Nine countries in Europe require a vignette for cars in 2026: Austria, Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland. This page is the map: which countries, which rules, and what changes at each border, and one plate-linked checkout is the fastest way to cover seven of the nine before you leave home.
The one thing the nine countries share is the idea of paying for time instead of distance. Everything else differs: what the vignette is called, which roads it covers, how short a period you can buy, and what the camera does when your plate is not in the database. Treat them as nine separate products, because that is exactly what they are.
The vignette map is not what most drivers expect. Germany and France, the two countries drivers ask about most, have no vignette at all. Meanwhile Romania and Bulgaria require one far beyond the motorway, on the ordinary national roads between towns, and Switzerland sells nothing shorter than a full year. Assumptions imported from one country are the main reason foreign drivers get fined in the next.
Two footnotes to the table. Liechtenstein needs nothing extra: the Swiss vignette covers its motorway stretch. And everything above describes vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes; trucks, buses and many heavy campers switch to entirely different systems, covered further down.
Look at the format column and you can see the era changing: seven of the nine countries have abolished the windscreen sticker entirely, and Austria is selling its last one in 2026. Our guide to digital versus sticker vignettes covers what that switch changes for your plate, your windscreen and your last-minute buying.
Vignetim sells the vignette for seven of the nine countries in one checkout, registered directly against your licence plate, in English, in minutes. For Austria, the official ASFINAG shop is the right place to buy, and we say so plainly below.
Austria's vignette, known locally as the Pickerl, is required on all motorways and expressways and comes in four durations: 1-day, 10-day, 2-month and annual. The 1-day version exists only in digital form. The famous trap is timing: a digital 2-month or annual vignette bought online from the official shop becomes valid on the 18th day after purchase at the earliest, because of consumer-withdrawal rules. The 1-day and 10-day digital vignettes are exempt and start immediately, which is what makes them the tourist's product. 2026 is also the last year of the windscreen sticker: from 1 December 2026 every Austrian vignette is registered to the plate only, and a 2026 sticker stays valid until 31 January 2027.
Vignetim does not sell the Austrian vignette. Buy it from ASFINAG, the state motorway operator, at shop.asfinag.at or via the ASFINAG app, or in person at petrol stations and Trafik kiosks, where even the annual digital vignette is valid immediately. Skipping it is expensive: the on-the-spot substitute toll (Ersatzmaut) is €200 for a car and €100 for a motorcycle, and refusing that escalates to a €300 to €3,000 penalty. Note that Austria's alpine tunnels and passes on the A9, A10, A11, A13 and S16 charge a separate section toll the vignette never covers.
Bulgaria's vinetka has been fully digital since 2019: no sticker, your plate is the proof. The catch most first-timers miss is scope. The e-vignette is required on motorways and on the national (republic) roads between towns, so "I'll just avoid the motorway" does not work here; only urban streets sit outside the system. Validity runs from a single day up to a full year, and since August 2026 the whole tariff sits about a third higher than the rates many older guides still quote.
Enforcement is camera-based and constant, with several hundred fixed and mobile ANPR units. If you are caught without cover, Bulgaria's compensatory-fee system lets you settle on the spot or within 14 days and close the matter. One more rule worth knowing: if your car-plus-trailer combination exceeds 3.5 tonnes, the trailer needs a second vignette of its own. Details, current durations and checkout are on our Bulgaria vignette page.
The Czech e-známka went digital in 2021 and covers the motorway network only; ordinary roads are free, and so are signed sections including most of Prague's D0 ring road. Cars choose between 1-day (added in 2024), 10-day, 30-day and annual vignettes, and the annual runs 365 days from your chosen start date rather than a calendar year.
Czechia is also the most generous country in the set on exemptions: fully electric and hydrogen cars travel free, provided foreign-registered vehicles file an exemption notice with the eDálnice system before driving. Trailers never need their own vignette, whatever the combined weight. Driving uncovered costs up to about €205 on the spot and up to about €820 in administrative proceedings. Durations and checkout are on our Czech Republic vignette page.
Moldova flips the usual logic: the vinieta applies only to foreign-registered vehicles, while local cars pay road tax through registration. It covers the whole road network, is bought online through the state e-Vinieta system, and runs in periods of 7, 15, 30, 90 or 180 days, which makes the 7-day version the natural transit choice.
