Driving in Slovenia - Toll Roads

Toll Roads

In accordance with the amendment of the Public Roads Act, approved by the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia end of April 2008, use of vignettes (Vinjeta) is obligatory for all vehicles with the permissible maximum weight of 3,500 kg (the current first and second toll-rate category) on motorways and expressways in the Republic of Slovenia as of 1 July 2008. The toll-collection system with vignettes is being introduced with the aim of improving traffic flow and reducing emissions to the environment.

With the introduction of the toll-collection system with vignettes in the second half of 2008, only half-yearly vignettes will be put on sale, while purchase of yearly vignettes for 2009 will be possible not later than by the beginning of December 2008.

From 1 July 2008 onwards, purchase of a vignette is obligatory for use of a toll road with a vehicle whose permissible maximum weight does not exceed 3.500 kg, regardless of the maximum weight of a trailer.

The vignettes have been criticized by the European Commission and various automobile clubs from Central and Southern Europe, spawning numerous guides on how to avoid highways, and causing high traffic dilapidating the roadway on secondary roads. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that the main protestors were Austrian, and yet Austria has had a vignette regime in place for many years. On 28 January 2010, after short-term vignettas were introduced by Slovenia and some other changes were made to the Slovenian vignette system, the European Commission concluded that the vignette system is in accordance with the European law.