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Criminal penalties in Austria
Checked in October 2026 against the Strafgesetzbuch and Straßenverkehrsordnung 1960, as published in the Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS).
These are statutory ranges for a first offence, from the least to the most the law allows. A court decides the actual sentence in each case. We read the code in its original language and give the offences in plain English, with the legal term where it helps. For anything that matters, rely on the code itself. Not legal advice.
How Austria sets penalties
- Austria has a single prison penalty, 'Freiheitsstrafe'. It is for life or for a fixed time of between one day and twenty years (§ 18). The Code states most penalties as a range ('one to ten years') or as 'up to' a maximum.
- Many lesser offences allow a fine in daily rates (Tagessätze) instead of prison. The number of daily rates is capped by the article (for example 360 or 720), and each rate reflects the offender's income. The amounts are not shown here.
- Austria does not divide murder into degrees. 'Mord' (§ 75) covers any killing. A killing in an understandably violent emotional excitement is 'Totschlag' (§ 76), with a much lower range.
- Drunk driving is mostly an administrative offence in Austria, punished with a fine in the Road Traffic Act. It is a crime only where it causes harm, for example a death while drunk (§ 81(2)).
Death penalty: No. Austria has abolished the death penalty, and the Criminal Code has only prison for life or for a fixed time.
Read the Austria legal-system profile in the Legal Families Atlas →
First-degree murder
10 to 20 years, or life imprisonment
Mord (murder: killing another person) (Straftat (Freiheitsstrafe))
- Least
- 10 years (up to 20 years if a fixed term is chosen)
- Most
- Life imprisonment (lebenslange Freiheitsstrafe)
Austria has one offence of murder (Mord): killing another person. A killing under an understandably violent emotion is the separate, lighter offence of Totschlag (see the next row).
Second-degree murder
5 to 10 years (Totschlag)
Totschlag (killing in an understandably violent emotion) (Straftat (Freiheitsstrafe))
- Least
- 5 years
- Most
- 10 years
Austria has no second-degree murder. Totschlag, killing while carried away by an understandably violent emotion, is the closest.
Voluntary manslaughter
6 months to 5 years (killing on request) up to 5 to 10 years (Totschlag)
Fahrlässige Tötung (negligent killing) (Straftat (Freiheitsstrafe))
- Least
- No minimum term set by the statute
- Most
- 1 year
- Fine
- A fine in daily rates may be imposed instead of prison
Up to 2 years where the death of several people results.
Grob fahrlässige Tötung (killing by gross negligence) (Straftat (Freiheitsstrafe))
- Least
- No minimum term set by the statute
- Most
- 3 years
Tötung auf Verlangen (killing at the victim's serious and insistent request) (Straftat (Freiheitsstrafe))
- Least
- 6 months
- Most
- 5 years
Totschlag (killing in an understandably violent emotion) (Straftat (Freiheitsstrafe))
- Least
- 5 years
- Most
- 10 years
Körperverletzung mit tödlichem Ausgang (assault resulting in death by negligence) (Straftat (Freiheitsstrafe))
- Least
- 1 year
- Most
- 10 years
1 to 15 years where the death follows bodily injury or harm to health (§ 86(2)).
Totschlag (killing in an understandably violent emotion) is Austria's closest offence to voluntary manslaughter. Killings by negligence are shown for comparison.
Robbery
1 to 10 years (robbery) up to 10 to 20 years or life (robbery that results in death)
Raub ohne erhebliche Gewalt an einer Sache geringen Wertes (minor robbery) (Straftat (Freiheitsstrafe))
- Least
- 6 months
- Most
- 5 years
Only where the consequences were minor and it is not aggravated robbery.
Raub (robbery: taking or extorting property by violence or a threat to life or limb) (Straftat (Freiheitsstrafe))
- Least
- 1 year
- Most
- 10 years
Schwerer Raub (robbery with a weapon, or as a member of a criminal association) (Straftat (Freiheitsstrafe))
- Least
- 1 year
- Most
- 15 years
Schwerer Raub where the violence causes serious injury (Straftat (Freiheitsstrafe))
- Least
- 5 years
- Most
- 15 years
10 to 20 years where it causes lasting grave consequences, and 10 to 20 years or life where it causes death.
