Category: Austrian News

Few national documents carry as much symbolic and practical weight as a passport. It’s more than a booklet of pages and stamps — it’s a key that unlocks the world. And in 2026, Austria once again holds one of the most powerful keys on the planet. According to the annual Henley Passport Index, the Austrian passport grants visa‑free access to 185 countries worldwide. This impressive reach secures 4th place globally, alongside nations such as Finland, Germany, and Norway. For Austrian citizens, it means smoother travel, fewer bureaucratic hurdles, and the…

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Austria remains firmly under the spell of persistent fog and low clouds, with large parts of the country waking up to thick mist on Thursday. The most stubborn fog stretches across low-lying areas in the north and east, as well as inner‑alpine basins and valleys. In the eastern lowlands, the fog is especially tenacious, barely lifting throughout the day. Outside the fog zones, denser cloud bands move in from the west, particularly affecting northern and eastern regions. A few isolated raindrops may fall from these clouds, though most areas are…

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A crucial deadline is now looming for anyone planning to drive on Austria’s motorways in early February. Those who want their digital annual vignette to be valid from 1 February must complete their online purchase no later than Wednesday, 14 January. Why the Rush? Although the sea‑green 2025 vignette remains valid until 31 January 2026, drivers who continue without a valid replacement after that date risk hefty fines. The digital version, while convenient, comes with a catch that often surprises motorists: it does not become valid immediately. Digital vs. Sticker:…

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Austria’s sharp drop in temperatures appears to be easing after two weeks of intense cold that followed an unusually mild December. While icy roads continue to pose risks and both rail and air travel remain disrupted as of Tuesday, meteorologists emphasize that the current conditions do not qualify as a record-breaking cold wave. Konstantin Brandes, meteorologist at the weather service Ubimet, notes that such cold spells were far more common in past decades. “In the 1970s and 1980s, cold waves like this were routine,” he explains. The past four Januaries,…

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A new Omicron subvariant is spreading and has also reached Austria. Why experts are closely monitoring BA.3.2. Since the turn of the year, a new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has been the focus of attention: the Omicron descendant BA.3.2. This variant was first discovered in South Africa at the end of November 2024, but was not officially classified as a variant under observation by the World Health Organization (WHO) until December 2025. This was a long period of time during which BA.3.2 spread quietly and secretly, earning it the…

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Postal service sets parcel record thanks to online shops and other factors The Austrian Post delivered an incredible 232 million shipments last year – every Austrian received the equivalent of around 25 parcels, and the boom is likely to continue … The domestic postal service set a new record in 2025: 232 million parcels were delivered in this country alone – an increase of 3.5 percent. This means that every Austrian between Lake Boden and Lake Neusiedl received more than 25 parcels delivered directly to their door. In December, postal…

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The new week brings everything your heart desires: a warm front is moving across Austria from the west, bringing sunshine, mild temperatures, and rain. But snow and fog are also on the way, and Geosphere Austria is warning of black ice. Light snow will fall in Vorarlberg and the Tyrolean Oberland in the early hours of the morning, spreading along the northern side of the Alps to the east as the day progresses. With rising temperatures, freezing rain threatens on the still frozen roads, especially north of the main Alpine…

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In some places, temperatures in Austria were well below freezing again today, Friday, January 9, 2026. The lowest temperatures dropped to minus 16.1 degrees. The freezing cold has had Austria firmly in its grip so far in January. While the minus 20 degrees mark has been broken several times in recent days – peaking on Thursday, January 8, at minus 27.9 degrees – the lowest temperatures on Friday, January 9, 2026, were 16.1 degrees below freezing. According to “GeoSphere Austria,” these were measured in Schwarzau im Freiwald (Gmünd district, Lower…

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This was announced by researchers on Friday. In 2024, 37 confirmed cases were recorded, more infections than ever before since the disease was first detected in 2009. For the first time, northern Burgenland was particularly affected, with the virus spreading much more rapidly than in previous years. The West Nile virus is transmitted in Austria by native mosquitoes. In 2024, 37 cases were documented. Nineteen of these patients had severe symptoms and were treated in hospital. “The significant increase in cases shows that the West Nile virus is now firmly…

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