There are no camera gantries to speak of; enforcement concentrates at the border on exit, where the electronic record is checked before the vehicle leaves. Fines run from roughly €115 to €460 depending on how long you drove uncovered. Moldova is outside the EU, so pair the vignette with a Green Card for your insurance before you cross. Periods and checkout are on our Moldova vignette page.
Romania's rovinieta reaches far beyond the motorway: motorways, expressways and the ordinary national roads (DN) that carry most journeys in a country with a short motorway network. County and local roads sit outside it, and so do the national-road stretches inside a city's municipal limits, between the entry and exit signs. Skipping the motorway does not mean skipping the rovinieta, and that single misunderstanding produces more fines than anything else here.
Cars buy 1, 10, 30 or 60 days, or 12 months, all digital and plate-linked; for the longer periods the system registers the chassis number too, so have the registration document handy. Since 1 October 2026 the price also depends on the car's Euro emission class, under Transport Ministry Order 888/2026. Around 110 fixed cameras plus mobile units check plates in real time. Romanian-registered cars may pay for the current day until midnight of the next day, but foreign plates get no grace period and are fined on the spot at a roadside check; under Law 226/2023 the fine is two to four times the annual rovinieta tariff. The separate Danube bridge tolls at Fetești-Cernavodă on the A2, Giurgeni-Vadu Oii and Giurgiu towards Ruse ended on 1 October 2026, so those crossings are now free from the Romanian side; only Bulgaria still charges a fee on the Ruse to Giurgiu crossing. Durations and checkout are on our Romania vignette page.
The Slovak eznámka covers motorways and expressways with 1-day, 10-day, 30-day and 365-day versions, the last running a rolling year from any start date. Since August 2024, more than 200 km of city bypasses are vignette-free for cars, including the entire D4 Bratislava bypass, which changes the maths for a day trip from Vienna to Bratislava.
Watch the trailer rule, because it is the opposite of Czechia's: if car plus trailer together exceed 3.5 tonnes, the trailer needs its own vignette. There is no EV exemption in Slovakia; every powertrain pays. Fines for driving uncovered reach several hundred euros through administrative proceedings, and buying late does not cancel a violation already logged. Durations and checkout are on our Slovakia vignette page.
Slovenia's e-vinjeta covers motorways and expressways, and the shortest product is the weekly vignette; there is no 1-day option, so even a two-hour transit to Croatia buys seven days. Motorcycles are not exempt and pay their own class, roughly half the car rate.
The expensive quirk is classification: vehicles under 3.5 tonnes split into class 2A and 2B by the height above the front axle, with 1.30 metres as the line. Vans, transporters and most campers land in 2B at double the price, and buying 2A for a 2B vehicle counts as no vignette at all, which carries Slovenia's flat €300 fine. Two 2026-relevant details: the coastal H5/H6 expressways to Koper and Izola became vignette-free in January 2026, and the Karavanke tunnel to Austria charges its own toll of around €9 that no vignette covers. Classes, durations and checkout are on our Slovenia vignette page.
Switzerland: one product, one price, fourteen months
Switzerland keeps it radical: the vignette is annual only. There is no daily, weekly or monthly version, so even a single transit run through to Italy needs the full-year vignette. Each year's edition is valid from 1 December of the previous year to 31 January of the following year, a fixed 14-month season with no start-date choice. Since 2023 you pick between the classic windscreen sticker and a plate-linked e-vignette, and once Austria goes plate-only in December 2026, Switzerland will be the last sticker in Europe.
Three rules stand out. Motorcycles pay. Every trailer and caravan needs its own vignette, unique in Europe. And the Gotthard and San Bernardino tunnels are included at no extra charge, a pleasant contrast to Austria's separately tolled tunnels. Driving without one costs CHF 200 on the spot, plus the vignette you still have to buy, and Switzerland checks plates again at re-entry, so unpaid cases resurface. The Swiss vignette also covers Liechtenstein. Details and checkout are on our Switzerland vignette page.
More than half of Europe charges nothing sticker-shaped at all. Knowing which group a country belongs to is half of route planning.
Pay-per-distance countries
France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Croatia charge by kilometre at toll plazas or electronic gantries: take a ticket or tag, pay for what you drive. Serbia and North Macedonia work the same way on the Balkan corridor, and Turkey runs the fully electronic HGS system, where foreign-plated cars need an HGS account rather than any sticker.