Burglary
Up to 3 years (theft by break-in) up to 6 months to 5 years (a dwelling, or with a weapon)
Diebstahl durch Einbruch (theft by breaking into a building, vehicle, storage place or other enclosed space, or opening a container or lock) (Straftat (Freiheitsstrafe))
- Least
- No minimum term set by the statute
- Most
- 3 years
Wohnungseinbruchsdiebstahl (the same, in a dwelling), or the theft is committed with a weapon (Straftat (Freiheitsstrafe))
- Least
- 6 months
- Most
- 5 years
Austria has no offence named 'burglary'. Theft by breaking in, climbing in or using a false key is an aggravated theft (Diebstahl durch Einbruch).
Arson
Up to 1 year (negligent fire) up to 1 to 10 years (Brandstiftung), 10 to 20 years where many die
Fahrlässige Herbeiführung einer Feuersbrunst (negligently causing a large fire) (Straftat (Freiheitsstrafe))
- Least
- No minimum term set by the statute
- Most
- 1 year
- Fine
- A fine in daily rates may be imposed instead of prison
Up to 3 years where death or serious injuries result (§ 170(2))
Brandstiftung (causing a large fire in another's property without the owner's consent, or endangering life or others' property) (Straftat (Freiheitsstrafe))
- Least
- 1 year
- Most
- 10 years
Brandstiftung with the death of a person or serious injuries to many, or great distress to many (Straftat (Freiheitsstrafe))
- Least
- 5 years
- Most
- 15 years
10 to 20 years where the deaths of many people result.
Aggravated assault
Up to 1 year (Körperverletzung) up to 1 to 10 years (grave harm inflicted on purpose)
Körperverletzung (injuring another's body or harming their health) (Straftat (Freiheitsstrafe))
- Least
- No minimum term set by the statute
- Most
- 1 year
- Fine
- A fine in daily rates may be imposed instead of prison
Schwere Körperverletzung (an injury lasting more than 24 days, or an in itself serious injury) (Straftat (Freiheitsstrafe))
- Least
- No minimum term set by the statute
- Most
- 3 years
Körperverletzung mit schweren Dauerfolgen (injury with lasting grave consequences, such as loss of sight, speech or fertility, serious disfigurement) (Straftat (Freiheitsstrafe))
- Least
- 6 months
- Most
- 5 years
1 to 10 years in the more serious cases of § 85(2), where the offender injures another or harms their health and lasting grave consequences follow, even if only by negligence.
Absichtliche schwere Körperverletzung (intentionally causing a serious injury) (Straftat (Freiheitsstrafe))
- Least
- 1 year
- Most
- 10 years
Austria grades injury by what the offender does and by the harm: Körperverletzung (§ 83), schwere Körperverletzung (§ 84), and Körperverletzung with lasting grave consequences (§§ 85 and 87).
Rape and sexual assault
6 months to 5 years (sexual coercion) up to 10 to 20 years or life (rape resulting in death)
Geschlechtliche Nötigung (compelling a sexual act by violence or a dangerous threat) (Straftat (Freiheitsstrafe))
- Least
- 6 months
- Most
- 5 years
5 to 15 years where serious injury or other grave consequences result, and 10 to 20 years or life where it results in death (§ 202(2)).
