{{Short description|Tax imposed based on time on a road}} {{Other uses|Vignette (disambiguation)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}} thumb|Czech roadsign indicating that certain vehicles require a vignette '''Vignette''' is a form of road pricing imposed on vehicles, usually in addition to the compulsory road tax, based on a period of time the vehicle may use the road, instead of road tolls that are based on distance travelled. Vignettes are currently used in several European countries. The term originated in France in the 1950s, although vignettes there were not linked to motorway use and no longer exist; it is now used throughout Central Europe, as well as in Italy (''vignetta'').
Vignettes are used in Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland. In most of these countries a small, coloured sticker is affixed to a vehicle windscreen, but in Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and since 2021 in Slovenia these have been superseded by electronic vignettes. In Moldova, vignettes are required for the use of any road, while in Bulgaria and Romania they are required for the use of any road outside urban areas. In the other countries, vignettes are required only for the use of motorways and expressways.
Prices for an annual vignette for passenger cars range from €30 to €150, depending on country. In all countries except Switzerland, short-period vignettes are sold for visiting or transiting vehicles. In Switzerland, visiting foreign motorists must buy an annual vignette to use the country's motorways. Vignettes can usually be obtained at border crossings, gas stations and other outlets. Improperly used or lost vignettes are usually not refunded.<ref name="cartolleu">{{Cite web|url=https://www.tolls.eu/european-countries|title=Motorway tolls in European countries|website=tolls.eu|accessdate=5 May 2025}}</ref>
Vignette stickers are usually constructed in such a way that detaching and re-attaching them is impossible without destruction, ensuring that they cannot be used on more than one vehicle. Road traffic is often monitored by roadside cameras, and vignettes are verified by state officials, such as border guards and national police. Hefty cash fines are often charged to travelers using public roads without a valid and properly affixed vignette. Additional tolls are usually levied for passing through certain motorway tunnels and bridges.<ref name="vignetteseu">{{Cite web|url=https://www.dalnicni-znamky.com/en/|title=Motorway tolls in Europe 2021 - dalnicni-znamky.com|website=www.dalnicni-znamky.com|accessdate=31 March 2023}}</ref> In Austria a tunnel or bridge subject to a special toll (:de:Sondermautstrecke) is in theory free of the vignette obligation, but in practice this is usually a moot point as access to many of them is via motorway only.
==Vignette obligation by country==
===European Union=== The Eurovignette Directive introduced in the European Union in 1993 governs road tolls for trucks of minimum 12 metric tonnes.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=LEGISSUM%3Al24045b|title=Charging of heavy goods vehicles: Eurovignette Directive|access-date=2019-01-26|publisher=Eur-Lex}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX%3A31993L0089|title=Council Directive 93/89/EEC of 25 October 1993 on the application by Member States of taxes on certain vehicles used for the carriage of goods by road and tolls and charges for the use of certain infrastructures|journal=Official Journal of the European Union|date=1993-11-12|access-date=2019-01-26}}</ref> An international agreement, based on Article 8 of the Eurovignette Directive, signed in 1994 by Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands established a common system of vignettes within the Eurovignette framework.<ref name=DUTCH>{{cite web|url=https://verdragenbank.overheid.nl/en/Treaty/Details/005378.html|title=Agreement on the levying of charges for the use of certain roads by heavy goods vehicles|access-date=2019-01-16|publisher=Government of the Netherlands}}</ref> Sweden signed a protocol to accede to the agreement in 1997.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://verdragenbank.overheid.nl/en/Treaty/Details/008091.html|title=Protocol concerning the accession of the Kingdom of Sweden to the Agreement on the levying of charges for the use of certain roads by heavy goods vehicles|access-date=2019-01-16|publisher=Government of the Netherlands}}</ref> Germany denounced the agreement in 2017, as did Belgium in 2019 and Denmark in 2024.<ref name=DUTCH/>
===Austria=== thumb|199px|Austrian vignette, valid for 10 days, starting on 4 April 2011.
Since 1997, vignettes are required for all vehicles of up to 3.5 tonnes, driving on motorways and expressways (prefixed with letters A and S) under federal administration. Vignettes are overseen by the police and toll-sheriff employees of the federal motorway administration. A €240 fine with an additional obligatory payment of a substitute toll are charged to travelers without a valid vignette, and unpaid fines lead to penalties between €300 and €3,000. Furthermore, the vehicle may be confiscated from foreigners to guarantee payment of the penalty.
