The digital vignette: what it is and how it works

A plate, not a sticker

The digital vignette is a record in the toll operator’s database: number plate, country of registration, vehicle category and validity period. Nothing travels in the car and nothing is stuck to the glass. The price of that convenience is that a typo in the plate makes the record worthless.

How checks work

Camera gantries above the carriageway and enforcement vehicles read plates and compare them with the database, at speed and without stopping anyone. A missing vignette is therefore almost certain to be noticed, often weeks later by post.

What to keep

The confirmation email with the plate, the period and the registration number. You rarely need it — but when you do, it is during a check or a dispute. A screenshot on your phone is enough.

What matters when ordering

Four details decide it: the plate exactly as in the registration document, the country of registration, the vehicle category (car or motorcycle) and the start date. For longer periods Austria adds a deadline for when validity may begin.

Where it is digital

Digital systems run in Austria, Czechia, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia. Periods and vehicle categories differ from country to country.