Certified driving licence translation for an Austrian Führerscheinbehörde, categories and codes matched to the original

Driving licence translation Austria.

Driving licence translation is a certified translation of your Austrian Führerschein for use abroad, or of a foreign licence for an exchange (Umschreibung) at an Austrian district authority, produced by a sworn, court-certified Austrian translator. This guide separates it from the International Driving Permit, and covers the EU/EEA recognition rule and the six-month window for other licences. From €59 incl. certification and shipping.

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Court-sworn translators§ 14 SDG

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Short & clear

Do you need a translation, an International Driving Permit, or an exchange?

Reviewed by specialists · FÜD editorial team · kept current

If your licence was issued in the EU or EEA, it stays valid in Austria and is generally recognised without an exchange or a translation. If it is a third-country licence and you take up residence in Austria, § 23 FSG lets you drive on it for six months from the day residence begins; after that it loses its validity here and must be exchanged for an Austrian one.

A certified translation is what lets the district authority — the Bezirkshauptmannschaft, or in statutory cities the Landespolizeidirektion, acting as the Führerscheinbehörde — actually read a foreign-language licence, both during those six months and as part of an exchange file. It is not the exchange itself, and it is not an International Driving Permit. This guide explains which of the three applies to you, and delivers a certified translation where one is needed.

Step by step

Working out what applies to your licence.

Five questions decide the route for a foreign licence in Austria — or for an Austrian licence you need to use abroad. Answer them in order.

Is your licence from the EU or the EEA?

If yes, it remains valid in Austria until it expires; you generally need neither a translation nor an exchange. This page is mainly for third-country licences, and for Austrian licences travelling the other way.

Do you have ordinary residence in Austria?

A third-country licence is recognised for six months from the day residence begins (§ 23 FSG). Beyond that, driving on the unexchanged licence is no longer covered.

Can the Führerscheinbehörde read your licence?

If it is not in German — especially in a non-Latin script — the authority generally asks for a certified translation by a court-sworn translator so it can verify categories, dates and conditions.

Does your country require a driving test for the exchange?

For most licences from outside the EU/EEA a practical driving test is required, with exceptions for states that have reciprocity with Austria. The Führerscheinbehörde applies this, not the translator.

What do you file — and with whom?

You apply for the exchange at your local district authority with the licence, its certified translation, proof of residence and, where required, test results. We deliver the translation; the authority issues the Austrian licence.

Three things people confuse

Translation vs exchange vs International Driving Permit.

These are not interchangeable, and mixing them up is the most common reason for a wasted trip to the district authority.

What FÜD does

Certified translation

What it is: A certified German rendering of your foreign licence, or an English rendering of your Austrian licence, so the receiving authority can read categories, dates and restrictions.
When you need it: To drive in Austria during the six-month recognition window, as part of an exchange file, or wherever an employer, court, insurer or car-hire company abroad asks for one.
What it is not: It does not grant or extend your right to drive, and it is not the exchange.

What the authority does

Exchange (Umschreibung)

What it is: The procedure under § 23 FSG by which the Führerscheinbehörde issues an Austrian licence in place of a foreign one.
When you need it: Once you are resident and the six-month recognition period ends, for a licence from outside the EU/EEA.
Who does it: The district authority — Bezirkshauptmannschaft, or Landespolizeidirektion in statutory cities — usually with a practical driving test. Not FÜD.

What ÖAMTC / ARBÖ do

International Driving Permit

What it is: A multilingual document that accompanies a valid national licence, issued to Austrian drivers by ÖAMTC or ARBÖ under the Geneva or Vienna Road Traffic Convention.
When it helps: For short stays and driving abroad, where local rules ask for a recognised multilingual companion to the national licence.
What it is not: It is not a certified translation and it is not a substitute for an exchange once someone lives here.

The honest summary

A translation is a reading aid the authority may require; the exchange is the legal step that gives you an Austrian licence; the International Driving Permit is a travel document issued by an automobile club. FÜD handles only the first — cleanly, certified, and accepted by the district authority.

Documents you must translate

What goes into an exchange file — and what we translate.

