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Vignette is a word used in several non-English speaking European countries for toll stickers. It is ultimately of French origin, but was disseminated throughout Central Europe through German.
These are small, colored stickers affixed to motor vehicles passing through highways and two-lane freeways in some European states. The affixing of a toll sticker on a motor vehicle indicates that the respective road toll has been paid. Toll stickers are often valid for a year, they may also be a form of tax on the vehicles even if the driver doesn't drive on highways or freeways, and they are usually constructed in such a way that detaching and reattaching is impossible without destruction, ensuring that people can't use the same toll sticker on more than one car.
Eurovignette is a road toll for trucks used in the following European countries: Belgium, Denmark (starting on February 9, 1994), Luxembourg, Netherlands, and Sweden (starting in 1997).
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Toll stickers by country
Austria
Toll stickers are required for all motorways and expressways under federal administration which can be recognized by the prefixes A and S in front of the number. The prices for cars (weighing less than 3.5 tons) are €7.70 for 10 days, €22.20 for 2 months, and €73.80 for one year. Motorcyclists have to pay €4.30, €10.90, and €29.00 respectively.
A new type of toll sticker, called a Korridor-Vignette, was introduced in September 2008 to allow drivers to drive the 23 km stretch of the A14 from the German border to Hohenems without having to purchase a full toll sticker. The cost for a one-way trip is €2.00.
On motorways and roads, the toll stickers are controlled by the police and Mautsheriff employees of the federal motorway administration ASFINAG, which acts as a corporation due to economic aspects. As a fine, a substitute toll of €110 must be paid by travelers without a toll sticker, and €220 fine if the toll sticker has been altered (e.g., foil in between the windscreen and the toll sticker). This substitute toll allows the use of A and S networks on the day of payment and on the following day. If substitute toll is not paid, the traveler is subject to a complaint at the administration authority of the county, which may lead to a penalty fee between €400 and €4,000. Furthermore, personal valuables (including the car) can be confiscated from foreigners to guarantee the payment of the penalty.
In addition to the compulsory toll sticker for general motorway and expressway use in Austria, further tolls (per each single usage) must be paid on certain motorway and expressways (e.g. cost-intensive sections in the Alps). Additional Tollgates are installed on these roads.
Heavy vehicles are subject to a separate, mileage-dependent motorway tolls schedule via technology involving onboard and external monitors.
Bulgaria
Toll stickers (винетки vinetki, singular винетка vinetka) are required for all types of roads, except for the streets inside cities, towns, and villages, as well as city ring roads. Generally there should be a road sign, notifying that a toll sticker is required. Three types of stickers are available:
- K1 - Road vehicle 1st category: all freight vehicles with more than two axles, road trains, special construction equipment, auto cranes, special trailers for transport of heavy or oversized cargo, and other special motor vehicles.
- K2 - Road vehicle 2nd category: all passenger transport vehicles with more than 8 seats excluding the driver's seat and all freight vehicles with two axles, as well as construction equipment, auto cranes, special trailers for transport of heavy or oversized cargo, and other special motor vehicles, all of them with two axles.
- K3 - Road vehicle 3rd category: all passenger transport vehicles with no more than 8 seats.
Weekly, monthly, and yearly stickers are available. Starting 2007, daily K1 and K2 stickers were introduced. Daily stickers are not available for the K3 category. Weekly and Monthly stickers are valid from the date you buy them (it is also possible to have the sticker marked to start from a date in the future if you wish). The yearly sticker is valid from January 1 until December 31 the same year, not depending on the date you buy it.
Since 2007 prices for the most common type (K3) have not changed. So for 2009 they are as follows:
->An annual K3 sticker costs €35 (BGN 67).
->A monthly K3 sticker costs €13 (BGN 25).
->A weekly K3 sticker costs €5 (BGN 10).
Czech Republic
For vehicles under 12 tonnes, a toll sticker is required for use of motorways. They are available in 7-day, one month, and one year increments. For heavier vehicles, the sticker method was disposed of in 2007 in favour of electronic toll collection.
Stickers are sold at gas stations on the road.
Prices as of 2009 are:
| Vehicles up to 3.5 tons: | |
|---|---|
| Annual sticker | CZK 1000 (€37.70) |
| One-month sticker | CZK 330 (€12.44) |
| One-week sticker | CZK 220 (€8.29) |
Fines for not displaying a valid sticker in the car windshield go from CZK 2000 up to CZK 5000, which must be paid directly to the police in local currency or in euros. US Dollars are not accepted.
