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Austria’s federal fees for passports, identity cards, driver’s licenses and several other official documents will remain unchanged in 2027, providing some relief for households facing continued cost-of-living pressures. However, prices for the Climate Ticket and motorway vignette are set to rise slightly next year.
According to Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer, the government plans to suspend the annual inflation adjustment of federal administrative fees for 2027. The measure is expected to save Austrian citizens around €25 million compared with a full inflation-linked increase.
The fee freeze applies to a range of official documents and services, including passports, identity cards, driver’s licenses, vehicle registration certificates, criminal record certificates and patent applications.
Not all public charges are covered by the measure. The nationwide Climate Ticket and Austria’s motorway vignette will become more expensive in 2027, although the increase will remain below the current inflation rate. Instead of a potential rise of 3.6 percent, prices will increase by only 2 percent.
As a result, the annual motorway vignette will cost €108.90, up from €106.80. The Climate Ticket will rise from €1,400 to €1,428. Consumers who purchase a vignette before January 1, 2027, or buy a Climate Ticket with a validity date on or before December 31, 2026, will still benefit from current prices.
Despite the fee freeze, many Austrians are still feeling the effects of a substantial increase introduced under the 2025 austerity budget. Before that reform, most federal fees had remained unchanged for years, in some cases since 2011, resulting in a cumulative inflation adjustment of 48.2 percent.
The increases significantly raised the cost of key documents. Passport fees climbed from €76 to €112, while identity card fees rose from €62 to €91. The cost of obtaining a driver’s license increased from €61 to €90, while vehicle registration certificates jumped from €120 to €178. Marriage ceremony fees also increased, rising from €50 to €74.
Marterbauer argued that keeping federal fees stable next year would help curb inflation and ease pressure on household budgets. He described the measure as another step toward lowering living costs for Austrian citizens.
The affected documents are widely used across the country. According to Statistics Austria, 168,437 driver’s licenses were issued last year. Around 750,000 passports are issued annually, while vehicle registration certificates account for approximately 1.4 million transactions each year when new registrations and ownership transfers are included.
The government’s decision means that, while transport-related charges will continue to edge upward, the cost of obtaining and renewing many essential documents will remain unchanged throughout 2027.
- source: heute.at/picture: canva.com
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