QZ explains what you need, who the obligation applies to, and points you to the official or verified external source.
Available
You must have a valid e-vignette before entering a Slovak motorway; it is tied to your licence plate. Types: 10-day, 30-day and 365-day (2026 prices unchanged from 2025 — see the official price list). It is valid immediately after purchase — unlike in Austria there is no activation delay — and the start date can be set up to 60 days ahead. Buy only at eznamka.sk, the sole official sales channel; reseller sites often appear above it in search results and charge markups, and double-check your plate number and country of registration when purchasing. Driving without a vignette means a fine during NDS or police checks.
Go to the official purchase ↗Slovakia has no separate section toll for cars — the vignette covers the entire tolled motorway network, and this official map shows which sections require it. Note that emyto.sk is the per-kilometre toll system for vehicles over 3.5 t only; it does not apply to cars.
Open the official source ↗Slovakia has no country-wide low-emission zone and no environmental sticker for cars — a visiting driver has nothing to buy. If a city ever introduces a zone, it would apply locally through road signage; there is no national portal today. Be wary of websites offering a Slovak emission badge — no such sticker exists, unlike the German green badge.
The official portal of the Slovak Road Administration (SSC) for road passability and current conditions across Slovakia. Worth checking before winter journeys.
Open the official source ↗112 works everywhere in the EU. Slovakia also has direct numbers: 155 for ambulance, 158 for police, 150 for the fire service and 18300 for mountain rescue. After an accident with injuries you must call for help and stay at the scene.
Open the official source ↗STK is the mandatory roadworthiness inspection for cars registered in Slovakia. A new passenger car goes for its first inspection after 4 years, then every 2 years.
Open the official source ↗PZP third-party liability insurance is compulsory for every registered vehicle. The state portal slovensko.sk explains the owner's duty; the official guarantee fund and green-card bureau is SKP (skp.sk), which handles claims involving uninsured drivers and issues green cards.
Open the official source ↗There is no official state source for car servicing in Slovakia — routine maintenance and repairs are handled by brand dealerships or independent garages. For scheduled servicing, use your manufacturer's dealer locator or a trusted local garage.
Vehicle registration, re-registration and ownership transfers in Slovakia are handled by the police vehicle-registration office (dopravný inšpektorát). The state portal slovensko.sk explains the steps and the required documents.
Open the official source ↗You must have a valid vignette before entering an Austrian motorway. The digital vignette is tied to your licence plate; options are 1-day, 10-day, 2-month or annual. The annual car vignette for 2026 costs 106.80 EUR (price list on shop.asfinag.at). Driving without one risks an on-the-spot substitute toll of around 120 EUR plus fines. Buy only at shop.asfinag.at or in the ASFINAG app — unofficial reseller sites add heavy markups — and note that a 2-month or annual vignette bought online is valid only from the 18th day after purchase, while 1-day and 10-day vignettes work immediately; for immediate annual validity, buy at a physical sales partner such as a petrol station, ÖAMTC or ARBÖ.
Go to the official purchase ↗From 1 November to 15 April you may drive in wintry conditions only with winter tyres on all wheels, or with snow chains on at least two drive wheels on a snow-covered road. Minimum tread depth is 4 mm, and since October 2024 tyres must carry the 3PMSF 'Alpine' symbol — the M+S marking alone is no longer enough. Note that this is not a fixed calendar rule: the obligation applies only when there is actually snow, slush or ice on the road. Non-compliance can bring fines of up to around 5,000 EUR if it causes an accident.
Open the official source ↗The EU-wide emergency number 112 works everywhere. Austria-specific numbers: police 133, ambulance 144, fire brigade 122, alpine rescue 140. For breakdowns: ÖAMTC 120, ARBÖ 123. In an accident with injuries you are legally required to call for help and stay at the scene.
Open the official source ↗The Pickerl (§57a inspection) is Austria's mandatory roadworthiness check. Cars follow the 3-2-1 rule: the first inspection is due 3 years after first registration, the next after 2 more years, and then annually. Driving with an expired Pickerl risks fines and problems with your insurance.
Open the official source ↗There is no official state source for car servicing — routine maintenance and repairs are handled by brand-authorised or independent garages. The best starting point is your car brand's authorised-dealer locator rather than any government site.
You need a valid e-vignette, tied to your licence plate, before entering a Czech motorway. It comes as a 1-day, 10-day or annual pass; the 2026 annual vignette costs 2,570 CZK (about €106) from 1 January 2026. Since 2025 you choose the start date yourself — immediately or up to 3 months ahead. Driving without a vignette means a fine. Buy only on the official portal edalnice.gov.cz — scam lookalike sites exist and may overcharge you or sell an invalid vignette.
Go to the official purchase ↗Czechia has no separate section toll for cars — the e-vignette covers all tolled motorways, and this official map shows exactly which sections require it. Note that mytocz.eu is the per-kilometre toll system for vehicles over 3.5 t only, so as a car driver you do not need it.
Open the official source ↗The official national traffic information portal, run by Ředitelství silnic a dálnic (ŘSD) — live traffic, closures and roadworks in one place.
Open the official source ↗The European emergency number 112 works everywhere in Czechia. The national numbers are 155 for ambulance, 158 for police, 150 for the fire service and 156 for municipal police. After an accident with injuries you must call for help and stay at the scene.
Open the official source ↗Every vehicle registered in Czechia must carry compulsory third-party liability insurance, known locally as povinné ručení. Česká kancelář pojistitelů (ČKP) is the official Czech Insurers' Bureau — it runs the guarantee fund, issues green cards and keeps the register of uninsured vehicles.
Open the official source ↗Vehicle servicing in Czechia is a commercial matter, not a state duty — there is no official government portal for it. To find a workshop, use your car brand's official dealer locator.
