Driving license and driving license (Austria)

Austrian EU driving license card

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This article deals with the special provisions for the driving license and the driving license documented with it in Austria . Austria uses EU law with the following additional provisions.

In addition to the basic regulations within the framework of the Driving License Act (FSG) on the classes and subclasses of driving authorization, the reservation system ("Points Driving License ") has been in force in Austria since July 1, 2005 (7th Amendment of the Driving License Act) . There is also a trial driver's license (§ 4 FSG, 8th Amendment of the Driving License Act), which has particularly strict regulations for a three-year period for novice drivers (for L17 drivers, however, at least up to the age of 21).

On January 19, 2013, an EU directive was implemented according to which the driving license is only valid for 15 years and must then be reissued. There are no mandatory medical examinations for the reissue of the driver's license document. The purpose is only to renew the photos, as the person may no longer be recognizable on them after this period. This is to keep the document up-to-date. In addition, new security features are intended to increase protection against counterfeiting.

The following classes are purely national, which means that you may not be able to drive such vehicles abroad. Approval for this depends on reciprocity agreements between the individual states.

L17 training

In Austria, with a special training that is offered in almost all driving schools, the driver's license can be obtained at the age of 17. The 17-year-old exam candidates can start the normal training at the age of 15.5 (course in the driving school and driving lessons) and then have the opportunity to drive on public roads with an accompanying person. The accompanying person must have had a driver's license for at least seven years and have a particularly close relationship with the learner driver; most of the time this position is taken over by the parents of the novice driver. A standardized “L17 training trip” sign must be attached to the front and rear of the vehicle on these trips. Training drives of at least 3,000 kilometers must be proven, with a test drive in the driving school to be completed after every 1,000 kilometers. If all these requirements are met, the learner driver at the age of 17 has the opportunity to take the driving test and, in contrast to the German model, may drive alone after successful theoretical and practical tests. With the exception of a trial period lasting up to their 21st birthday (trial period for non-L17 license holders: three years after issuance), the 17-year-old is on an equal footing with any other license holder.

Class F - tractor and work machines

Class F for tractors (in Austria officially a tractor) can be acquired from the age of 16 under certain conditions, otherwise at the age of 18. In addition, the driving license class with C1 or C is automatically acquired. The following may be driven with class F:

Tractors
Motor carts
Agricultural self-propelled work machines
Self-propelled machines
Transport carts

each with a design speed of not more than 50 km / h

Single-axle tractors
Special vehicles.

In addition to Austria, the class F driving license is also valid in Portugal, France, Luxembourg, Denmark, Finland, Germany and Slovenia. The alcohol limit for class F is 0.1 per mille up to the age of 20, thereafter 0.5 per mille.

Class G - working machines

Class G for work machines no longer exists since October 1, 2002. It has been integrated into class F. The privileges extended by this group were entered for the owners of group F.

Fire brigade license

Fire brigade license, issued by the Lower Austrian Fire Brigade Association

The Austrian fire brigade driver's license (according to § 32a FSG) makes it easier to drive fire engines . Thus, "the driving of fire-fighting vehicles (that is a motor vehicle or trailer which, according to its design and equipment, is intended exclusively or primarily for use by fire brigades; quote § 2 paragraph 1 number 28 KFG 1967) with the class B driving license in conjunction with a fire brigade license permitted ". This means that by the age of 18 you can drive any type of fire engine, even if it has a maximum permissible weight of more than 3,500 kg or is a bus, without additional driving authorization. If the holder of a fire service driver's license has a driving license of class B + E, then towing trailers other than light, which are fire fighting vehicles, with towing vehicles of classes C or D or sub-class C1 is also possible without possession of classes C + E or C1 + E or D + E permitted.

Depending on the federal state , the training lies with the individual fire brigades or with the responsible state fire brigade associations , which also issue the driver's license. In practice, however, in some federal states a driving license of at least class C1 is necessary in order to be issued a fire brigade license. The driving license is valid for a period of ten years. For an extension, however, only an examination by a fire brigade doctor is necessary, which roughly corresponds to a fire brigade fitness examination .

This special form of driving license was introduced in 2004 to secure the number of drivers in the fire brigades . This became necessary for two reasons. On the one hand, the smaller fire fighting vehicles are also getting heavier and usually exceed the total weight of 3.5 tons. On the other hand, the barriers to obtaining a truck driver's license and keeping it are becoming increasingly difficult. An additional point of contention is still the alcohol limit, which is 0.1 ‰ when driving a truck, while 0.5 ‰ is allowed with a fire brigade license.