France
The French vignette based car tax was introduced in 1956 to fund a minimum income scheme for citizens aged 65 and above. All car owners were required to buy one at the end of each year. They were available in tabacs. The price depended on the engine's horsepower, and in which "département" the car was registered.
The vignette soon led to controversy as the tax was not used for old people for long. Toll stickers were abolished for private individuals in 2001, while companies are still required to pay.
Germany
The toll sticker system was abolished on August 2003, after which a mileage-based payment system for heavy trucks (exceeding 12 tons) called Toll Collect was established on January 1, 2005. For passenger cars the Autobahn is a toll-free road system.
Hungary
For cars, there are 4-day, weekly, monthly, and annual stickers[1]. The prices are HUF 1170-1530 (more expensive between 1 May-30 September), HUF 2,550, HUF 4,200, and HUF 37,200 (approximately €5, €9, €15, and €135). Note that since 1 January 2008 no actual stickers are used, the motorway usage entitlement is verified by roadside cameras, based on license plate numbers (to be provided by the buyer upon payment). The only physical item the purchaser receives is a paper slip.
Romania
Toll stickers (roviniete) are required for all roads. They can be procured at most gas stations or online with credit cards.[2].
Cars:
7 days - €3
30 days - €7
12 months - €28
Vehicles transporting persons between 9-23 persons including the driver:
1 day - €4
7 days - €20
30 days - €52
12 months - €320
Vehicles transporting persons more than 23 persons including the driver:
1 day - €7
7 days - €35
30 days - €91
12 months - €560
Vehicles for goods transportation with the maximum total weight between 0 and 3.5 tons:
7 days - €6
30 days - €16
12 months - €96
Vehicles for goods transportation with the maximum total weight between 3.51 and 7.5 tons:
1 day - €4
7 days - €20
30 days - €52
12 months - €320
Slovakia
Toll stickers are required for the use of motorways. They are available in several categories depending on the vehicle's weight. They can be purchased for one year, one week, and one month. Prices are[3]:
| Vehicles up to 3.5 tons: | |
|---|---|
| Annual freeway sticker | €36,50 |
| One-month freeway sticker | €9,90 |
| One-week freeway sticker | €4,90 |
Slovenia
For the use of the Slovenian freeways and expressways use of toll stickers is obligatory for all vehicles with a permissible maximum weight of 3.5 tons as of July 1, 2008. The sticker costs were €35 and were valid for six months since the day of purchase, and €55 for a calendar year valid from December 1 of previous year to January 31 next year. Motorcyclists had to pay €17.50 or €27.50, respectively. Trucks use existing toll plazas.[4] Use of freeways and expressways without a valid and properly displayed sticker in a vehicle is a violation of the law and is subject to a fine of €300 or more. Due to pressure on the Slovenian government to introduce short-term toll stickers, the yearly sticker costs €95, the newly introduced monthly sticker €30, and a new weekly sticker €15, from July 1, 2009 onwards. Half-year stickers are no longer available for cars, and motorcyclists have the option of weekly (€7.50), 6 month (€25.00), and annual (€47.50) stickers.[5][6]
Switzerland
All cars driving on Swiss motorways are required to have an annual toll sticker (vignette). It costs CHF 40 for all cars and motorcycles with maximum admissible weight of 3.5 tonnes or less. A separate sticker must be purchased for a trailer or a caravan. The sticker is valid for 14 months, stickers for 2009 are valid from from 1 December 2008 to 31 January 2010. The sticker must be attached to the windscreen, unattached stickers are not valid. The sticker is designed so it cannot be removed without destroying it
For heavy vehicles, a mileage-based tax has to be paid for all types of roads. The rate is calculated between departure and arrival point using the most convenient route.
Images of toll stickers
 Austrian toll sticker, 2007, valid for 10 days, starting March 11, 2007. |
 Hungarian toll sticker, 2007, valid for 4 days, starting March 10, 2007. |
 Slovak toll sticker, 2007, unpacked with "kontrolný kupón" to be kept with the car's registration. |
 Slovenian toll sticker, 2008, valid for 6 months, starting July 1, 2008. |
See also
References
- ^ See http://www.motorway.hu/engine.aspx?page=prices2008
- ^ Roviniete website (in Romanian)
- ^ Slovakia highway sticker prices for 2009
- ^ Cestnina v Sloveniji
- ^ [1]
- ^ DARS Vinjeta Page about sticker prices in Slovenian
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Road tax vignettes |
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