![License plate of Austria 1990-2002](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/License_plate_of_Austria_1990-2002.jpg)
Austrian car number plates are mandatory
vehicle registration plate
A vehicle registration plate, also known as a number plate (British English), license plate (American English), or licence plate ( Canadian English), is a metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identificati ...
s displaying the
registration
Register or registration may refer to:
Arts entertainment, and media Music
* Register (music), the relative "height" or range of a note, melody, part, instrument, etc.
* ''Register'', a 2017 album by Travis Miller
* Registration (organ), th ...
mark (german: Kennzeichen) of
motor vehicle
A motor vehicle, also known as motorized vehicle or automotive vehicle, is a self-propelled land vehicle, commonly wheeled, that does not operate on Track (rail transport), rails (such as trains or trams) and is used for the transportation of pe ...
s in
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
. They are used to verify
street legality, proof of a valid liability insurance and to identify and recognise the vehicle.
Appearance
![Austria moped plate](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Austria_moped_plate.JPG)
The licence plates are made of metal; the imprinted text is in black letters and digits on a white background. Since November 1, 2002 the common design comprises a blue section on the left with the EU
circle of stars
A circle of stars often represents unity, solidarity and harmony in flags, seals and signs, and is also seen in iconographic motifs related to the Woman of the Apocalypse as well as in Baroque allegoric art that sometimes depicts the Crown of ...
and the
country code
Country codes are short alphabetic or numeric geographical codes (geocodes) developed to represent countries and dependent areas, for use in data processing and communications. Several different systems have been developed to do this. The term ...
('A') like other
vehicle registration plates of the European Union
A vehicle registration plate, also known as a number plate (British English), license plate or licence plate ( American English and Canadian English respectively), is a metal or plastic plate or plates attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for ...
. On the top and bottom, there are red-white-red
tribands, the
national colours of Austria. Two plates have to be present on each car (front and rear). Dealer plates show white letters on a green background, temporary plates show white letters on a cyan background, and foreign trailers show white letters on a red background.
For motorbikes and cars with smaller areas for plates, smaller licence plates are available with two lines of text. Moped plates are in different appearance and shape, they show white letters on a red background.
Lettering system
![A Kennzeichen FF Fuerstenfeld](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/A_Kennzeichen_FF_Fuerstenfeld.jpg)
The alphanumeric format for registration plates is "XX ∇=provincial emblem number+letter(s)" or "XX ∇=provincial emblem personalised letters+number";
* XX - one or two letters which indicate the local registration office (
district
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
where the registered possessor resides). As a general rule,
State
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
capitals have one letter; other districts have two letters.
* the
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...
of the
Austrian state the district belongs to (here shown as "∇"); diplomatic vehicles have a dash (–) instead, federal official vehicles wear the Austrian Federal Eagle.
* A three to six-letter/number sequence which uniquely distinguishes each of the vehicles displaying the same initial area code. The letter Q is excluded from all sequences.
There are several
lettering scheme
Lettering is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that covers the art of drawing letters, instead of simply writing them. Lettering is considered an art form, where each letter in a phrase or quote acts as an illustration. Each letter is crea ...
s:
*The letter/number sequence must contain at least three characters (at least one digit and one letter). In
countryside
In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, ...
districts, the maximum is five characters. Regular plates start with a digit and end with a letter. Personalized plates, which can be obtained by paying an extra fee, are ordered vice versa. (exceptions: see below)
*The letter/number sequence of state capitals contains up to six characters (at least one digit one letter with a minimum of four characters) (e.g.
W ∇ 12345 A
).
*Until the year 2000 the plates were issued by the district administrations, who used a variety of lettering schemes, e.g. one digit and three letters (e.g.
FK ∇ 1 ABC
in the Feldkirch district), two digits and two letters (e.g.
WL ∇ 12 AB
in the Wels-Land district) or three digits and one letter.