You need a valid e-vignette (registered to your licence plate) before entering a Hungarian motorway. Available types: 1-day, 10-day, monthly and annual (the national annual 2026 is valid 1 Jan 2026 – 31 Jan 2027), plus county vignettes. Driving without one means a fine. If you are only passing through, choose the national or a 1-day or 10-day vignette — the cheaper county vignettes are valid only within their own county — and buy only on the official nemzetiutdij.hu site, as other sellers are often overpriced or fraudulent.
Go to the official purchase ↗Hungary has no separate per-section toll for cars — the e-vignette covers the entire tolled motorway network, and this official page lists the current rates. The HU-GO system you may come across applies only to vehicles over 3.5 t, so as a car driver you do not need it.
Open the official source ↗Útinform is Hungary's official national road-information service, operated by Magyar Közút. It shows live road conditions and closures across the country; the site is available at www.utinform.hu.
Open the official source ↗The European emergency number 112 works everywhere in Hungary. The national numbers are 104 for the ambulance service, 105 for the fire service and 107 for the police. After an accident with injuries you are required to call for help and stay at the scene.
Open the official source ↗Every vehicle registered in Hungary must carry compulsory third-party liability insurance, known locally as KGFB. MABISZ, the Hungarian insurers' association, acts as the national green-card and guarantee bureau and is the official point of reference for this insurance.
Open the official source ↗Vehicle servicing in Hungary is a commercial matter, not a state duty — there is no official government source for it. To find a workshop, use your car brand's official dealer locator or a trusted local garage.
You need a valid e-vinjeta (registered to your number plate) before entering a Slovenian motorway. 2026 prices: 7-day €16, 1-month €32, annual €117.50. Driving without one carries one of Europe's steepest fines (around €300–800). Buy only on the official evinjeta.dars.si — unauthorised resellers pay for search ads to appear above it and add extra fees, while ASFINAG is one of the few genuinely authorised resellers and sells at no surcharge.
Go to the official purchase ↗Like Austria's section tolls, the Karawanken tunnel on the Austrian–Slovenian border is paid separately at the toll station — around €9 per car up to 3.5 t — on top of a valid e-vinjeta. Many drivers assume the vignette covers the tunnel; it does not.
Open the official source ↗Slovenia has no country-wide low-emission zone or emissions sticker for passenger cars — there is nothing a visiting driver needs to buy.
Slovenia's rule is stricter than in Slovakia, Czechia or Hungary: it is a calendar mandate. From 15 November to 15 March (and whenever winter conditions occur) every car must carry winter equipment — winter tyres on all wheels, or summer tyres plus snow chains for the drive wheels, with a minimum tread depth of 3 mm. The fine is around €125, rising to €417 if you cause a hold-up. Because the rule is date-based rather than condition-based, a car entering in December without winter equipment is non-compliant even on a dry day.
Open the official source ↗Promet.si is the official national traffic portal, run by the state Traffic Information Centre — live traffic, closures and winter road conditions.
Open the official source ↗112 covers ambulance, fire and rescue; the police line is 113. Road assistance (AMZS) is 1987. In an accident with injuries you must call for help and stay at the scene.
Open the official source ↗Every registered vehicle in Slovenia must carry compulsory third-party liability insurance. SZZ (Slovensko zavarovalno združenje) is the official Slovenian Insurance Association and the national green-card and guarantee bureau.
Open the official source ↗Vehicle servicing in Slovenia is a commercial matter, not a state duty — there is no official government source for it. Use your car brand's dealer or service locator to find a workshop.
Vehicle registration and its annual renewal — which is tied to a valid tehnični pregled (technical inspection) and valid insurance — are handled through the e-uprava state portal and authorised registration organisations.
Open the official source ↗The German Autobahn is free for passenger cars — there is no vignette to buy. The planned car toll was scrapped in 2019, so a visiting driver needs nothing. Beware of scam websites that still sell a fake "German vignette" — no such vignette exists for cars.
Cars pay no motorway toll in Germany. The Toll Collect per-kilometre system applies only to trucks over 3.5 tonnes.
To enter a German Umweltzone you must display the correct environmental badge (usually the green "grüne Plakette") on the windscreen. Most Euro-4 and newer vehicles qualify for the green sticker, and it can also be ordered for foreign number plates. It is a physical sticker you need before entering the zone, so order it in advance — driving in without it risks a fine of around 100 euros or more.
Open the official source ↗Call 112 for fire, ambulance and rescue services, and 110 for the police. For a breakdown, ADAC assistance is on 22 22 22 from a mobile phone. In an accident with injuries you must call for help and stay at the scene.
Open the official source ↗Third-party motor liability insurance (Kfz-Haftpflichtversicherung) is compulsory for every registered vehicle. If you are harmed by an uninsured or unidentified driver, the official guarantee fund is Verkehrsopferhilfe (VOH); the German green-card bureau is Deutsches Büro Grüne Karte.
Open the official source ↗Servicing and repairs in Germany are a commercial matter, not a state duty — there is no official government service portal. To find a workshop, use your car brand's dealer locator or a trusted local garage.
Germany has a genuine national recall authority: the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA) runs the official vehicle recall database, showing recalls monitored via the central vehicle register. For cars registered in Germany it is a more relevant source than the EU-wide Safety Gate.
Open the official source ↗Croatia has no vignette. You take a ticket when entering the motorway and pay by distance and vehicle class when exiting (cash, card, or the ENC transponder). A fully digital free-flow system called Crolibertas is announced for 1 March 2027 — through 2026 the classic toll gates remain. If any website offers to sell you a Croatian vignette, do not buy it — no such vignette exists.
Open the official source ↗Croatian motorway toll is charged per kilometre by vehicle class and paid at the toll gates. An ENC transponder (around €15) gives you dedicated lanes and up to about 21% discount — worth it only if you drive there often. Some routes are run by other concessionaires and the ENC works on a prepaid balance, so for an occasional trip paying directly at the gate is usually simpler.
Open the official source ↗Croatia has no country-wide low-emission zone and no emission sticker for cars.
