The Nationalrat (lower house of parliament) convened this morning (20 November) with a heavy transport agenda that will affect every business traveller entering or transiting Austria. Top of the bill is legislation to embed the EU’s new European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) in national law. Once passed, Austria will establish a dedicated ETIAS unit inside the Interior Ministry and connect it to existing databases such as SIS, EURODAC and the Entry/Exit System.
For visa-exempt travellers—ranging from U.S. executives to Singaporean ski tourists—this means that from mid-2026 they will need an online travel authorisation before boarding a flight, train or coach to Austria. Companies with high volumes of short-term assignees are being advised to audit HR systems now so that passport data can be uploaded automatically to travel-booking tools when ETIAS goes live.
![Austrian Parliament Debates ETIAS Implementation & Digital Vignette Phase-Out in High-Impact Transport Package]()
The same draft law bundle scraps Austria’s last remaining paper motorway toll sticker (the “Autobahnpickerl”) from December 2026, moving fully to licence-plate recognition. The digital shift is expected to cut border queues on the Brenner and Eastern motorways at holiday peaks and remove a compliance headache for leasing firms that rotate fleet vehicles across the DACH region. Truckers face a parallel but modest increase in LKW-Maut, although emissions-free HGVs will keep a 75 % discount until 2030.
Other mobility measures under debate include a digital permit platform for CEMT international freight licences and amendments that clarify which rail corridors count as “high-speed” under the Hochleistungsstreckengesetz—key for ÖBB’s 250 km/h Koralm railway due to open in December 2025. A final vote is expected late tonight; given cross-party committee approval, passage looks assured. Employers should monitor the official gazette for the implementation timeline and update driver handbooks and posted-worker checklists accordingly.
For visa-exempt travellers—ranging from U.S. executives to Singaporean ski tourists—this means that from mid-2026 they will need an online travel authorisation before boarding a flight, train or coach to Austria. Companies with high volumes of short-term assignees are being advised to audit HR systems now so that passport data can be uploaded automatically to travel-booking tools when ETIAS goes live.
The same draft law bundle scraps Austria’s last remaining paper motorway toll sticker (the “Autobahnpickerl”) from December 2026, moving fully to licence-plate recognition. The digital shift is expected to cut border queues on the Brenner and Eastern motorways at holiday peaks and remove a compliance headache for leasing firms that rotate fleet vehicles across the DACH region. Truckers face a parallel but modest increase in LKW-Maut, although emissions-free HGVs will keep a 75 % discount until 2030.
Other mobility measures under debate include a digital permit platform for CEMT international freight licences and amendments that clarify which rail corridors count as “high-speed” under the Hochleistungsstreckengesetz—key for ÖBB’s 250 km/h Koralm railway due to open in December 2025. A final vote is expected late tonight; given cross-party committee approval, passage looks assured. Employers should monitor the official gazette for the implementation timeline and update driver handbooks and posted-worker checklists accordingly.