*Since 2000 the vehicle registration have been carried out by car insurance companies on behalf of the government. The branch offices of these companies issue the plates, which show three digits and two letters (e.g.
XX ∇ 123 AB
) in each district or four digits and two letters in state capitals respectively.
![Austria diplomatic license plate WD-15](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Austria_diplomatic_license_plate_WD-15.jpg)
*Army, diplomats, police etc. have a number up to five digits only (starting with 1, incrementing)
* There are standardized abbreviations for special types of cars. But most of them are in use in Vienna only:
**
BB
Bundesbahnen (Federal Railways), only with Index "W", e.g.
W ∇ 1234 BB
**
BE
Bestattung (funeral services)
**
EW
E-Werk (electric power company)
**
FF
Freiwillige Feuerwehr (volunteer firemen)
**
FW
Feuerwehr (firemen)
**
GW
Gaswerk (gas power company)
**
GT
Gütertransport (vehicles transporting goods)
**
KT
Kleintransport (private vehicles transporting parcels)
**
LO
Linienomnibus (public service buses)
**
LR
Landesregierung (Local government of
Niederösterreich
Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Since 1986, the capital of Lower Austria has been Sankt P ...
)
**
LV
Landesregierung (Local government of
Tyrol
Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...
)
**
MA
Magistrat Wien (Local government of
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
)
**
MW
Mietwagen (private hire car or bus service
ith driver
**
RD
Rettungsdienst (ambulance vehicles)
**
RK
Rotes Kreuz (Red Cross)
**
TX
Taxi (taxis)
Personalised plates
![Austria licenseplate EU](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Austria_licenseplate_EU.JPG)
In Austria, it is possible to obtain a customized registration plate by payment of 228.30 Euros for registration and 21.00 Euros for the plates themselves.
The alphanumeric format is
XX ∇ ABC 1
, which makes them easily distinguishable from standard plates (e.g.
G ∇ ASDAP 1
)
Electric plates
![Austria license plate for electric vehicles](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Austria_license_plate_for_electric_vehicles.jpg)
Since 2017, electric plates have been introduced in Austria, these special plates are given only to electric vehicles and are exempt from parking charges in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
,
Innsbruck
Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...
,
Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt am WörtherseeLandesgesetzblatt 2008 vom 16. Jänner 2008, Stück 1, Nr. 1: ''Gesetz vom 25. Oktober 2007, mit dem die Kärntner Landesverfassung und das Klagenfurter Stadtrecht 1998 geändert werden.'/ref> (; ; sl, Celovec), usually ...
,
Wels
Wels (; Central Bavarian: ''Wös'') is a city in Upper Austria, on the Traun River near Linz. It is the county seat of Wels-Land, and with a population of approximately 60,000, the eighth largest city in Austria.
Geography
Wels is in the H ...
,
Linz
Linz ( , ; cs, Linec) is the capital of Upper Austria and third-largest city in Austria. In the north of the country, it is on the Danube south of the Czech border. In 2018, the population was 204,846.
In 2009, it was a European Capital of ...
,
Graz
Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popul ...
,
Mödling
Mödling () is the capital of the Austrian Mödling (district), district of the same name located approximately 14 km south of Vienna.
Mödling lies in Lower Austria's industrial zone (Industrieviertel). The Mödlingbach, a brook which rises ...
,
Zell am See
Zell am See is the administrative capital of the Zell am See District in the Austrian state of Salzburg. Located in the Kitzbühel Alps, the town is an important tourist destination due to its ski resorts and shoreline on Lake Zell. While Zell a ...
,
Klosterneuburg
Klosterneuburg (; frequently abbreviated as Kloburg by locals) is a town in Tulln District in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. It has a population of about 27,500. The Klosterneuburg Monastery, which was established in 1114 and soon after give ...
and
Krems.
