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Insurance in Austria – a guide in English

What is compulsory, what is worth having and how it all works – explained in English by an insurance broker from Lower Austria.

What is compulsory in Austria?

Motor liability insurance (Kfz-Haftpflichtversicherung) – without valid Austrian motor liability insurance a car cannot be registered or used.
Health insurance – people employed in Austria are covered by statutory insurance (usually with the ÖGK); the e-card is the proof.
Dog owner’s liability – compulsory in several federal states.
Professional liability – compulsory for many liberal professions, e.g. doctors, lawyers or tax advisers.

Everything else – home contents insurance, personal liability, accident insurance or a private pension – is voluntary, but often very sensible.

A car with foreign number plates

If your main residence (Hauptwohnsitz) is in Austria, a car with foreign plates may only be used for one month after it first enters Austria. The period can be extended once by another month if registration was not possible in that time (§§ 82, 83 KFG). After that you must return the foreign registration certificate and plates and register the car in Austria.

How does registration work?

First you take out Austrian motor liability insurance – without it, registration is not possible.
Registration is carried out by an insurer’s registration office (Zulassungsstelle) in the district where you live.
You need, among other things: proof of identity, a confirmation of insurance (Versicherungsbestätigung) and the vehicle’s type-approval document; for imports the vehicle must be entered in the type-approval database and the NoVA tax paid.
Instead of road tax, in Austria you pay the motorbezogene Versicherungssteuer (engine-related insurance tax) – together with the motor liability premium. We show how it is calculated on our Car insurance page.

We will gladly guide you through the whole process – in English.

Home and property

Home contents insurance (Haushaltsversicherung) is not compulsory, but it protects your belongings against fire, water, storm and burglary – and usually includes personal liability cover for the whole household. Homeowners also need buildings insurance (Eigenheimversicherung); with a mortgage the bank usually requires it. Beware of underinsurance – we explain an example on our Home contents insurance page.

Health and accidents

Statutory health insurance covers basic treatment. Private supplementary insurance provides, among other things, a single or double room in hospital (Sonderklasse) and free choice of doctor.
Statutory accident insurance covers only accidents at work and on the way to work. Accidents in your free time, at home or during sport are only covered by private accident insurance.
For trips abroad it is worth carrying the European Health Insurance Card (on the back of the e-card) and having travel insurance.

Glossary: German – English

The most important terms you will find in Austrian policies and letters from your insurer:

German	English
Polizze	policy
Prämie	premium
Selbstbehalt	excess / deductible
Hauptfälligkeit	main renewal date (cancellation date)
Kündigung	cancellation
Haftpflicht	liability
Kasko (Teil-/Vollkasko)	comprehensive cover (partial / full)
Zulassungsstelle	vehicle registration office
Versicherungsbestätigung	confirmation of insurance
Schadensmeldung	claim report
Maklervollmacht	broker’s mandate
Bonus-Malus	no-claims bonus / surcharge

A tip from your broker Austrian insurance contracts are written in German and are often hard to understand – even for Austrians. Please don’t sign anything you don’t understand – we will gladly explain every policy in English.

How we can help

We explain every policy to you in English, compare offers from 21 insurance companies and help you report claims – in person in Breitenwaida, by phone or by video. We will also review your current insurance free of charge: Free insurance review.

Sources (in German): oesterreich.gv.at – Zulassung (as of 09.03.2026); oesterreich.gv.at – Fahren mit ausländischen Kennzeichen (as of 01.01.2026).

Content reviewed by: Agnieszka Valenta, Versicherungsmaklerin und Beraterin in Versicherungsangelegenheiten · As of October 2026

About the author

Agnieszka Valenta
Versicherungsmaklerin und Beraterin in Versicherungsangelegenheiten (independent insurance broker) in Breitenwaida, in the insurance industry since 2008. Advice in English, German, Polish, Serbian and Bosnian. More about me

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