Additional tolls are charged for certain motorway sections where tollgates and video tolling systems are installed. Several sections require drivers to buy electronic toll cards. Vignettes for vehicles of over 3.5 tonnes were replaced with electronic distance-based highway-toll GO-Boxes on 1 January 2004.<ref name="vignetteseu" /> Since 2019, electronic vignettes have been made available in addition to the traditional stickers.
The official website for buying Austrian digital vignettes is [https://shop.asfinag.at/en/ shop.asfinag.at].
===Bulgaria=== thumb|150px|A vignette machine in Bulgaria
Vignettes are required for all four-wheeled motor vehicles and trailers under 3.5 metric tons that use public roads, with the exception of cities, towns, and villages. Motorcycles, ATVs, and farm equipment are exempt. For vehicles over 3.5 tons, drivers are required to pay a toll based on the distance traveled.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vinetka.bg/en | title=Vignette for Bulgaria - Everything You Need to Know| website=vinetka.bg | accessdate=17 January 2026}}</ref>
All vignettes in Bulgaria are electronic and are usually valid from the time they are purchased, but some types can be set to start at a future date. They can be bought in person at all border crossings, at most gas stations, at post offices, and at some bank branches. Vignettes can also be purchased online using the National Toll Administraton's website<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://bgtoll.bg/|title=BgToll|website=bgtoll.bg|accessdate=31 March 2023}}</ref> and its network of official partners.
===Czech Republic=== [[File:Tlumič nárazu.jpg|thumb|240px|Vignette affixed on a car's windshield on the R-46 expressway in the Czech Republic.]]
Vignettes are required for the use of motorways and expressways by all vehicles of up to 3.5 tonnes. Cash fines for not displaying a valid vignette affixed on a car's windshield range from €80 to €200. Vignettes for heavier vehicles were replaced with electronic toll collection in 2007. By 1 January 2021, the vignette stickers were replaced by digital vignettes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.motorway.cz/stickers|title=Czech Motorways > Stickers (< 3.5 t)|website=www.motorway.cz|accessdate=31 March 2023}}</ref>
The official website for buying Czech electronic vignettes is [https://edalnice.cz/en/ edalnice.cz].
===Germany=== Motorways and expressways are a toll-free road network for all lighter vehicles. The Eurovignette system for trucks was abolished in August 2003. A distance-based toll charge was introduced from 1 January 2005 for vehicles of over 12 tonnes, operated by the Toll Collect company.
As of 1 March 2007, all drivers are required to purchase an emission sticker when passing through low-emission zones in several cities and municipalities. Certain "green zones" have completely disallowed entrance to vehicles with higher particle emissions ("yellow" and "red" groups). Travellers passing through these areas without the sticker are charged with a €100 fine.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.germanemissionssticker.com/|title=The German Emissions Sticker: everything you need to know|website=www.germanemissionssticker.com|accessdate=31 March 2023}}</ref>
===Hungary=== [[File:Díjas Autópálya tábla.JPG|thumb|upright|Motorway sign in Hungary. Electronic vignettes are checked by roadside cameras.]]
Vignettes are required for all vehicles on motorways and expressways. Physical toll stickers were replaced with electronic vignettes and video tolling on 1 January 2008, the only physical item the purchaser receives is a control coupon. Motorway usage entitlement is verified by roadside cameras based on license plate numbers, and drivers of vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes without a valid vignette are charged with cash fines between €50 and €200.<ref>[http://www.motorway.hu/ Hungary e-vignette]</ref>
The official website for buying Hungarian e-vignettes is [https://nemzetiutdij.hu/en nemzetiutdij.hu].
===Moldova=== Vignettes are obligatory for personal motor vehicles registered abroad, driving on public roads, and are available for purchase at border customs posts and offices. Foreign drivers without a valid vignette are charged with cash fines between €125 and €375. Heavier vehicles use existing tax rates, with commercial vehicle drivers paying a single-entry tax and a distance-based charge.<ref>[http://portal.moldpres.md/default.asp?Lang=en&ID=181315 News on road tax in Moldova] {{webarchive |url=https://archive.today/20130219014700/http://portal.moldpres.md/default.asp?Lang=en&ID=181315 |date=19 February 2013 }}</ref>
The official website for buying Moldovian e-vignettes is [https://evinieta.gov.md evinieta.gov.md].