112 covers all emergencies in Croatia; you can also call 192 for police, 193 for the fire brigade and 194 for an ambulance. HAK road assistance is on 1987. In an accident with injuries, call for help and stay at the scene.
Open the official source ↗Servicing and repairs in Croatia are a commercial matter, not a state duty — there is no official government source for this. The easiest way to find an authorised workshop is your car maker's dealer locator.
Italy has no vignette. Motorways (autostrade) are tolled per kilometre: you take a ticket when you enter and pay when you exit (cash, card or Telepass). Some urban motorways are free. Any website selling an 'Italian vignette' is not legitimate — no such product exists.
Italy has no national low-emission zone, but dozens of cities enforce their own restricted zones. In Milan, Area C is a congestion charge (€5 per day) and Area B is a low-emission zone that bans older diesels; Rome has six ZTLs (Centro Storico, Tridente, Trastevere and others). Cameras record every unauthorised entry and each gate you pass costs €83–100 — fines often arrive by post at your home address months later, so one wrong turn can mean several tickets. Enter only with a valid permit or authorisation.
Open the official source ↗112 is the single emergency number in Italy; you can also call 113 for the police, 115 for the fire brigade and 118 for an ambulance. ACI road assistance is on 803116. In an accident with injuries, call for help and stay at the scene.
Open the official source ↗The revisione (periodic inspection) is mandatory: the first one is due after 4 years, then every 2 years. The state Portale dell'Automobilista is the authoritative source for dates and rules.
Open the official source ↗RC Auto liability insurance is compulsory. IVASS is the official state insurance regulator and publishes consumer information; CONSAP runs the guarantee fund (Fondo di Garanzia) for victims of uninsured drivers, and UCI is the green-card bureau.
Open the official source ↗Servicing and repairs in Italy are a commercial matter — there is no state authority or official register for them. Use your car brand's dealer locator to find an authorised workshop (officina).
Poland has no vignette. Since 2023, state motorways are free for cars up to 3.5 t — you only pay on the privately run concession sections. The e-TOLL system (etoll.gov.pl) applies only to vehicles over 3.5 t.
Only three motorway sections charge cars: A1 (Gdańsk–Toruń), A2 (Świecko–Konin, Autostrada Wielkopolska) and A4 (Katowice–Kraków, Stalexport). You pay at toll booths or via apps such as Autopay and AmberGo — note that each section has its own operator and payment app, so one app does not cover all three. The e-TOLL portal is the state hub, mainly with HGV information; the rest of the network is free for cars.
Open the official source ↗Poland now has active clean-transport zones. The Kraków SCT applies from 1 Jan 2026 (about 60% of the city), and the Warsaw SCT — Poland's first — has been in force since 1 Jul 2024, with a stricter phase 2 from 1 Jan 2026. Older petrol and diesel cars below the set Euro classes are barred; exemptions vary by city and phase, so check the official city pages before you travel.
Open the official source ↗Call 112 for all emergencies; Poland also uses 997 for police, 998 for the fire service and 999 for ambulance. In an accident with injuries, call for help and stay at the scene.
Open the official source ↗OC third-party liability insurance is compulsory for every registered vehicle. UFG is the official guarantee fund — it penalises uninsured owners and compensates victims of uninsured or unidentified drivers, and it issues heavy fines even for a short lapse in cover. The green-card bureau is PBUK.
Open the official source ↗Servicing and repair are commercial services, not a state obligation, so there is no official state source. To find a workshop, use your manufacturer's or dealer's service locator.
France has no motorway vignette. Motorways (autoroutes) are charged per kilometre — you take a ticket at the entrance and pay at the exit, or use a télépéage badge. Important: the so-called French sticker people talk about is Crit'Air, the low-emission zone badge, not a road vignette. There is nothing to buy in advance for the motorway itself, so any site selling a French motorway vignette is selling something that does not exist. Do not confuse the toll with the Crit'Air sticker — scam sites deliberately blur the two.
To drive in a French low-emission zone (Zone à Faibles Émissions, ZFE) your car must display a Crit'Air sticker matching its emissions class. In 2026 the ZFE rules apply in 42 agglomerations, including Paris and Lyon. The official price is 3.77 EUR plus shipping abroad, and it is a one-time purchase valid for the vehicle's lifetime. Foreign drivers must order the sticker before entering a ZFE; driving in a zone without it means a fine of 68 to 135 EUR. Important: buy only at certificat-air.gouv.fr — no intermediary is authorised, yet dozens of reseller sites charge 15 to 60 EUR for the same sticker. Order early: international shipping takes several days.
Go to the official purchase ↗From 1 November to 31 March, in designated French mountain municipalities you must either fit winter tyres or carry snow chains or snow socks in the car. The zones are marked with road signs. Driving without the required equipment brings an on-the-spot fine of 135 EUR, and you can be turned back at mountain passes. Important: the rule applies only in the listed mountain municipalities, not nationwide — check the department list before a trip to the Alps or Pyrenees.
Open the official source ↗Bison Futé is the official French traffic-information service, providing traffic forecasts and live road conditions.
Open the official source ↗In France, 112 works for all emergencies. There are also dedicated numbers: 15 for medical emergencies (SAMU), 17 for police and 18 for the fire service. In an accident with injuries, call 112 or 15 and stay at the scene.
Open the official source ↗The contrôle technique is mandatory for every car registered in France: the first inspection is due within the 6 months before the car's 4th anniversary, and then every 2 years. Inspections are carried out at accredited centres.
Open the official source ↗Third-party liability insurance is compulsory for every registered vehicle in France. FGAO (Fonds de Garantie des Assurances Obligatoires) is the official guarantee fund that compensates victims of uninsured or unidentified drivers and covers cases of insurer insolvency.
Open the official source ↗Servicing and repairs in France are a commercial matter, not a state obligation — there is no official government portal for them. To find an authorised workshop, use your car manufacturer's dealer locator.
