Entry & Customs Regulations in Austria
Information about travel documents, ID, EES, ETIAS, customs regulations and travelling with pets
EU Entry-Exit System (EES)
On 12 October 2025, the new EU Entry-Exit System (EES) has come into effect. This automated IT system registers non-EU nationals travelling to the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland for a short stay (up to 90 days within any 180-day period). When you enter one of the above countries for the first time, you will have to provide the following biometric data:
a scan of your fingerprints and/or
a photograph of your face
Once you're registered and return, your fingerprints and photo only need to be verified, which will take less time. If you hold a biometric passport, you will then be able to use the time-saving e-gates again (if they are available at your border crossing point).
Please find more information here.
European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS)
ETIAS travel authorisation will start operations in the last quarter of 2026. No action is required from travellers at this point.
Find out more about ETIAS.
In general, checks are no longer carried out within the Schengen area. However, in order to be able to provide proof of identity during random checks, travellers must always carry their travel documents.
Passport controls
Each child needs their own identification document (identity card or passport), as entries in a parent's passport are no longer valid.
Swiss nationals require a valid ID or a passport that hasn't expired for longer than 5 years to enter Austria.
Further information: Austrian Embassy in Bern
Citizens of the Federal Republic of Germany require a valid identity card or passport (or one that has expired within the last 12 months) to enter Austria.
Further information: Austrian Embassy in Berlin
Who needs a visa – and who doesn’t?
For many countries, entering Austria is straightforward: citizens of EU and EEA member states, Switzerland, and numerous other countries – including Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, New Zealand and the USA – do not require a visa for stays of up to 90 days.
For all other travellers, the following applies: for stays of up to 90 days, a Schengen visa is required. This visa allows you to travel within all Schengen countries – including Austria – without needing to apply for a separate Austrian visa. In other words, once issued, it is valid for all member states.
Holders of a Schengen residence permit may also stay in Austria for up to 90 days, provided their permit remains valid.
Please find a Schengen calculator here.
UK, US, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, Indian Nationals
For travellers within the European Union, simplified customs regulations apply. Those travelling within the EU usually cross borders without any customs checks, though spot checks may be carried out at any time. If you are flying directly between EU countries, simply use the exit designated for EU travellers at the airport.
The situation is different if your journey began outside the EU. If you are only transiting through or making a stopover in an EU country, the regulations for travellers from non-EU countries apply. In that case, customs rules and duty-free allowances may become relevant – especially for items such as tobacco, alcohol, luxury goods and gifts.
Tobacco and alcohol allowances
Entry from EU countries
Tobacco products or alcoholic beverages are exempt from duty only for personal use. If the standard quantities stated below are exceeded, you have to proof that the goods are intended for personal use.
Tobacco products:
800 cigarettes
400 cigarillos (maximum 3 g unit weight)
200 cigars
1 kg smoking tobacco
800 "heated" (heat-not-burn) tobacco sticks
Alcoholic beverages:
10 litres of spirits
20 litres of alcoholic beverages other than beer, sparkling wine or wine up to 22 % vol
90 litres of wine (of which max. 60 litres sparkling wine)
110 litres of beer
These regulations do not apply to the Canary Islands (Spain), the United Kingdom, the British Channel Islands (Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, etc.) or the Isle of Man. When entering Austria from these places, the same import limits apply as for arrivals from non-EU countries.
Important to know: Duty-free shopping is no longer available for direct travel within the EU.
You must declare:
Goods not intended for your own use
Purchases made outside the EU that exceed the duty-free allowance
Items subject to import restrictions or prohibitions
Tobacco and alcohol allowances
Entry from non-EU countries
Travellers entering Austria from a non-EU country may bring certain goods into the country duty-free, provided they are for personal use or intended as gifts. The following quantities apply per person aged 17 and over:
Tobacco products:
200 cigarettes or
100 cigarillos (cigars with a maximum weight of 3 g each) or
50 cigars or
250 grams of smoking tobacco or
a proportionate assortment of these goods
Alcoholic beverages:
1 litre of alcohol and alcoholic beverages with an alcohol content of more than 22% vol. or
undenatured ethyl alcohol of 80% vol. or more, or
2 litres of alcohol and alcoholic beverages of an alcoholic strength by volume not exceeding 22% vol, or
a proportionate assortment of these goods and in addition
4 litres of non-sparkling wines and 16 litres beer
Here you will find detailed information on the allowances for entry from non-EU countries.
Other goods:
Other goods up to a total value of €300 (for entry by land); for air travellers up to a total value of €430.
For travellers under 15 years of age, these two allowances are generally reduced to €150 (regardless of the mode of transportation used). Multiple travellers may not add their travel allowances together.
Travel equipment for personal use during the stay may be imported into Austria duty-free and informally, provided there are no import bans.
Central Inquiry Office/Customs
Customs Office Klagenfurt Villach
Ackerweg 19
9500 Villach
Phone +43 (0) 50 233 740
E-mail zollinfo@bmf.gv.at
This is what you need to keep in mind
Travel with Dogs, Cats & Co
A maximum of five animals per person are allowed.
Each animal must be identified by a microchip. However, a tattoo carried out before July 3, 2011 is still valid, provided that it is clearly legible.
Each animal must have a pet passport issued by a veterinarian authorised by the competent authority. It must also show proof of a valid rabies vaccination and, if applicable, a valid booster vaccination. The rabies vaccination is valid for 21 days after completion of the basic immunisation, if the animal has undergone regular booster vaccination thereafter.
For more information on entry/re-entry, validity of rabies vaccination and entry requirements for puppies, please visit the website of the Federal Ministry.
Leash and muzzle
In Austria, the regulation of the leash or muzzle obligation is the responsibility of the individual communities.
Here are the general rules:
Dogs must be kept on a lead or wear a muzzle outside fenced or enclosed private properties in residential areas.
Dogs must be kept on a lead or wear a muzzle in open countryside.
Leads and muzzles are required in certain places, such as on public transport.
Dogs are not allowed on children’s playgrounds.
Dog owners must clean up after their pets – pavements, pedestrian zones, sandpits and playgrounds must be kept clean.
These regulations do not apply to assistance dogs, service dogs on duty, or dogs in designated dog zones.
As regulations vary from place to place, it is advisable to check locally for specific rules.