Alcohol — Austria
What travelers need to know about alcohol in Austria. What is legal at home can be a serious crime here — each rule links to its official source.
Alcohol in Austria: allowed only under specific conditions.
Austria gives you 4 liters of still wine and 16 liters of beer duty-free coming from outside the EU, plus EITHER 1 liter of spirits over 22% ABV OR 2 liters of anything up to 22% - and you may split that last pair pro-rata (0.5 L spirits + 1 L sparkling = your full limit). If you are under 17 you get ZERO alcohol allowance. Your alcohol does not eat into the EUR 430 general-goods limit; it sits on top of it.
Not declaring goods above the allowance is smuggling under section 35 of the Finanzstrafgesetz: a fine of up to DOUBLE the duties owed if intentional, up to 100% of the duties if grossly negligent, plus forfeiture of the alcohol itself to the State - and the Act also provides for imprisonment.
§ Bundesministerium fuer Finanzen (BMF) / Zoll Oesterreich - "Freimengen und Freigrenze" (Einreise aus Nicht-EU-Staaten). No "Letzte Aktualisierung" stamp on this page; corroborated by BMF press release "Zolltipps fuer eine sorgenfreie Rueckkehr aus dem Urlaub" (July 2025) and the BMF-authored oesterreich.gv.at page stamped "Letzte Aktualisierung: 31.07.2026". Penalty from https://www.bmf.gv.at/themen/steuern/finanzstrafverfahren/hoehe-der-strafen.htmlVerified Aug 30, 2026