France has an official national recall portal, RappelConso, which covers vehicles among other products. Companies are legally obliged to publish their recalls there, so you can check whether your car is affected by a recall.
Open the official source ↗Vehicle registration in France (the carte grise, officially certificat d'immatriculation) is done online via ANTS at immatriculation.ants.gouv.fr. Important: the carte grise also attracts many lookalike paid intermediary sites — ANTS is the official state channel, so handle the registration there.
Open the official source ↗Spain has no motorway vignette — there is nothing to buy before your trip. Important: any website selling a "Spanish vignette" is selling something that does not exist — ignore it. Motorways (autopistas) that still charge do so per kilometre, paid at the toll barrier or with a Via-T device. Since 2021 many toll concessions have expired and the roads have become free, for example the AP-7 from the French border to Alicante and the AP-6; the AP-68 becomes free from 11 November 2026.
Important: the DGT environmental badge (Distintivo Ambiental) is issued only to Spanish-registered cars — a foreign-plated car cannot get it. With a foreign car (for example on Slovak plates) you must instead register directly with each city's low-emission-zone (ZBE) system: Madrid 360 / ZBEDEP in Madrid, ZBE Rondes in Barcelona — and Barcelona's foreign-vehicle registration can take up to 15 days, so arrange it well before your trip. Madrid and Barcelona are separate registrations; one does not cover the other. By law every Spanish city over 50,000 inhabitants has a ZBE, with Madrid and Barcelona the strictest. The zones are camera-enforced — without registration a fine of 100–200 EUR arrives by post.
Open the official source ↗Spain's official traffic information is run by the DGT (Dirección General de Tráfico), with live reports on incidents and road conditions. Check it at dgt.es before and during your journey.
Open the official source ↗112 is the single emergency number in Spain — police, ambulance and fire service. The Guardia Civil traffic police can also be reached on 062. In an accident with injuries, call 112 and stay at the scene.
Open the official source ↗The ITV (Inspección Técnica de Vehículos) inspection is mandatory for every car registered in Spain: a new car goes first after 4 years, then every 2 years, and annually once the car is over 10 years old. Inspections are managed by the autonomous communities under Royal Decree RD 920/2017.
Open the official source ↗Third-party liability insurance is compulsory for every vehicle registered in Spain. The Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros (CCS) is the official guarantee fund — the insurer of last resort that compensates victims of accidents caused by uninsured, unknown or stolen vehicles. The Spanish green-card bureau is OFESAUTO.
Open the official source ↗Servicing and repairs in Spain are a commercial matter, not a state obligation — there is no government portal for finding or verifying a workshop (taller). Use your car brand's official dealer locator to find an authorised workshop.
Vehicle registration and ownership transfers in Spain are handled by the DGT (Dirección General de Tráfico) through its electronic office (sede electrónica) at sede.dgt.gob.es.
Open the official source ↗Portugal has no motorway vignette — there is nothing to buy, so any website offering a "Portuguese vignette" is selling something that does not exist. Portuguese motorways are tolled instead: some are conventional with ticket booths, others (the former SCUT roads) are electronic-only with no barriers, where cameras read your number plate. Important: the real task before driving in Portugal is arranging electronic-toll payment in advance — see the toll section.
This is the big Portugal trap: on barrier-free electronic motorways (the former SCUT roads) there is nowhere to pay at the roadside — no booths at all. A foreign-plated car must pre-register a payment method via the official Portugal Tolls portal (portugaltolls.com) before driving: EasyToll (links a payment card to your number plate, valid 30 days), TollCard (prepaid, EUR 5–40) or Via Verde Visitors (a transponder). If you skip this, a fine for unpaid tolls arrives by post. Important: never enter an ex-SCUT road without pre-registering, and use only the official channels portugaltolls.com or Via Verde — many reseller sites add extra fees.
Go to the official purchase ↗112 is the single emergency number in Portugal. In an accident with injuries, call 112 and stay at the scene.
Open the official source ↗Third-party motor liability insurance is compulsory for every vehicle registered in Portugal. The state insurance supervisor is ASF (Autoridade de Supervisão de Seguros); the Fundo de Garantia Automóvel (FGA, part of ASF) compensates victims of accidents caused by uninsured or unidentified vehicles.
Open the official source ↗Servicing and repairs in Portugal are a commercial matter, not a state obligation — there is no official state portal for workshops. To find an authorised workshop (oficina), use your car brand's official dealer locator.
The Netherlands has no motorway vignette — Dutch motorways are free for cars, so there is nothing to buy. Important: scam websites sell a fake 'Dutch vignette' that does not exist; do not pay for one. The only car tolls are two tunnels, the Westerscheldetunnel and the Kiltunnel, paid directly at the tunnel.
The official national portal milieuzones.nl explains each city's environmental zone and offers the Milieuzonecheck: enter your licence plate to see whether you may enter. Important: there is no sticker to buy — enforcement is camera- and register-based, and the rules differ from city to city, with older diesels the usual target. Also good to know: Dutch motorways have a 100 km/h daytime limit between 06:00 and 19:00, with higher limits at night.
Open the official source ↗Rijkswaterstaat, the Dutch national roads authority, publishes official live traffic information and road closures at rijkswaterstaat.nl.
Open the official source ↗In an emergency call 112. For non-urgent police matters call 0900-8844. Roadside breakdown assistance is provided by the ANWB. If an accident involves injuries, call 112 and stay at the scene.
Open the official source ↗The APK (Algemene Periodieke Keuring) is mandatory for every car registered in the Netherlands: a petrol car is inspected for the first time after 4 years, then every 2 years, and annually once it is 8 years old. Diesel intervals differ. The national vehicle authority is the RDW.
Open the official source ↗Emissions are checked as part of the APK inspection — there is no separate emission test to arrange in the Netherlands.
Open the official source ↗Servicing and repairs are a commercial matter, not a state obligation — there is no official government portal for this in the Netherlands. Use your manufacturer's dealer locator to find an authorised workshop.