Vergewaltigung (rape: compelling intercourse or a similar act by violence, deprivation of liberty or a threat to life or limb) (Straftat (Freiheitsstrafe))
- Least
- 2 years
- Most
- 10 years
Vergewaltigung with serious injury, pregnancy, a long period of torment or special degradation (Straftat (Freiheitsstrafe))
- Least
- 5 years
- Most
- 15 years
Vergewaltigung resulting in the death of the victim (Straftat (Freiheitsstrafe))
- Least
- 10 years (up to 20 years if a fixed term is chosen)
- Most
- Life imprisonment (lebenslange Freiheitsstrafe)
Kidnapping
Up to 3 years (Freiheitsentziehung) up to 10 to 20 years or life (abduction for extortion that results in death)
Freiheitsentziehung (unlawfully holding another or depriving them of personal liberty) (Straftat (Freiheitsstrafe))
- Least
- No minimum term set by the statute
- Most
- 3 years
The same, lasting more than a month, or with special torment or especially grave disadvantages (Straftat (Freiheitsstrafe))
- Least
- 1 year
- Most
- 10 years
Erpresserische Entführung (abducting a person to force a third party to act or to put up with an act) (Straftat (Freiheitsstrafe))
- Least
- 10 years
- Most
- 20 years
6 months to 5 years if the offender releases the victim voluntarily without the demanded performance (§ 102(4)).
Erpresserische Entführung resulting in the death of the victim (Straftat (Freiheitsstrafe))
- Least
- 10 years (up to 20 years if a fixed term is chosen)
- Most
- Life imprisonment (lebenslange Freiheitsstrafe)
Embezzlement
Up to 6 months (Veruntreuung) up to 1 to 10 years (above 300,000 euros)
Veruntreuung (appropriating an entrusted thing) (Straftat (Freiheitsstrafe))
- Least
- No minimum term set by the statute
- Most
- 6 months
- Fine
- A fine in daily rates may be imposed instead of prison
Veruntreuung of a thing worth more than 5,000 euros (Straftat (Freiheitsstrafe))
- Least
- No minimum term set by the statute
- Most
- 3 years
Veruntreuung of a thing worth more than 300,000 euros (Straftat (Freiheitsstrafe))
- Least
- 1 year
- Most
- 10 years
Austria calls it 'Veruntreuung': taking for oneself property that was entrusted to one. The penalty rises with the value. Fraud (Betrug) is the offence of tricking someone into a loss.
Forgery
Up to 1 year (forging a document) up to 2 years (public documents, wills)
Urkundenfälschung (making a false document or falsifying a genuine one, or using one, as proof in legal dealings) (Straftat (Freiheitsstrafe))
- Least
- No minimum term set by the statute
- Most
- 1 year
- Fine
- A fine in daily rates may be imposed instead of prison
Fälschung besonders geschützter Urkunden (the same, on a domestic or foreign public document, a will or a security not named in § 237) (Straftat (Freiheitsstrafe))
- Least
- No minimum term set by the statute
- Most
- 2 years
Drunk driving, first offence
A fine of 800 to 3,700 euros (impaired) up to 1,600 to 5,900 euros (1.6 per mille or more): an administrative offence, not a crime
Lenken eines Fahrzeuges in einem durch Alkohol beeinträchtigten Zustand (driving while impaired by alcohol) (Administrative offence, not a crime)
- Least
- No minimum term set by the statute
- Most
- In default of payment, 1 to 6 weeks' prison
- Fine
- Fine of 800 to 3,700 euros
Lenken with 1.2 g/l or more but less than 1.6 g/l of blood (Administrative offence, not a crime)
- Least
- No minimum term set by the statute
- Most
- In default of payment, 10 days to 6 weeks' prison
- Fine
- Fine of 1,200 to 4,400 euros
Lenken with 1.6 g/l or more of blood (0.8 mg/l of breath) (Administrative offence, not a crime)
- Least
- No minimum term set by the statute
- Most
- In default of payment, 2 to 6 weeks' prison
- Fine
- Fine of 1,600 to 5,900 euros
Driving drunk is punished in Austria by an administrative fine, with a short prison term only in default of payment. It becomes a crime when it causes harm, for example a negligent killing after getting drunk (§ 81(2) StGB, up to 3 years). The blood-alcohol limit at which a person is treated as impaired is 0.8 g/l (§ 5).
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