===Montenegro=== Ecological-tax vignettes were abolished on 31 December 2011. Driving on public roads is generally toll-free, with the exception of passing through certain tunnels and bridges.<ref>[http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/europe/ Europe travel advice]</ref>
===Romania=== thumb|Electronic Vignette Romania 2017 With the exception of motorcycles, vignettes are required for all vehicles driving on all national roads and motorways. Physical vignettes have been replaced with electronic ones since 1 October 2010.<ref name=untrr.ro>{{cite web|title=Electronic vignette in Romania starting with 1st October 2010 - UNTRR|url=http://www.untrr.ro/vertical-menu/ro-vignette/electronic-vignette-in-romania-starting-with-1st-october-2010.html|website=National Union of Road Hauliers from Romania|access-date=20 August 2015|archive-date=12 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150612003628/http://www.untrr.ro/vertical-menu/ro-vignette/electronic-vignette-in-romania-starting-with-1st-october-2010.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> They can be obtained at most gas stations, border crossings, or online using a credit card. Drivers without a valid vignette are fined with €100 or more. The fines are dispensed by automatic systems that scan the numberplate of the car when it exits a city.<ref name="vignetteseu" />
The official website for buying Romanian vignettes is [https://roviniete.ro/en/ roviniete.ro].
===Slovakia=== Vignettes are obligatory for all vehicles of up to 3.5 tonnes, driving on Slovak motorways. Drivers without a valid vignette are charged with cash fines between €100 and €500. Vignettes for heavier vehicles were replaced with distance-based electronic toll collection using the remote-operated toll-box in force since 2010. Special arrangements are to be sought by the motorbike riders. <ref name="vignetteseu" />
From 1 January 2016 Slovak vignettes are purchased and checked electronically via [https://www.eznamka.sk eZnamka.sk] without a sticker.{{fact|date=September 2024}}
===Slovenia=== Vignettes are required for all vehicles of up to 3.5 tonnes, driving on Slovenian motorways as of 1 July 2008. Drivers without a valid vignette are charged with cash fines between €300 and €800. On 1.4.2018, Slovenia implemented an electronic tolling of vehicles whose maximum permissible weight exceeds 3.5 tonnes.<ref name="cartolleu" />
From 1 December 2021 Slovenian vignettes are purchased and checked electronically via [https://evinjeta.dars.si/selfcare/en evinjeta.dars.si] without a sticker.{{fact|date=September 2024}}
===Switzerland=== thumb|Swiss Vignet 2025
All travelers using motorways and expressways are required to purchase an annual vignette. The vignette was introduced on 1 January 1985,<ref name="lv-19841129">{{cite news |title=Verkauf von Autobahn-Vignetten |work=Liechtensteiner Volksblatt |volume=106 |issue=229 |date=29 November 1984 |location=Schaan |page=1 |language=de-li |quote=…die Benützung der Schweizer Autobahnen ab 1. Januar 1985 kostenpflichtig ist. In unserem Land [Liechtenstein] werden die Vignetten ebenfalls bereits zum Kauf angeboten… |trans-title=Sale of Motorway Vignettes|trans-quote=...the use of Swiss motorways has been subject to a toll since January 1, 1985. In our country [Liechtenstein], vignettes are also already available for purchase...}}</ref> following a successful referendum the previous year: the scheme was originally expected to run for ten years, but it was made permanent by a follow-up referendum in 1994.<ref name="sb-20241229">{{cite news|title=Seit 40 Jahren klebt die Vignette an Windschutzscheiben|url=https://www.schweizerbauer.ch/seit-40-jahren-klebt-die-vignette-an-windschutzscheiben|access-date=23 August 2025|work=Schweizer Bauer|date=29 December 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250823015253/https://www.schweizerbauer.ch/seit-40-jahren-klebt-die-vignette-an-windschutzscheiben|archive-date=23 August 2025|location=Bern|language=de|trans-title=For 40 years the vignette has been stuck to windshields}}</ref> The vignette sticker was designed by Roland Hirter, and consists of a green motorway symbol and a two-digit year on a coloured background: the e-vignette, introduced on 1 August 2023, was designed by his son Thomas.<ref name="bazg-20231002">{{cite web|last1=Dulio|first1=Alain|last2=Künzi|first2=Eva Maria|title=Generationenübergreifendes Vignettendesign|url=https://bazg.admin.ch/bazg/de/home/aktuell/forumz/nah-dran/generationenuebergreifendes-vignettendesign.html|website=Federal Office for Customs and Border Security|access-date=23 August 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240420192555/https://bazg.admin.ch/bazg/de/home/aktuell/forumz/nah-dran/generationenuebergreifendes-vignettendesign.html|archive-date=20 April 2024|location=Bern|language=de|date=2 October 2023|trans-title=Cross-generational vignette design}}</ref>