The Netherlands has an official national recall register, the RDW Terugroepregister. Manufacturers have reported recalls to the RDW since 2012, and you can search the register by licence plate to see whether your vehicle has an open recall.
Open the official source ↗The RDW is the national vehicle registration authority (kenteken). Important: simply parking a car does not stop your obligations — suspending a registration is a formal action you must arrange with the RDW.
Open the official source ↗Belgium has no vignette and no road toll for passenger cars — the motorways are free. The only charging system, Viapass, applies to trucks over 3.5 t. Important: some websites sell a fake "Belgian vignette" — no such thing exists, so buy nothing. The real obligation for drivers is low-emission zone (LEZ) registration in Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent.
Belgium has three low-emission-zone cities but only two registration systems: Brussels (lez.brussels) and Flanders (www.vlaanderen.be/lez), which covers both Antwerp and Ghent. A foreign-plated car must register BEFORE entering the zone; registration is free and stays valid for 5 years in Brussels and 3 years in Flanders. Important: registering in Flanders (Antwerp/Ghent) does NOT cover Brussels — for a trip through both Brussels and Flanders you need both registrations. Non-compliant vehicles can buy a 35 EUR day pass. Enforcement is by camera; fines are 350 EUR in Brussels and 150 EUR in Antwerp or Ghent. Wallonia has no LEZ yet.
Go to the official purchase ↗In Belgium call 112 for ambulance or fire brigade and 101 for the police. In an accident with injuries, call 112 and stay at the scene.
Open the official source ↗Third-party motor liability insurance is compulsory for every registered vehicle in Belgium. The official guarantee body is the FCGB-BGWF, the Belgian common guarantee fund and green-card bureau, which compensates victims of uninsured or unidentified vehicles.
Open the official source ↗Vehicle servicing and repair in Belgium is a commercial matter, not a state obligation — there is no official government portal for it. Use your car brand's official dealer or service locator to find a workshop.
Vehicle registration in Belgium is handled by the DIV (Vehicle Registration Service). Important: Belgium splits duties across federal and regional bodies — registration, the regional vehicle tax, the technical inspection and insurance are separate obligations handled by different authorities, so no single portal covers everything.
Open the official source ↗Luxembourg has no motorway vignette. Cars, vans and motorhomes use the entire road network free of charge — there is nothing to buy. Important: some scam websites sell a fake "Luxembourg vignette" that does not exist. Do not pay for anything.
Cars pay no road toll in Luxembourg. The Eurovignette system applies only to heavy goods vehicles over 12 t — do not confuse it with a charge for cars; there is none.
Luxembourg has no low-emission zones and requires no environmental sticker — neither a Crit'Air-style badge nor any registration. There is nothing to prepare or buy. Important: ignore any website suggesting Luxembourg requires an emissions badge — no such requirement exists.
Call 112 for ambulance, fire and rescue; 113 for the police. In an accident with injuries, call 112 and stay at the scene.
Open the official source ↗Newly registered vehicles are exempt from inspection for the first 4 years. After that, the car must undergo a periodic technical inspection (contrôle technique) at an MMTP-approved test centre — SNCT or another approved centre. Details are on the state portal Guichet.lu.
Open the official source ↗Third-party motor liability insurance is compulsory for every registered vehicle. The Commissariat aux Assurances (CAA) is Luxembourg's state insurance regulator — it supervises insurers but does not sell policies. Claims caused by uninsured or unidentified vehicles are covered by the Fonds de Garantie Automobile.
Open the official source ↗Vehicle servicing and repairs in Luxembourg are a purely commercial matter — there is no state-mandated service scheme and no official government portal for it. To find an authorised workshop, use your manufacturer's dealer locator.
The SNCA (Société Nationale de Circulation Automobile) is Luxembourg's national vehicle authority. It handles registration of new and second-hand vehicles, registration certificates, driving licences and compliance stickers. Important: handle registration through the SNCA or the state portal Guichet.lu — commercial import agents are not the official state channel.
Open the official source ↗Denmark has no motorway vignette — all mainland motorways are toll-free, so there is nothing to buy. The only charges for cars are the Great Belt and Øresund bridges (see the bridge tolls entry). Important: scam websites sell a fake 'Danish vignette' that does not exist — do not pay for one.
Denmark's only car tolls are two bridges: the Great Belt (Storebælt, Funen–Zealand) and the Øresund bridge (Copenhagen–Malmö). Each bridge is run by its own operator with its own official sale and payment portal. You can pay by card or cash at the barrier, online in advance, or with a BroBizz transponder (roughly a 30% discount). Check the current 2026 rates on the operator sites. Important: the two bridges are completely separate systems — a Storebælt ticket or product does not cover the Øresund crossing. Buy only at storebaelt.dk or oresundsbron.com (or via BroBizz); reseller sites add unnecessary fees.
Go to the official purchase ↗Denmark's low-emission zones (Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Aarhus, Odense and Aalborg) target older diesel vehicles only — petrol and hybrid drivers need to do nothing. Enforcement is by automatic number-plate cameras, and Danish authorities can read foreign vehicle registers. If your diesel is older than the threshold or has no particulate filter, you must register it online at miljoezoner.dk — on the same day you use the zone at the latest. Registration is valid for 5 years. Important: an older diesel that simply drives in unregistered is caught by camera; fines for non-compliance reach about 1,700 EUR.
Go to the official purchase ↗Official national traffic information from the Danish Road Directorate (Vejdirektoratet), available at trafikinfo.dk.
Open the official source ↗In an emergency in Denmark call 112; for non-urgent police matters call 114. After an accident with injuries, call 112 and stay at the scene.
Open the official source ↗Servicing and repairs in Denmark are a purely commercial matter — there is no state obligation and no official government portal for workshops. To find an authorised workshop (værksted), use your car manufacturer's dealer locator.
