Before you start

Registered residence in Graz (Meldezettel)
The original foreign licence with a certified German translation where needed
Medical fitness assessment where the category or age requires it
Passport photograph to Austrian specification

Step-by-step

1
Confirm whether you need to convert at all
EU and EEA licences stay valid in Austria indefinitely without exchange. Voluntary exchange is possible and makes later replacement simpler, but it is not required.
OnlineWho: You
2
Non-EEA: start well inside the six-month window
The Führerscheingesetz gives six months from establishing residence to convert, with a further six months available on request for professional or training stays. Once the window closes the foreign licence no longer authorises you to drive here and the exchange route is gone.
In personWho: YouWithin 6 months of taking up residence
3
Check the exemption list — and check which classes it covers
Licences from Albania, Andorra, Gibraltar, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, Japan, Jersey, Kosovo, Monaco, Montenegro, San Marino, Serbia, Switzerland and the UK convert with no test for all classes. Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Hong Kong, Israel, New Zealand, North Macedonia, South Africa, South Korea, the UAE and the USA are exempt for class B only.
OnlineWho: You
4
Apply at the Styrian police licensing office
The application, with the original licence, translation, Meldezettel, photograph and any medical certificate, goes to the Landespolizeidirektion Steiermark. The foreign licence is retained and the Austrian card issued in exchange.
In personWho: You
5
Understand the local air-quality measures before your first winter
Greater Graz is a designated remediation area for particulates and NO2. Styria abolished most of its IG-L speed limits in 2025/2026, but the 100 km/h limit between Graz-Ost and Graz-West remains in force under its own regulation. Solid-fuel secondary heating can also be restricted during episodes.
OnlineWho: You
6
Fit winter tyres by condition, not by date, and buy the Vignette
Winter tyres are compulsory from 1 November to 15 April whenever conditions are actually wintry, which in the Styrian basin is most of that window. Any motorway or expressway driving needs a digital Vignette tied to the number plate.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Original foreign driving licence
Certified German translation, where required
Meldezettel and passport
Passport photograph
Medical fitness certificate, where required

Things most newcomers don’t know

The test exemption is granted per licence class, and for North American, Australian and Korean licences it stops at cars.

Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, South Korea, the USA, Israel, Hong Kong and the UAE appear on the exemption list for class B only. A motorcycle entitlement or a heavier category does not travel with it and needs the Austrian test. Riders in particular assume the whole licence converts, discover otherwise late in the six-month window, and then have too little time to prepare.

Source: Führerscheingesetz-Durchführungsverordnung

The conversion clock starts when you take up residence, not when you first drive.

It runs from establishing residence, which your Meldezettel dates precisely. Someone who does not intend to drive in year one can find the window has closed silently, and once it has, the exchange route is unavailable — the only path left is the full Austrian licence with theory and practical exams. A further six months can be granted for professional or training stays, but you have to ask before the first six expire.

Source: Führerscheingesetz

Styria dropped most of its air-quality speed limits, but the one around Graz survived.

The 'Lufthunderter' was removed across much of the state in 2025/2026 as Austria's air quality improved, yet the 100 km/h section on the A2 between Graz-Ost and Graz-West remains under its own IG-L regulation. Drivers who read a headline about the limits being abolished and then drive the Graz bypass at 130 are ticketed regularly. The reason for the exception is the basin: greater Graz remains a designated remediation area.

Source: Land Steiermark; ORF Steiermark

The winter tyre rule is triggered by conditions, not by the calendar — and in the Graz basin the conditions are usually there.

From 1 November to 15 April winter tyres are required whenever there is snow, slush or ice on the road, so a dry December drive on summer tyres is lawful and a snowy late-April one is not. Graz's inversion weather means cold, damp, freezing mornings well into spring on the outskirts and in the surrounding hills, so the practical answer here is to fit them for the whole window rather than to judge it day by day.

Source: Kraftfahrgesetz § 102 Abs 8a

Common mistakes to avoid

Letting the six-month exchange window close and losing the right to convert.
Assuming a US, Canadian or Australian licence converts for motorcycles as well as cars.
Driving the A2 past Graz at 130 after reading that Styria abolished its air-quality speed limits.
Judging winter tyres by the date rather than the conditions, in a basin that produces conditions most of the window.
Buying a car for a city you can cross on foot in half an hour and cycle end to end in twenty minutes.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.