My driving licence is lost/stolen. What do I do?

This will be quite a short post since in effect all it does is point you to the relevant website.

Key points:

• You don't need a new driving licence if you change your name or address (but you will probably need the name on your licence to agree with your passport if you are planning to hire a car abroad)

• You must report loss or theft of a licence within 7 days. The confirmation of loss or theft report is valid for four weeks as a driver's license replacement within Austria

• No duplicate can be issued from abroad if you lose your driver's license or it is stolen whilst outside Austria.

• You will need to go to the competent body which issues driving licences where you live. For Vienna this is here. For other locations see here.

• The cost of issuing a duplicate licence is €49.50 (April 2023)

• You will need to submit a form for the replacement licence. It can be downloaded from the link below.

• An Austrian driving licence is valid for up to 15 years.

The official website for duplicate driving licences (in German but your browser will translate it for you):

https://www.oesterreich.gv.at/themen/dokumente_und_recht/fuehrerschein/3/Seite.040200.html

One final point - the digital driving licence

So that this trauma doesn't happen to you again, investigate getting a digital driving license. It's a new thing (2023) and a little complicated for non-Austrian citizens to get, but probably worth it in the long run. I got one and the only inconvenience was a trip to the Landespolizeidirektion to set it up. It's now on the eAusweise app on my phone. Read more here: https://www.englishspeakers.at/post/id-austria-digital-driving-licence