Sweden has no motorway vignette and no general motorway toll — there is nothing to buy before you drive in. Be wary of unofficial websites offering a "Swedish vignette": they are selling something that does not exist. What you may owe instead is the congestion tax in Stockholm and Gothenburg and the infrastructure charges on the Motala and Sundsvall bridges (see the toll section).
Congestion tax (Trängselskatt) is charged per passage through control points in Stockholm and Gothenburg — about 9-45 SEK per passage, with a daily cap of roughly 135 SEK in Stockholm and 60 SEK in Gothenburg. Separate infrastructure charges (Infrastrukturavgift) apply at the Motala and Sundsvall bridges. From 2026, electric and plug-in hybrid cars pay the full rate too. Important: a foreign-registered car owes exactly the same tax but does not receive an automatic invoice the way Swedish cars do — you must proactively check and pay via the Transportstyrelsen route for foreign vehicles (handled by Epass24), within 60 days of the charge month. Miss the deadline and a 500 SEK penalty is added; many drivers only find out when the penalty letter arrives.
Open the official source ↗From 1 December to 31 March, winter tyres (or equivalent) are required whenever winter road conditions exist — snow, ice, slush or frost anywhere on the road. The rule is condition-based within that window: a mild, dry day in December does not trigger it, but conditions change fast, especially up north.
Open the official source ↗Trafikverket (the Swedish Transport Administration) runs the official live traffic service — current incidents, road closures and road conditions across Sweden.
Open the official source ↗Call 112 for all emergencies in Sweden; 114 14 is the non-urgent police line. In an accident with injuries, call 112 and stay at the scene.
Open the official source ↗The periodic technical inspection (kontrollbesiktning) is mandatory for every car registered in Sweden: the first inspection is due by month 36 after first registration, the next 24 months later, and then annually.
Open the official source ↗Motor liability insurance (trafikförsäkring) is compulsory for every registered vehicle. TFF (Trafikförsäkringsföreningen — Swedish Motor Insurers) is the official body that handles claims caused by uninsured vehicles and charges a penalty fee for uninsured periods. Important: the fee accrues for every day without cover, so even a short uninsured gap gets expensive.
Open the official source ↗Servicing and repairs are a commercial matter, not a state obligation — Sweden has no official government portal for workshops. To find a workshop (verkstad), use your car maker's or dealer network's locator.
Transportstyrelsen (the Swedish Transport Agency) maintains the vehicle register and handles registration, ownership changes and off-road notifications. Keep in mind that registration, vehicle tax, insurance and inspection are separate duties — completing one does not cover the others.
Open the official source ↗You must have a valid rovinietă (road vignette) before driving on Romanian national roads and motorways; it is registered to your number plate. Options are 1-day, 10-day, 30-day, 60-day, 90-day and 12-month; in 2026 the annual vignette for a car costs 254.02 lei through official channels. Driving without a valid rovinietă means a fine. Important: the line between official sellers and resellers is unusually thin in Romania. Buy only at erovinieta.ro or from authorized distributors — post offices and OMV, Petrom, Rompetrol and MOL stations; the official list is at cnadnr.ro/ro/puncte-de-distributie. The road operator CNAIR has publicly named unauthorized sites that add roughly a 30% "registration fee" — rovinietadigitala.ro, tollvignettes.com and erovinieta.net — where the same vignette costs about 330 lei instead of 254 lei.
Go to the official purchase ↗The Danube bridge at Fetești–Cernavodă on the A2 motorway (the "Sun Highway" to the Black Sea coast) is tolled separately — the rovinietă does not cover it. The toll is 13 RON per car (up to 3.5 t) per crossing. You can pay by SMS to 7577, at OMV, Petrom, Rompetrol and MOL stations, online, or at the toll barrier. Important: drivers heading to the coast often forget this bridge is extra — buy it separately, and stick to CNAIR's official channels (SMS, fuel stations, erovinieta.ro), because unofficial "taxadepod" reseller sites exist here too.
Open the official source ↗112 is the single emergency number in Romania — police, ambulance and fire service. If you are involved in an accident with injuries, call 112 and stay at the scene.
Open the official source ↗RCA third-party liability insurance is compulsory for every vehicle registered in Romania. BAAR (Biroul Asigurătorilor de Autovehicule din România) is the official Romanian Motor Insurers' Bureau, responsible for green cards and guarantee tasks. Since 2025 the green card document is also valid in electronic form as a PDF.
Open the official source ↗Servicing and repairs in Romania are a purely commercial matter — there is no state obligation and no official state directory of workshops. To find an authorized workshop, use your car manufacturer's official dealer and service locator.
Before driving on Bulgarian motorways or expressways you need a valid e-vignette, registered to your number plate. Bulgaria adopted the euro on 1 January 2026; 2026 prices for cars are: weekend 5.11 EUR, 7-day 7.67 EUR, 30-day 15.34 EUR, 3-month 27.61 EUR, annual 49.60 EUR. Driving without a vignette means a fine. Important: the euro changeover has triggered a fresh wave of scam sites showing euro prices with hidden fees. Buy only at bgtoll.bg (Road Infrastructure Agency) or via the authorised channels vinetki.bg and tollpass.bg (operated by Intelligent Traffic Systems) and listed resellers such as digitoll.bg, epay.bg, A1.bg, yettel.bg and vivacom.bg. After buying, always confirm your plate is registered at bgtoll.bg.
Go to the official purchase ↗112 is the single emergency number in Bulgaria for police, ambulance and fire services. In an accident with injuries, call 112 and stay at the scene.
Open the official source ↗Every vehicle registered in Bulgaria must carry compulsory third-party liability insurance, known as 'Grazhdanska otgovornost'. NBBAZ (National Bureau of Bulgarian Motor Insurers) is the official green-card bureau; the Guarantee Fund (guaranteefund.bg) covers claims caused by uninsured or unidentified vehicles and steps in if an insurer becomes insolvent.