Free for cars
Germany has no car vignette and no car toll: the planned Pkw-Maut was struck down by the EU Court of Justice in 2019 and never took effect, and only trucks pay the Lkw-Maut. Poland freed its state-run motorways for cars in 2023, leaving tolls only on a few privately run sections of the A1, A2 and A4. Belgium and Luxembourg are toll-free for cars except for Antwerp's Liefkenshoek tunnel, which has a free alternative, and the Baltic states charge cars nothing for the roads themselves, with one small exception worth knowing: the Latvian resort of Jūrmala charges €5 a day to drive into its signed zone. The UK limits itself to a few bridges and city charges.
Toll moments, not toll networks
The Netherlands is free except for the Kiltunnel near Dordrecht and the new A24 link near Rotterdam, a barrier-free road paid online within three days that catches foreign drivers. Ireland runs barrier and free-flow tolls including the M50 around Dublin; Iceland charges for specific tunnels; Denmark and Sweden are free apart from the big bridge crossings; Norway collects electronic road and city tolls automatically by plate.
Clean-air stickers are not vignettes. France's Crit'Air and Germany's Umweltplakette are emissions stickers that control which vehicles may enter low-emission zones. They cost a few euros, prove your emissions class, and have nothing to do with paying for the road. A French Crit'Air does not make France a vignette country. The full three-way comparison of vignettes, tolls and emissions stickers is on our vignette guide.
Trucks, Buses and Campers: When the Vignette Rules Change
Everything above describes vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes. Above that line, most vignette countries switch you into a different machine entirely: GPS or gantry-based distance tolls such as BGTOLL in Bulgaria, MYTO CZ in Czechia, HU-GO in Hungary, e-mýto in Slovakia and DarsGo in Slovenia. Switzerland levies its heavy-vehicle charge, and Estonia, free for cars, charges heavy goods vehicles a time-based road fee called Teetasu. Romania joined them on 1 October 2026, when goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes moved to the distance-based TollRo; buses and coaches stay on the rovinieta in their own categories. A separate multi-country scheme for heavy goods vehicles, the Eurovignette, still exists but shrank again when the Netherlands replaced it with a kilometre toll in July 2026; it has never applied to cars.
Campers deserve their own sentence, because the 3.5-tonne line moves. Bulgaria and Slovakia keep M1-registered motorhomes on the car vignette regardless of weight, Switzerland moves heavy motorhomes into its heavy-vehicle charge, and Slovenia's DarsGo takes over above 3.5 tonnes. If you tour Europe in anything larger than a car, check the vehicle-category section of each country page before you buy, not at the gantry.
Planning a Route? Stack the Vignettes Before You Leave
Most trips need more than one system, and the borders between them are exactly where fines happen. Four common corridors show how the map works in practice:
Munich to the Croatian coast
Austria (buy from ASFINAG) hands over to the Slovenian e-vinjeta at the Karavanke tunnel, which charges its own toll. In Croatia the vignettes stop and distance tolls begin. Three countries, three different systems in a single morning.
Vienna or Berlin to Prague
Germany is free, so the only product this trip needs is the Czech e-známka, and if you only circle Prague on the D0 ring, possibly not even that.
Switzerland's annual vignette plus Austria's Pickerl cover the classic pass-hopping circuit; remember Austria's separately tolled tunnels on the A10 and A13, and that the Gotthard needs no extra payment. Speed rules change at every border on this loop, and our guide to speed limits in Europe keeps them straight.
Common Mistakes With European Vignettes
Assuming one vignette covers EuropeThere is no pan-European vignette for cars and never has been. Nine countries, nine separate purchases, each valid only inside its own borders.
Reading "1-day" as "24 hours"In Austria, Czechia, Hungary and Romania the daily vignette covers a calendar day ending at midnight, not 24 hours from purchase. Bought at 15:00, it has nine hours left.
Buying Austria's annual online the night beforeThe digital 2-month and annual Pickerl bought online is valid from the 18th day at the earliest. Last-minute travellers need the 1-day or 10-day version, or an in-person purchase.
Picking the cheaper class for a van or camperSlovenia's 2B rule exists precisely for high vehicles. In Slovenia the wrong class counts as no vignette at all.
Forgetting the trailerSwitzerland requires a separate vignette for every trailer. Bulgaria and Slovakia require one when the combination exceeds 3.5 tonnes. Czechia and Slovenia never do. Check per country, not per habit.
