practise with a private companion and L plates.
First aid6 hours of life-saving first aid before the driving test.

Good to know

8
Minimum age18 for category B. From 17 with L17 training, which includes practice drives with a private companion.
Licence validity15 years. Renewing is just a new card, with no medical or test.
Exam languagesTheory test in German, English, Croatian or Slovenian. An interpreter can join the driving test.
If you failBook and pay for the test again.
Automatic or manualPassing in an automatic limits your licence to automatic cars.
New driversA 3-year probationary licence. Serious offences mean a follow-up course and a year added. In the first year, a second training phase: 2 feedback drives and a driver safety training day.
Already have a licence from abroad?EU and EEA licences stay valid. Licences from countries such as Switzerland, the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, Japan and South Korea are exchanged without a driving test. Others need one. See the Abroad tab.
Also worth knowing
  • Book the second-phase modules on time: missing them extends your probation and can cost you the licence.
  • Your own family doctor can't do the licence medical. Pick an authorised doctor you haven't seen in the last 5 years.

Step by step

  1. Register at a driving schoolThe school files your licence application. Get the medical report early.
  2. Theory lessons and first aidAt the driving school, plus the first aid course.
  3. Theory testOn a computer at the driving school.
  4. Driving lessonsAt the school, with optional private practice.
  5. Driving testWith an examiner. You get a temporary licence on the spot, valid for 4 weeks in Austria only.
  6. Second training phase2 feedback drives and a safety training day within 12 months.

Tips From driving schools and examiners

  • The examiner starts with at least 3 questions about the car, such as how to check the oil or the tyre tread.
  • On the practice area you do at least 3 exercises, always including parking and turning, with 3 attempts at each.
  • You fail straight away if your instructor has to step in or you cause an accident. Otherwise, errors are graded as minor, medium or serious.
  • Signal and park carefully on the practice area too. Candidates often forget there.
  • Ask your instructor for a mock test in your last lesson, and only book when you both feel ready.

Based on: AutoScout24 Austria: The practical driving test in Austria (German) ↗

Official links

oesterreich.gv.at: Getting a driving licence (German) ↗RIS: Driving Licence Act (Führerscheingesetz) ↗Last checked 20 Oct 2026
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Frequently asked questionsCoverage, sources and how RoadVisa works.

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RoadVisa is still growing. It covers 42 countries and all 50 US states plus Washington, D.C. so far, and more are added step by step. Each country is checked against its own official sources, in its own language, before it goes live.

Why isn't Africa covered?

Many African licensing authorities publish little detail about their driving rules online, so we can't yet check the answers against official sources. We'll add African countries as official information becomes available.

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Visiting covers short stays such as holidays and business trips, when you keep your home licence. Moving covers becoming a resident, when most countries want you to exchange your licence or take tests by a deadline.

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