Vignettes can be obtained in and outside of Switzerland in bordering countries at gas stations and labeled points. Use of motorway networks without a valid vignette is an offense against the Public Highways Act, and is punishable with cash fines of CHF 200, in addition to the obligatory purchase of an annual vignette.<ref name="cartolleu" /> Heavier vehicles use a distance-based tax rate on all types of roads, called the {{ill|performance-related heavy vehicle charge|de|Schwerverkehrsabgabe (Schweiz)|fr|Redevance poids lourds liée aux prestations}}.
Switzerland only offers a vignette valid for a year (from December of the preceding year to the January of the following year) at CHF 40 (around EUR 43). Because of this, its vignette is the most expensive in Europe for transiting and visiting passenger cars. Other countries offer short-term vignettes that make a transit or visit less expensive than in Switzerland.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Raaflaub|first1=Christian|title=Motorway tax price hike causes controversy|url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/road-rage_motorway-tax-price-hike-causes-controversy/37087084|website=Swissinfo.ch|access-date=20 May 2018|language=en|date=11 October 2013|quote="It was introduced in 1985 at a cost of CHF30 and this was increased to CHF40 in 1995, a level where it has remained ever since. (...) Other countries which have a motorway tax sticker allow people to buy a cheaper, short-term vignette if they only use their motorways for a short time."|archive-url=https://archive.today/20180522013507/https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/road-rage_motorway-tax-price-hike-causes-controversy/37087084|archive-date=22 May 2018|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Raaflaub|first1=Christian|title=Soll die Autobahn-Vignette teurer werden?|url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/ger/politik/referendum-gegen-preiserhoehung_soll-die-autobahn-vignette-teurer-werden-/36990444|website=SWI swissinfo.ch|access-date=27 May 2018|archive-url=https://archive.today/20180525195429/https://www.swissinfo.ch/ger/politik/referendum-gegen-preiserhoehung_soll-die-autobahn-vignette-teurer-werden-/36990444|archive-date=25 May 2018|language=de|quote=Alle anderen Länder mit Vignettenpflicht bieten die Möglichkeit an, ihre Autobahnen für kurze Zeit zu einem tieferen Preis zu nutzen.|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="cartolleu" />
The official website for buying Swiss e-vignettes is [//e-vignette.ch e-vignette.ch].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Swiss Federal Office for Customs and Border Security > Services > E-vignette|url=https://www.bazg.admin.ch/bazg/en/home/services/services-private/strassenabgaben-private/vignette-autobahngebuehren.html|access-date=2025-05-05|website=bazg.admin.ch}}</ref>
===Other EU countries=== The official shops for e-vignettes of other european countries or information about them can be found on [https://www.tolls.eu/european-countries tolls.eu].
===United States=== In many states in the US, a validation sticker, also called "tag", has to be added to the rear license plate.{{fact|date=September 2024}}
==See also== {{Div col}} *Road pricing *Road tax *Toll road *Toll roads in Europe *Transport economics *Transport in Europe {{div col end}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
== External links == {{Commons category|Road tax vignettes}} * [https://transport-info.eu/Vignette_Identification Vignette Identification]
{{Toll road}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vignette (Road Tax)}} Category:Toll (fee) Category:Transport economics Category:Vehicle taxes Category:French inventions