The exact list is set by your district authority. These are the documents we most often translate for a driving-licence matter.

Documents for a driving-licence exchange and whether a certified translation is usually required
Document	Why the authority wants it	Certified translation
Driving licence (front & back)	To verify categories, issue date and any conditions or codes.	Certified translation if not in German or non-Latin script.
Confirmation the licence is genuine / still valid	Some district authorities request confirmation from the issuing body.	Certified translation if issued abroad.
Proof of when the licence was obtained	Relevant where the exchange depends on issue date or prior residence.	Certified translation on request.
Driving-test certificate (home country)	Occasionally requested to document existing entitlement.	Certified translation if the authority asks.
Passport / Meldezettel (residence registration)	Establishes identity and the start of ordinary residence.	Austrian original where issued here; foreign proof translated on request.

Categories are the detail that matters

Driving categories, codes and restrictions do not map one-to-one between countries. A translation that guesses "B = car" without carrying the exact code and any restriction (automatic only, corrective lenses) can leave the Führerscheinbehörde unable to match your entitlement — we render categories and codes precisely, with an explanatory translator's note, never claiming an Austrian class that isn't there.

Apostille & recognition

A driving licence rarely needs an apostille — but the translation must be court-sworn.

Reviewed by specialists · FÜD editorial team · kept current

Unlike civil-status certificates, a driving licence itself usually does not need an apostille for an exchange — the Führerscheinbehörde verifies it directly, sometimes via the issuing country. A supporting official document (a confirmation from the licensing authority abroad) may need one; where it does, the apostille is issued by the Amt der Landesregierung of the relevant federal state or, for documents from federal authorities, the BMEIA — never by a translation agency. The FÜD does not issue apostilles.

What the district authority does require is that the translation be produced by a court-sworn translator (in German, gerichtlich beeideter und zertifizierter Übersetzer), authorised under § 14 SDG and entered in the official register at a Regional Court (Landesgericht). Their round court seal — the Rundsiegel — is what makes the translation legally valid before any Austrian authority, including the Führerscheinbehörde.

Languages & typical origin countries

Which driving licences we translate most.

Driving-licence translations reach FÜD from every continent — new residents exchanging a foreign licence, and Austrians who need theirs read abroad. Native-speaker, court-sworn translators cover these and 70+ languages besides.

Middle East & Turkey

Eastern Europe

Balkans

Asia & Americas

Whether a driving test applies on exchange depends on the issuing country, not the language. We translate the licence; the Führerscheinbehörde decides the procedure. See all languages.

Quality, that only shows up at the counter

Mistakes only a professional translator catches.

A driving licence is checked against categories, codes and names. These are the recurring pitfalls — and how a court-sworn translator avoids them.

Driving-licence translation pitfalls and how they are avoided
Pitfall	Why it goes wrong	How the FÜD solves it
Driving categories equated 1:1	Foreign categories rarely map exactly to the EU classes A/B/C/D; a false equivalence leads to rejection at the exchange.	Categories are carried over faithfully with an explanatory translator's note, without claiming an Austrian class that isn't there.
Harmonised codes left out	EU codes (e.g. 01 corrective lenses, 78 automatic only) are legally relevant; omitting one drops a condition.	Every code is transferred in full, with its meaning explained.
Name transliteration ≠ passport	A spelling that drifts from the passport lets the authority attribute the licence to a different person.	Names are transliterated by the applicable ISO rule and cross-checked against the passport; both forms are noted.
Issue & expiry dates confused	Date formats such as 03/04 are read differently abroad — a wrong expiry makes the document unusable.	Dates and numeral formats are converted unambiguously into the target language.
Issuing authority & country translated	The issuing body has to stay traceable for the receiving office; a "translated" authority name is not.	Proper names are kept in the original with an explanatory equivalent in brackets.
Translation mistaken for the exchange	The certified translation is only one document in the file; the Austrian licence is granted by the Führerscheinbehörde under § 23 FSG, usually with a driving test.	We clarify the purpose up front, deliver the required translation, and point to the responsible district authority for the procedure — instead of a false promise.

