Travel tipsJul 25, 2026

7 Common Vignette Mistakes That Can Lead to a Fine

Buying a motorway vignette is usually straightforward — most problems happen because of small mistakes made during or right after the purchase.

Here are seven things worth checking before you start driving.

1. Entering the wrong license plate

Double-check every letter and number before confirming your purchase.

The same registration number may exist in different countries, so this detail matters.

Motorcycles, passenger cars, vans, and heavier vehicles may fall under different rules.

Make sure your vignette becomes valid before you enter a road where it's required.

Some bridges, tunnels, and special road sections require an additional payment.

You may need a vignette even when you're only crossing a country on the way somewhere else.

Don't assume that completing payment automatically means your vignette is already valid — check the confirmation and validity information first.

Austria, for example, applies special activation rules to some online purchases by private consumers.

A final 30-second check before entering the motorway can save you a much bigger problem later.