In Austria every vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes needs a vignette to use motorways and expressways, and from the 2027 vignette year it will be digital only. In France the Crit'Air sticker is required in low-emission zones and during some pollution episodes; it costs a few euros from the official site.12
Check the latest before you rely on it. Rates, limits and rules change, and some figures on this page may be out of date. Each amount links to the official page it comes from: check the current figure there before you travel, pay or declare anything. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice, and to the extent the law allows we accept no liability for any loss or problem arising from its use.
Do you need a vignette in Austria?
Yes, to drive on motorways and expressways in any vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes, such as a car or a motorcycle. You can choose a toll sticker or a digital vignette, which is linked to the number plate. On some sections through the Alps a route toll is charged instead of the vignette.1
- Validity. Annual, 2-month, 10-day or 1-day. The 2026 annual vignette is valid from 1 December 2025 to 31 January 2027, and the 1-day vignette is digital only.1
- Buying online. Bought online as a consumer, a digital annual or 2-month vignette is valid only from the 18th day after purchase.1
- Digital only from 2027. From the 2027 vignette year the toll sticker will no longer be sold.1
Amounts in this table change. Check the latest: oesterreich.gv.at (Austrian federal government portal; content: Federal Ministry of Innovation, Vignette for vehicles up to 3.5 t
These are the prices the portal gives since 1 December 2025 (page last updated 1 January 2026). Check the current price on the official page before you buy; it links to the ASFINAG toll shop.1
A driver caught without a valid vignette is asked to pay a substitute toll; if that is not paid, administrative penalties range from €300 to €3,000.1 Check the latest: oesterreich.gv.at (Austrian federal government portal; content: Federal Ministry of Innovation, Vignette for vehicles up to 3.5 t Details on the official page.
When do you need a Crit'Air sticker in France?
The Crit'Air air-quality certificate is a round sticker displayed on the vehicle. There are six kinds: E, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. It is required to drive in the low-emission zones (ZFE-m) some areas have set up, and when a prefect restricts traffic during a pollution episode.2
Once bought, it stays valid as long as it can be read. The ministry gives its price as €3.11 plus postage, and warns that unofficial websites sell it for much more than the real price: order it from the official site.2 Check the latest: Ministère de la Transition écologique, Certificats qualité de l'air : Crit'Air
For a light vehicle, breaking these rules is a third-class offence with a standard fine of €68.2 Check the latest: Ministère de la Transition écologique, Certificats qualité de l'air : Crit'Air Details on the ministry's page.
What about other countries?
Switzerland, Slovakia, Czechia, Slovenia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania also sell motorway vignettes, but we could not use their official pages here: their terms do not allow reuse, say nothing about it, or the sites could not be read. Check each country's official road agency before you drive. Our driving rules by country page covers alcohol limits.
What this page cannot tell you
- Prices change. The Austrian prices are those listed for 2026; the French price is as the ministry gave it on its page updated in February 2026.
- Only two countries. Other countries' official pages could not be used, so they are not covered here.
- Low-emission zones. Which French towns have a zone, and which classes may enter, is set locally; check before you drive.
Related: Driving in Europe: alcohol limits and rules by country · Car hire hacks, checked · Pre-trip checklist.
Key takeaways
- Austria: a vignette for motorways and expressways for every vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes; digital only from the 2027 vignette year.
- Online digital annual and 2-month vignettes start on the 18th day after purchase.
- France: the Crit'Air sticker is needed in low-emission zones and during some pollution episodes.
- What we would skip: buying a Crit'Air sticker or vignette through an unofficial reseller; the French ministry warns they charge far more.
Sources
Facts from the Austrian federal government portal (page last updated 1 January 2026) and the French ecology ministry (page updated 2 February 2026), both read on 6 October 2026. See how we research.
- oesterreich.gv.at (Austrian federal government portal; content: Federal Ministry of Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure), Vignette for vehicles up to 3.5 t, last updated 1 January 2026. Read it. Accessed 6 October 2026. Licence: CC BY 4.0.
- Ministère de la Transition écologique, Certificats qualité de l'air : Crit'Air, updated 2 February 2026. Read it. Accessed 6 October 2026. Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0.
Changes made. We summarised both pages in our own words and translated the French one. The Austrian text is published under CC BY 4.0; the French page under Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0 (source: ecologie.gouv.fr, updated 2 February 2026).