What happens if you drive without a valid vignette

The default assumption

In 2026, assume every motorway has camera enforcement. Austria, Czechia, Hungary, Slovenia, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria all operate country-wide ANPR networks with 100 % coverage of tolled sections.

Typical fine ranges

• Czechia: from 150 € (on-spot), up to 790 € (administrative proceedings)
• Slovakia: 150–450 €
• Austria: 120 € for the missing vignette plus unpaid toll. Deliberate evasion reaches 3 000 €.
• Hungary: rapid administrative fine starts at 50 € if paid within 30 days, higher otherwise.
• Slovenia: 300–800 €. The strictest in the group, especially for category mistakes.
• Romania: about 100 € for missing rovinieta.
• Bulgaria: about 150 € for missing e-vignette.

How fines reach foreign drivers

Within the EU the Cross-Border Enforcement Directive enables a country to request your address from your home country's vehicle registration authority and send the fine by post.

For non-EU residents the enforcement is patchier — some countries (Austria) actively pursue, others drop non-resident cases.

Disputing a fine

If you believe the fine is wrong:

1. Keep the payment confirmation email from your vignette purchase 2. Note the date, time and route 3. Contact the operator's customer service within the appeal window (usually 30 days)

Common valid disputes: plate typo at purchase (most operators correct them), wrong category auto-detected, vignette validity started one day later than your trip.

The honest truth

If you forgot to buy the vignette and got caught, pay the fine as soon as possible. Paying quickly often gets you a reduced rate, and it stops the case from escalating to court or interest.