Cabotage in Austria

Cabotage is the transport of goods or passengers by a foreign company between two points in the same country or the right to operate in this way.

New legal situation

Starting from 14 May 2010 articles 8 and 9 of the EU regulation No. 1072/2009 will enter into force. Any haulier who is holder of a Community license and whose driver, if he is a national of a third country, holds a driver attestation is entitled to carry out cabotage under the following con-ditions:

Once the goods carried in the course of an incoming international carriage have been delivered, hauliers are permitted to carry out, with the same vehicle, or, in the case of a coupled combina-tion, the motor vehicle of that same vehicle, up to 3 cabotage operations following the interna-tional carriage from another Member State or from a third country to the host Member State. The last unloading in the course of a cabotage operation before leaving the host Member State shall take place within 7 days from the last unloading in the host Member State in the course of the incoming international carriage.

Within the time limit stated above, hauliers may carry out some or all of the cabotage operations in any Member State under the condition that they are limited to one cabotage operation per Member State within 3 days of the unloaden entry into the territory of that Member State.

Articles 8 and 9 of the EU regulation No. 1072/2009 stipulate that each haulier wanting to carry out cabotage, has to carry within the vehicle clear evidence of the incoming international carriage and of each consecutive cabotage operation carried out and has to produce it in case of control.

Evidence shall comprise the following details for each operation:

  1. the name, address and signature of the sender;
  2. the name, address and signature of the haulier;
  3. the name and address of the consignee as well as his signature and the date of deliv-ery once the goods have been delivered;
  4. the place and date of taking over of the goods have been delivered;
  5. the description in common use of the nature of the goods and the method of packing;
  6. the gross mass of the goods or their quantity otherwise expressed;
  7. the number plates of the motor vehicle and trailer

Each document or evidence is sufficient, which contains the data enumerated above.

A suitable evidence for cabotage in Austria can be anyhow an accordingly filled out CMR-waybill or an inspection sheet (Kontrollblatt) published by the Federal Ministry, which is available on this website. Please use the link below.

These new regulations are applicable in relation to all EU and EEA states with exception of Croatia, for which cabotage is not allowed.

Competent authority

Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK)
division IV/ST4 Transport of Goods and Passengers
Radetzkystraße 2, A-1030 Vienna
phone: +43 (0) 1 71162-655457, fax: +43 (0) 1 71162-655866
Contact hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 8.30 to 12.00