Other plates
Export transit plates
![Austria Export plate](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Austria_Export_plate.jpg)
Export transit plates are vehicle plates that are issued to vehicles that are being exported, the plate is used for vehicles that need to get to its desired export destination, but aren't allowed to use regular licence plates because they have been deregistered abroad. For motor vehicles the cost of an export transit plate is €385 excluding VAT, and the cost for trailers is €295. The export transit plates are valid for 21 days.
Provisional plates
Prefixes
History
![US-Forces-in-Austria USFA 1954-1955 license plate 380-2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/US-Forces-in-Austria_USFA_1954-1955_license_plate_380-2.jpg)
From 1906 until 1919, the plates always composed one letter followed by Roman numerals and three numbers (e.g. "BXV 639"). Temporary admission plates always followed by prefix. The prefixes are G=
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...
, U=
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
, Z= All other countries.
From 1919 until 1930, the plates format is the same as before but became authority supplied.
From 1930 until 1939, the plates comprised one letter followed by five digits. (e.g.
B 12345
) The thousands of digits encoded the districts.
From 1939 until 1945, the plates comprised two letters followed by a hyphen and seven digits. (e.g.
W-1234567
) This followed the Nazi German system.
From 1945 until 1946, the plates comprised by a state coat of arms followed by maximum six numbers. They were only issued in the USSR-occupied zone.
From 1947 until 1989, the plates comprised one or two letters to indicate the state or federal code followed by up to six digits (e.g.
W 123.456
), the first number block was reserved for vehicles, the second one was the serial, when they run out of serials they began to issue
XX 999.A99
. The background is black with white characters for private vehicles (unknown for all other vehicles). One or two letters are the prefixes set by state and federals, they are:
*
B
Burgenland
Burgenland (; hu, Őrvidék; hr, Gradišće; Austro-Bavarian: ''Burgnland;'' Slovene: ''Gradiščanska'') is the easternmost and least populous state of Austria. It consists of two statutory cities and seven rural districts, with a total of ...
*
BH
Bundesheer
The Austrian Armed Forces (german: Bundesheer, lit=Federal Army) are the combined military forces of the Republic of Austria.
The military consists of 22,050 active-duty personnel and 125,600 reservists. The military budget is 0.74% of natio ...
(Federal Army)
*
G
Graz
Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popul ...
*
K
Carinthia
Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The main language is German language, German. Its regional dialects belong to t ...
*
L
Linz
Linz ( , ; cs, Linec) is the capital of Upper Austria and third-largest city in Austria. In the north of the country, it is on the Danube south of the Czech border. In 2018, the population was 204,846.
In 2009, it was a European Capital of ...
*
N
Lower Austria
Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Since 1986, the capital of Lower Austria has been Sankt P ...
*
O-
Upper Austria
Upper Austria (german: Oberösterreich ; bar, Obaöstareich) is one of the nine states or of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, a ...
(the dash after the letter O prevents misunderstandings with the number 0)
*
PT
Post &
Telekom Austria
A1 Telekom Austria Group is a provider of a range of fixed-line, broadband Internet, multimedia services, data, and IT systems, wholesale as well as mobile payment services. It is a subsidiary of Mexican telecommunications conglomerate América M ...
(Federal Mail and Telekom)
*
S
Salzburg (state)
Salzburg (, ; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) (also known as ''Salzburgerland'') is a States of Austria, state (''Land'') of the modern Republic of Austria. It is officially named ''Land Salzburg'' to distinguish it from i ...
*
St
Styria
Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered to ...
(the only prefix with a
lower case
Letter case is the distinction between the letters that are in larger uppercase or capitals (or more formally ''majuscule'') and smaller lowercase (or more formally ''minuscule'') in the written representation of certain languages. The writing ...
letter)
*
T
Tirol
Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...
*
V
Vorarlberg
Vorarlberg ( , ; gsw, label=Vorarlbergisch, Vorarlbearg, , or ) is the westernmost States of Austria, state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although it also has the second-smallest population, it is ...
*
W
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
''(Wien)''
Diplomatic codes
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Transport in Austria
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
Austria transport-related lists
Registration plates