With effect from 2011, the fire brigade driving license ordinance was extended to the effect that if you have a B driving license after training at the local fire brigade, vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of up to 5.5 tons may be driven. These regulations have also been extended to the emergency services , who can carry out the training themselves at the respective organization. It has also been expanded up to that weight for public security services to drive armored vehicles. In this case, the BM.I will issue the confirmation .

Army steering license

All driving license classes can be acquired as part of the internal training of the armed forces. The Army’s own training is followed by an internal Army driving test, which is basically the same as the “civil” driving test; it is supplemented by some military chapters and driving exercises. The army steering license is only valid for the duration of the army membership and for army vehicles, although there are more types of driving licenses than for the civilian driving license. For example, vehicles with a maximum permissible total weight of 3.5 tonnes are divided into off- road vehicles ( driving license identification B2 ) and non-off-road vehicles ( B1 ). There are also such additional distinctions in trucks and armored vehicles. However, an army steering license can easily be exchanged for a civilian driving license of the same scope.

Code 111 - motorcycles up to 125 cm³

In Austria, motorcycles with a maximum displacement of 125 cm³ and a maximum output of 11 kW (15 PS) can also be driven with a class B driving license if you have held a class B license for at least five years and are in or at a driving school can prove to an automobile club six hours of driving a suitable motorcycle. One hour of theory is taught and five hours of cornering, visual guidance, braking before curves and emergency braking are trained. These courses can be held on a practice site or in traffic, cost between 100 and 300 euros and you will receive a certificate of attendance. There is no exam.

With this certificate, the driver's license is reissued by the authorities, as the code 111 is also entered for class B. For 2013 it was planned to issue an additional sheet to the existing driver's license, which must be carried with you, but this was discarded again. The additional entry is only recognized in Austria.

After the implementation of the Driving License Directive 2006/126 / EC, the Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology asked EU states in 2013 whether an (Austrian) B driving license would also be recognized there, whereupon Italy , Latvia , Portugal , Spain and the Czech Republic have declared that a B driving license for driving a motorcycle up to 125 cm³ must be brought into line with national legislation. With restrictions, however, you are only allowed to drive in Portugal from the age of 25 and in the Czech Republic you can only drive vehicles with an automatic transmission. Code 111 is not required for this.

An inquiry in 2002 revealed that an (Austrian) B driving license could only be brought into conformity with national law in Italy and Luxembourg . In Luxembourg, however, you were only allowed to drive a motorcycle up to 125 cm³ with a B driving license issued before 1980. The scheme for Luxembourg was discontinued in 2013.

In Belgium, France, Great Britain, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain and the Czech Republic, you are also only allowed to drive a motorcycle up to 125 cm³ with a class B driving license, although the requirements are different: In Italy you are allowed to drive Anyone with a class B driving license can drive a motorcycle up to 125 cm³, in the Czech Republic and Slovakia only those with automatic transmission and in Poland and Spain you have to be in possession of class B for 3 years and in Portugal you have to be at least 25 years old. In France, the new entry was made more difficult after an accumulation of accidents. In Hungary there is a B125 course for holders of a class B driving license and in Switzerland there is a simplified procedure with eight driving hours without an exam to obtain class A1.

Moped ID

The moped pass is valid for single and multi-lane motorcycles with a capacity of up to 50 cm³ and a maximum design speed of 45 km / h. These vehicles are known colloquially in Austria as mopeds .

With a declaration of consent from the legal guardian and the completion of additional practical training in the amount of eight teaching units (standard case: six units of vehicle control training, two units of driving in traffic with an instructor), the ID can be issued at the age of 15. Without this declaration, the key date for issuing the moped ID is the 16th birthday.

Before the ID card can be issued, a six-hour traffic lesson must be attended in a driving school, at a traffic club or as part of school education.

Furthermore, a theoretical test must be passed successfully. The material is divided into 255 questions; 24 of these are asked via questionnaire.

This training or examination may normally be carried out six months before the key date for issuing the ID; this does not apply if the training is attended as part of school-based training. The test is taken at driving schools , traffic clubs or schools and not at authorities.

This ID with a special note is also necessary to drive four-wheeled light vehicles (microcar) and quads up to 50 cm³ displacement. In addition to the requirements listed above, you must complete your own practical training with a microcar / quad lasting at least six lessons. If the theoretical test is a prerequisite for issuing the moped ID, an additional test must be passed. Seven of the 28 additional questions are asked.

A driving license - regardless of which class (es) it includes - replaces the moped ID.

Moped ID card abroad - validity

The moped ID is only valid in Austria. Bulgaria, Germany, Denmark, Monaco, Morocco, the Czech Republic and Slovakia require Austrian citizens to have a class A driving license (in Germany, class B is also sufficient). In all other countries that have recognized the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic of 1968, the Austrian moped ID is sufficient.

