Border crossing: Austria-Hungary
The border between Hungary and Austria connects two EU member states and plays an important role for cross-border traffic. Several crossings exist along the border, which are particularly relevant for travellers as well as for regional goods and commuter traffic.
Well-known border crossings
There are numerous road crossings between Austria and Hungary. Among the best known are:
Klingenbach (AT) / Sopron (HUN)
Motorway crossing Nickelsdorf (AT) / Hegyeshalom (HUN)
Both crossings are about 45 to 50 minutes from the Austrian capital Vienna.
Further road crossings are located, among others, in:
Pamhagen
Schachendorf
numerous other rural road crossings, which, however, mostly play only a minor role for international traffic.
Due to border controls, toll checks and construction works, waiting times can occur at the crossings, ranging from about five minutes to more than an hour. The risk of congestion largely depends on the volume of traffic. Especially during peak travel season, the motorway crossing is often heavily congested.
Austria
The following section gives you an overview of whether you need a vignette and whether there is a distance-based toll.
Vignette requirement (or not?)
Fees in the form of a vignette requirement apply for the use of the Austrian motorway and expressway network. Accordingly, vehicles up to 3.5 t gross vehicle weight require a (digital) vignette. You can find more information on the toll in Austria in our guide. With us, you can conveniently purchase your digital vignette from home.
In addition, there are also vignette-free motorway sections as well as ways to avoid the vignette requirement. You can read about whether bypassing the toll makes sense in our article on bypassing the toll.
Distance-based toll
Please note that for vehicles over 3.5 t gross vehicle weight, the vignette requirement does not apply and instead a distance-based toll must be paid. This mileage-dependent toll is billed using a GO-Box, which must be installed in the vehicle for data recording.
Special toll routes
In addition to the vignette requirement and the distance-based toll, there are certain special toll routes in Austria that you should take into account when planning your trip. Using them incurs additional fees, independent of the digital vignette or the distance-based toll. You can find further information on the special toll and a list of all relevant special toll routes in our article on special toll routes in Austria.
Hungary
In this section, you will learn whether there is a vignette requirement and a distance-based toll in Hungary.
Vignette requirement (or not?)
In Hungary, toll fees must be paid for the use of motorways, which benefit the maintenance of roads, tunnels and bridges. In Hungary, the toll for motor vehicles up to 3.5 t gross vehicle weight must be paid in the form of a digital vignette (E-Matrica). You can find more information on the toll in Hungary in our guide.
In addition to motorways, Hungarian expressways marked with “M” are also subject to tolls. You can conveniently purchase the digital vignette online with us. Using vignette-required routes without a vignette can result in high fines. Important: When registering the license plate for the Hungarian vignette, no umlauts can be used. For example, GÖ (for Göttingen) becomes GO.
Distance-based toll
A distance-based toll must be paid if your vehicle is over 3.5 t gross vehicle weight. This means: buses, motorhomes over 3.5 t gross vehicle weight, and trucks must pay a distance-dependent electronic toll, which is billed automatically via the HU-GO system using an onboard transmitter. Motorhomes over 3.5 t gross vehicle weight also have the option of using a camper toll box.
The Europamaut team wishes you a pleasant journey!
We wish you a safe journey and are happy to help with any questions about toll regulations. You can find detailed information on the toll in Austria in our guide. Feel free to also use our route planner to plan your trip perfectly and get suitable toll products displayed. If you have further questions about your trip or our digital vignette, please feel free to contact us via email.