Open the official source ↗Car servicing and repair in Bulgaria is a commercial matter, not a state obligation — there is no official government portal for it. Use your car manufacturer's dealer or authorised-service locator to find a workshop.
Greece has no motorway vignette. Motorways are run by concession operators and charged at classic toll plazas per passage, so there is nothing to buy in advance. Important: do not buy a "Greece vignette" from a search ad — none exists, and such sites are selling you nothing. Instead, identify the operator of the road you will actually use and pay the toll at the barrier.
Tolls are charged at barriers per passage. Different stretches are run by different concession operators (Attiki Odos, Olympia Odos, Nea Odos, Kentriki Odos, Aegean Motorway, Moreas, Egnatia Odos, Gefyra), so there is no single national portal. Since 2020 the GRITS interoperability scheme means one Greek on-board unit (e-PASS, eway, O-pass and others) works in the electronic lanes of all Greek motorways. Important for foreign drivers: as of 2026 the Greek system is not interoperable with foreign or EETS transponders — your Slovak or other EU tag will not open the gate. Pay by cash or card at the toll plaza, or get a Greek on-board unit if you are staying longer.
Open the official source ↗Athens operates an odd/even access ring known as the Daktylios — not a classic low-emission zone. On any given weekday, only cars whose plate ends in an odd or an even digit may enter the Small Ring in central Athens. The 2025/26 season ran from about 20 October 2025 to 24 July 2026; the restriction does not apply on Saturdays, Sundays or public holidays. Entry/exit permits are issued via the City of Athens platform on gov.gr. Important: foreign plates are not exempt — the odd/even rule applies to them too, and exemptions depend on powertrain and emissions class, not on nationality. Season dates shift each year and the scheme pauses over summer, so check the current dates before you travel.
Open the official source ↗Call 112 for any emergency in Greece. The national direct lines also work: 100 for police, 166 for ambulance, 199 for the fire service. In an accident with injuries, call 112 and stay at the scene.
Open the official source ↗Servicing and repairs in Greece are a commercial matter — there is no state-mandated service scheme and no official government portal for it. To find an authorised workshop, use your car manufacturer's official dealer or service locator.
Finland has no vignette and no motorway toll — there is nothing to buy before entering the country. Important: some websites sell a fake "Finland vignette". No such vignette exists, so any site offering one is a scam.
Finland charges no road tolls — the entire public road network is free to use. There is nothing to buy or register before your trip.
Since the 2020 Road Traffic Act, Finland's winter tyre rule is condition-based within 1 November – 31 March: winter tyres must be used whenever weather or road conditions demand it, including in November and March. Minimum tread depth is 3.0 mm, and non-studded winter tyres must carry the 3PMSF (three-peak mountain snowflake) symbol — an M+S marking alone is not enough. The rule works both ways: if conditions do not require them, summer tyres are legal even in the winter months, but if it is icy in November or March, winter tyres are mandatory. The police assess on the spot whether conditions required them.
Open the official source ↗Fintraffic's official live map (Liikennetilanne) shows traffic disruptions, driving-condition forecasts, congestion, weight restrictions and road cameras, with data from Fintraffic, Väylä and Traficom.
Open the official source ↗112 is the single emergency number in Finland. In an accident with injuries, call 112 and stay at the scene.
Open the official source ↗The periodic inspection (katsastus) is first due 3 years after first registration, the next one 2 years later, and then annually. The inspection also verifies the register data and that vehicle taxes and fees have been paid. Important: do not confuse it with the registration inspection (rekisteröintikatsastus) — that is a different, one-off procedure, not the recurring roadworthiness check.
Open the official source ↗Motor liability insurance (liikennevakuutus) is compulsory for every registered vehicle. The Finnish Motor Insurers' Centre (Liikennevakuutuskeskus, LVK) safeguards accident victims' rights and handles the consequences of failing to pay the statutory premium. Important: LVK levies a penalty charge for any uninsured period — even a short gap in cover gets expensive.
Open the official source ↗Vehicle servicing and repair in Finland is a commercial matter, not a state obligation — there is no official government portal for it. Use your car brand's dealer or service locator to find an authorised workshop.
Traficom maintains the Finnish vehicle register and handles registration and ownership changes. Keep in mind that registration, vehicle tax, insurance and the roadworthiness inspection are separate duties — each must be in order on its own.
Open the official source ↗Estonia has no vignette for passenger cars. The 'teekasutustasu' road user charge applies only to goods vehicles over 3.5 t — passenger cars and light commercial vehicles up to 3.5 t are exempt and there is nothing to buy. Important: some reseller websites sell an 'Estonia e-vignette' — for a car this is meaningless, because the charge applies to heavy goods vehicles only. Do not pay for anything.
Estonia has no toll roads for passenger cars — the road network is free to use. There is nothing to buy, so if any website offers to sell you an Estonian road toll for a car, do not pay.
Estonia's winter tyre rule is a calendar mandate: winter tyres are compulsory on all vehicles from 1 December to 1 March, regardless of the day's weather. From 1 December, non-studded winter tyres must carry the 3PMSF symbol. The Transport Administration (Transpordiamet) recommends fitting winter tyres around 15 October and keeping them until about 15 April. Important: unlike Finland, where the rule depends on actual conditions, Estonia uses fixed dates — driving from Finland into Estonia in December, you must have winter tyres in Estonia even on a dry day.
Open the official source ↗'Tark tee' is the Estonian Transport Administration's (Transpordiamet) official road-condition and traffic service — use it to check current road conditions, roadworks and closures at tarktee.mnt.ee.
Open the official source ↗112 is the single emergency number in Estonia. In an accident with injuries, call 112 and stay at the scene.
Open the official source ↗Roadworthiness testing is compulsory for every car registered in Estonia: a newly registered passenger car is first tested after 4 years, then every 2 years. The test must be done at an approved test point. Important: an ordinary repair workshop is not necessarily an approved test point — check the official register before booking.