Trusting the rental deskLocal rentals usually carry the home country's vignette and nothing for the countries you drive into. The fine lands on the driver, so check coverage for the whole route before leaving the car park.
Believing no barriers means no checksEvery vignette country now enforces with ANPR cameras or exit checks, and EU cross-border enforcement forwards fines to your home address. The absence of a booth is the presence of a camera.
How to Get Every Vignette Before You Cross
1
Trace your route through the table above
List every vignette country your route touches, including the ones you only transit for an hour. Cameras do not distinguish between a holiday and a shortcut.
2
Match durations to your travel dates
Remember the calendar-day rules, Slovenia's weekly minimum and Switzerland's annual-only product when you pick validity windows, and set future start dates for the return leg where the maths favours two short vignettes over one long one.
3
Buy them plate-linked, in one checkout
Vignetim registers e-vignettes for Bulgaria, Czechia, Moldova, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland directly against your licence plate, in English, with email confirmation in minutes. For Austria, buy from ASFINAG's official shop or app.
4
Enter the plate exactly as printed
Plate typos are the top reason valid purchases fail a camera check. Capital letters, no spaces, watch O against 0, and mind the registration country field.
5
Drive through without stopping
Nothing goes on the windscreen except in Austria and Switzerland if you choose the sticker. Everywhere else, the cameras already know you.
The maths is not close. A single missed vignette costs more than the short-term vignettes for a whole route: €300 in Slovenia, a €200 substitute toll in Austria, and the fine follows you home. Sort the whole route in one sitting before you leave, and the subject never comes up again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which countries require a vignette in Europe in 2026?
Nine: Austria, Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is covered by the Swiss vignette. Every other European country charges by distance, by crossing, or not at all.
Is there one vignette that covers all of Europe?
No, and there never has been. Each country runs its own system, valid only on its own network. The similarly named Eurovignette is a scheme for heavy goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes and has never applied to cars.
Does Germany require a vignette?
No. Germany has no vignette and no general car toll; its planned car charge was struck down by the EU Court of Justice in 2019 and never introduced. Only trucks pay the German Lkw-Maut.
Do France, Italy or Spain have vignettes?
No. All three charge by distance at toll plazas and gantries. France's Crit'Air sticker is an emissions badge for low-emission zones, not a road-use vignette, however similar it looks on a windscreen.
Does Croatia have a vignette?
No. Croatia tolls its motorways by distance. Coming from the north you will usually need the Slovenian or Hungarian vignette to reach the Croatian border, which is where the sticker logic ends.
Do motorcycles need a vignette?
In Austria, Slovenia, Switzerland and Hungary, yes, usually at a reduced rate with its own category. In Bulgaria, Romania and Moldova, motorcycles are outside the system and ride free.
Do trailers and caravans need their own vignette?
It depends on the country. Switzerland always requires a separate trailer vignette. Bulgaria and Slovakia require one when car plus trailer exceed 3.5 tonnes combined. Czechia and Slovenia cover the trailer under the towing vehicle in every case.
Are electric cars exempt from vignettes?
Almost never. The exception is Czechia, where fully electric and hydrogen cars travel free after registering with the toll authority. Everywhere else, every powertrain pays.
What is the shortest vignette I can buy for a transit?
A 1-day vignette exists in Austria, Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia. Slovenia starts at a week, Moldova at seven days, and Switzerland sells only the annual, so a Swiss transit costs the same as a Swiss year.
What happens if I drive without a vignette?
Cameras or border checks flag the plate and the penalty lands: on-the-spot amounts run from tens of euros to several hundred, with Austria's substitute toll at €200 and Slovenia's flat fine at €300. EU countries forward fines to your home address under cross-border enforcement, and Switzerland can raise unpaid cases when you re-enter.
Is the vignette checked at the border?
Rarely by a person. Most vignette countries sit inside Schengen, so there is no booth at all; enforcement happens on the road through ANPR cameras. The exceptions are Moldova, which checks the electronic record when you exit, and Switzerland, where customs staff can check at the crossing.
Does Turkey use a vignette?
No. Turkey's motorways use HGS, a fully electronic toll charged per distance, and foreign-plated cars need their own HGS account, which the Vignetim app sets up before you reach the border. Nothing sticker-based is sold for Turkey.
Nine vignette countries, one map, and now one checkout for seven of them. Get every e-vignette your route needs registered against your plate before you leave home, and cross every border covered.
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