Hazardous goods driver's license

A dangerous goods driver's license (formerly also B6 certificate) is necessary to drive vehicles loaded with dangerous goods . Before August 31, 1998, the minimum age was 24 years of age. With the entry into force of the new Hazardous Goods Transport Act , this age restriction no longer applies. Additional training is required for class 1 ( explosive ) and class 7 ( radioactive material) dangerous goods, as well as for the transport of dangerous goods in tanks. In addition to specially authorized driving schools, vocational training institutes such as WIFI , BFI or ARC carry out dangerous goods training .

School bus driver's license

The school bus driver's license is required in order to be able to transport up to 14 school children in passenger cars with nine seats (minibuses). It is issued by the district administrative authorities.

Multi-phase training

In Austria, new drivers have training units in front of them even after the driving test. However, these do not have the character of an examination, but serve to perfect.

These advanced units are called multi-phase training :

For the B driving license, this includes two perfect drives (two to four or six to twelve months after the test) and a driver safety training (three to nine months after the test). For L17 handlebars , the first perfection ride is not necessary; In addition to driver safety training (including a psychological group discussion), the A driving license also requires a perfection drive.

Non-Austrian driving licenses

Member states of the EU or EEA

Driving licenses that are valid in the states of the European Union or the European Economic Area are also valid without restriction in Austria. The driver's license does not have to be exchanged. However, it should be noted that the minimum age set in Austria for driving vehicles of a certain class must be observed in any case, even if a lower minimum age should apply in the home country.

Exception: Driving licenses from Germany, Denmark and the United Kingdom (including Northern Ireland), which are recognized by mutual agreements from the age of 17.

Non-member states of the EU or EEA

People who move their main place of residence from a non-EEA country to Austria must exchange their non-Austrian driving license (their non-Austrian driving license) for an Austrian driving license within six months. This period can be extended up to one year upon request. Either the non-Austrian driving license will be rewritten directly or a practical driving test may have to be taken.

If the main residence is not relocated to Austria, a foreign driving license issued by a contracting party to the Vienna Convention on the Traffic of Motor Vehicles, the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic or the Paris Agreement on Road Traffic may last up to twelve months from the date of entry be driven into the Austrian federal territory if the owner of this driving license has reached the age of 18. This ensures that tourists can drive without any problems with their domestic driver's license, provided they have a driving license from a state that has ratified one of the three agreements mentioned.

Based on the current case law of the Austrian Administrative Court (December 18, 2006), in both cases (i.e. relocation to Austria → § 23/1 FSG, as well as main residence abroad → § 23/5 FSG), a driver's license from a member state of one of the three international agreements or an EU / EEA driving license must be present.

Austrians who want to get their driver's license in another EU country, for example because they expect it to be easier to obtain there, especially after their license has been withdrawn in Austria, can do so legally, but they have to go to the country in which they obtained the driving license apply to register with residence for at least 185 days. This driving license is then also valid in Austria.

Historical

Driving license in Austria 1989

Driving license classes

Before the dangerous goods driver's license was introduced, there was a special class H for tankers, but this class was abolished in the 1970s.

There were subclasses A _J and A _K from around 1977 . A _K was generally limited to less than 50 cubic centimeters, class A _J was limited to under 50 cubic centimeters up to the age of 18 and was automatically converted to unrestricted class A. A _J was abolished in 1991, A _K only in 1997. The associated vehicle class were the small motorcycles .

education

Up until the 1980s, there were two options for driving license training. The most widespread was the training in a driving school, as practiced today. According to the Upper Austrian Chamber of Labor, the price differences for classic class B driving license training were up to 53%.

A further training was a purely private one, the so-called '§ 122 training', where you only needed a training drive permit from the district administration for both the instructor and the vehicle. Both had to meet certain conditions, such as the instructor's driving experience or a handbrake accessible by the passenger in the training vehicle. The theoretical knowledge could be acquired in self-study. This type of training was only common for vehicles in group B, but also possible for group C. The vehicle was to be marked at the back (inside the window) with an "L" (white on a blue square) and "Practice drive", practice drives were not allowed (at least initially) or only at a reduced speed on motorways, the practical test took place with this practice vehicle usually after exams at a driving school.

International driving licence

In Austria, the international driving license is issued by the two car driving clubs ÖAMTC and ARBÖ . The prerequisite for applying is a valid Austrian driver's license (old or EU driver's license) if you reside in Austria or an EEA driver's license, regardless of whether your main place of residence is in Austria. Holders of non-EEA driving license without primary residence in Austria can one international driver's license to apply only if the issuing state their license a party to the Vienna - , Lake Geneva or Paris Agreement is. To apply, the valid original driver's license and a passport photo must be presented; the issue will be carried out immediately for a fee. The document is valid for one year minus one day.