Open the official source ↗Motor liability insurance (liikluskindlustus) is compulsory for every vehicle registered in Estonia. LKF (Liikluskindlustuse Fond) is the official Estonian Traffic Insurance Fund — it acts as the guarantee fund and the green-card bureau.
Open the official source ↗Car servicing and repair in Estonia is a commercial matter, not a state duty — there is no official state portal for it. To find a workshop, use your manufacturer's dealer locator.
Vehicle registration is handled by Transpordiamet, with citizen e-services available via eesti.ee. Registration, insurance and roadworthiness testing are separate duties — completing one does not cover the others. Important: the e-services may require Estonian authentication (ID-card or Smart-ID), so a foreign owner may need to visit Transpordiamet in person.
Open the official source ↗Latvia has no vignette for passenger cars. The road user charge (autoceļu lietošanas nodeva) applies only to freight vehicles over 3,000 kg (combinations over 3,500 kg) — for a car there is nothing to buy. Important: some reseller websites sell a 'Latvia vignette' to car drivers — they are selling you nothing, because cars are exempt. Freight vehicles that do owe the charge pay it through CSDD's portal (e.csdd.lv).
Open the official source ↗There are no toll roads for passenger cars in Latvia — the road network is free to use. There is nothing to buy and no toll account to set up. Important: any website offering to sell you a Latvian road toll for a car is selling you nothing.
112 is the single emergency number in Latvia. In an accident with injuries, call 112 and stay at the scene.
Open the official source ↗Vehicle servicing and repairs in Latvia are a commercial matter, not a state obligation — there is no official state portal for them. To find a workshop, use your car brand's official dealer locator.
Vehicle registration in Latvia is handled by CSDD, with online e-services at e.csdd.lv. CSDD is an unusually consolidated authority: registration, technical inspection, insurance matters and the freight road charge all sit in one place, so e.csdd.lv is the single portal for most vehicle paperwork.
Open the official source ↗An ordinary passenger car (M1) pays nothing on Lithuanian roads. The road user charge is an electronic vignette tied to the number plate (camera-enforced, no sticker) and applies to buses and commercial vehicles — including N1 vans up to 3.5 t, so while you pay nothing in a car, in a small delivery van you do owe the charge. From 2026, electric and hydrogen commercial vehicles and buses get a 75% discount. Important: reseller websites offering a Lithuanian "e-vignette" for a passenger car are selling something that does not exist — do not pay them.
Open the official source ↗Lithuania has no barrier or gate tolls. The only road charge is the electronic road user charge, which passenger cars do not pay — so for a car there is nothing to buy. Any website offering to sell you a Lithuanian road toll for a passenger car is selling nothing.
eismoinfo.lt is the official 24/7 traffic-conditions service of the Lithuanian road administration — a live map plus text reports on obstacles, restrictions, accidents and roadworks. There is also a phone line: 1871.
Open the official source ↗112 is the single emergency number in Lithuania. In an accident with injuries, call 112 and stay at the scene.
Open the official source ↗Liability insurance is compulsory for every registered vehicle. The Lithuanian Motor Insurers' Bureau (cab.lt) is the national green-card body and guarantee fund, and offers a public "check vehicle insurance" lookup on its website.
Open the official source ↗Vehicle servicing and repair in Lithuania is a commercial matter, not a state obligation — there is no official state service registry. Use your manufacturer's dealer or service locator to find an authorised workshop.
Regitra is the state enterprise responsible for vehicle registration in Lithuania — identity verification, number plates and the registration certificate — with branches across the country and online e-services.
Open the official source ↗Important: Ireland drives on the left — for a driver from continental Europe this is the single biggest adjustment, more important than any paperwork. Ireland has no motorway vignette, so there is nothing to buy: any website offering an "Irish vignette" is selling something that does not exist. The real cost to watch is the barrier-free M50 toll around Dublin (see the toll section).
The number one trap for foreign drivers in Ireland: the M50 motorway around Dublin has no toll booths. Cameras read your number plate and you must pay yourself by 20:00 the day after you drive it — at eflow.ie, in the eFlow app, by phone, or at a Payzone shop. There is nothing to pay at the roadside, so many visitors discover the toll only when the penalty letter arrives. Miss the deadline and a toll of about 3.70 EUR becomes a penalty of about 41 EUR, plus 30–50 EUR admin fees if you drive a rental car; persistent non-payment is an offence. All other Irish tolls are normal barriers paid on the spot — do not assume the M50 works the same way.
Go to the official purchase ↗Both 112 and 999 work in Ireland for all emergency services. In an accident with injuries, call 112 or 999 and stay at the scene.
Open the official source ↗The NCT (National Car Test) is Ireland's mandatory roadworthiness test: a car is first tested at 4 years old, then every 2 years, and annually once it is 10 years old. Important: in Ireland the abbreviation VRT stands for Vehicle Registration Tax, not the vehicle test — do not confuse it with Malta, where VRT is the name of the roadworthiness test.
Open the official source ↗Servicing and repairs carry no state obligation in Ireland — this is purely a commercial matter between you and the garage of your choice.
Malta has no winter-tyre rule — the island's climate makes winter equipment irrelevant. There is nothing to buy or prepare.
112 is the single emergency number in Malta. In an accident with injuries, call 112 and stay at the scene.
Open the official source ↗Servicing and repairs in Malta are a commercial matter between you and your garage — the state imposes no service duty and there is no official government portal for it.
Transport Malta is the one-stop authority for everything vehicle-related: registration, licensing, registration tax and oversight of the VRT roadworthiness test. Every vehicle needs number plates, a valid road licence, insurance and a valid VRT.
Open the official source ↗In Cyprus you can reach the emergency services on both 112 and 199. In an accident with injuries, call 112 and stay at the scene.
Open the official source ↗Servicing and repairs in Cyprus are a commercial matter between you and the garage. There is no state-mandated service obligation and no official government portal for car servicing.