Ask this before you order

Which authority is asking, and for what — an exchange, an employer, a court, or a car-hire desk abroad? The answer decides whether a translation is the right document at all, and whether a driving test still lies ahead. We check it with you first.

A translation is a reading aid — the exchange is the licence.

We are clear about the difference, and we translate categories and codes properly.

Process with FÜD

From upload to certified translation — three steps.

1 · Upload

Send both sides of your licence

What you do: Upload clear scans of the front and back of your licence, and any document the district authority listed.
What we do: We check the language and the categories, and confirm what the authority will need translated.

2 · Fixed price

Binding quote up front

What you do: Approve the quote — one binding fixed price in EUR, delivery date included.
What we do: A court-sworn translator renders the licence, carrying every category, code and restriction precisely.

3 · Certified + shipping

PDF now, original by post

What you do: Receive a certified PDF in advance and the sealed original by post for your exchange file.
What we do: Deliver on the agreed date; 24-hour express is available before a deadline.

Upload document

Quote & price

What does a driving licence translation cost?

A driving licence is a short standard document, usually a flat fee per document. Supporting papers are priced per standard line. We name a binding fixed price in EUR after a quick look — certification and postal delivery included.

Binding fixed price

flat fee per documentstandard driving licences · supporting papers from € 0.89 / standard line

Price up front · no unannounced extra costs

Certified translation by a court-sworn translator (§ 14 SDG)	✓included
Categories, codes & restrictions rendered exactly	✓included
Certification note, round court seal and signature	✓included
Advance PDF & postal delivery of the hard copy	✓included
Quality management & final check	✓included

A standard driving licence is usually a flat fee per document; longer supporting documents are priced per standard line (55 characters incl. spaces), from € 0.89. We name the exact amount after a brief review. How the price is made up →

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Sources & legal basis

Where these statements come from.

Every legal and procedural claim on this page is tied to a primary, verifiable source — Austrian law as published by RIS, the responsible federal authorities, and the official interpreter register. Acceptance of any individual document is always decided by the receiving authority.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions.

Do I need a certified translation of my driving licence in Austria?

Yes, whenever an Austrian authority needs to read it — the district authority (Führerscheinbehörde) for an exchange application, an employer, a court or insurer, or a car-hire company abroad. It must be produced by a court-sworn translator. EU/EEA licences are generally recognised without any translation while they remain valid.

Is an International Driving Permit the same as a translation?

No. In Austria, ÖAMTC and ARBÖ issue the International Driving Permit as a multilingual companion to a valid national licence, under the Geneva or Vienna Road Traffic Convention. It is not a certified translation and does not replace one.

What is the exchange (Umschreibung) of a foreign driving licence, and who handles it?

The exchange is the procedure under § 23 FSG by which the Führerscheinbehörde — the Bezirkshauptmannschaft, or in statutory cities the Landespolizeidirektion — issues an Austrian licence in place of a foreign one. For licences from outside the EU/EEA a practical driving test is usually required, with exceptions for states with reciprocity. The certified translation is one document in that file; the authority decides the outcome, not the translator.

How long can I drive in Austria on a foreign licence before I must exchange it?

EU/EEA licences remain valid in Austria without a time limit. A licence from outside the EU/EEA is generally recognised for six months from the day you take up residence in Austria (§ 23 FSG); after that it loses its validity here and must be exchanged.

Does my driving licence need an apostille?

Rarely for the licence itself — the Führerscheinbehörde usually verifies it directly. A supporting document from the issuing authority abroad may need one; where it does, the apostille is issued by the Amt der Landesregierung or the BMEIA, never by a translation agency. The FÜD does not issue apostilles.

How much does a driving licence translation cost?

A driving licence is a short document, usually a flat fee per document; longer supporting papers are priced per standard line of 55 characters, from € 0.89. After a brief review we name a binding fixed price in EUR; the certified PDF and postal hard copy are included. How the price is made up →

My Nigerian driving licence came back with every category and code intact — the Führerscheinbehörde in Graz filed it without a single query, and all that was left was the practical test.

★★★★★

B. Adeyemi · licence exchange, Graz