Fees · Country Guide
Austria
Cold-water walls, sunlit Alpine lakes and mountain towns between dives
Fees And Permits
Confirm these fees before you book so your operator plan and day budget match what you will pay onsite.
Fees You Can't Skip
- General Austrian lake scuba access - No nationwide permit fee
- Achensee individual scuba license - From EUR 12
- Typical payment pattern: Austria has no general national scuba license, marine-park tag or sea-entry charge.
What people usually pay
Austria has no general national scuba license, marine-park tag or sea-entry charge. Lake ownership, local environmental rules and concessions determine whether diving needs a permit or guest entitlement. Some protected seasonal exceptions require an ARGE Dive Card, while many ordinary public-water sites have no blanket card fee. Accommodation taxes are municipal or regional and can change during the year; official Salzkammergut guidance changed several rates in 2026. Prices listed here are research snapshots, not live checkouts.
| Fee | Amount | Applies to | Where to pay | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Austrian lake scuba access | No nationwide permit fee Subject to each lake's ownership and restrictions | Scuba | Local authority or lake operator when applicable | A public water body is not a guarantee of free shoreline passage, unrestricted access or exemption from protected zones. |
| Achensee individual scuba license | From EUR 12 Weekly, monthly or season; 2026 season 1 Apr to 30 Nov | Scuba at designated Achensee sector | Achensee Tourism experience shop or official authorized local vendors | The official 2026 listing bars individual recreational diving outside the permitted season and restricts license validity to designated areas. |
| Blindsee private dive authorization | EUR 20 per diver per day (published) One day; owner approval required | Scuba at Blindsee | MOHR life resort reception; seller details should be reconfirmed | The resort advertises inclusion of lake road access; its pages differ over whether a nearby cafe may issue permits. Contact the resort before traveling. |
| Fernsteinsee and Samaranger See eligibility | Minimum two hotel nights; no standalone day-access price verified Hotel open season and owner permission | Scuba at two private mountain lakes | Hotel Schloss Fernsteinsee | Current hotel rules require Open Water or equivalent plus at least 80 logged dives for Fernsteinsee or 100 for Samaranger See; no independent day-tripper entry or rental equipment. |
| Plansee scuba permission | Fee not reliably confirmed Individual permission for approved zones | Scuba in designated Plansee zones | Plansee owner or appointed licensing authority; check with local base | Published Tyrol order requires individual approval and proof of certification and medical fitness. Operator packages do not automatically equal a lake-wide permit. |
| Klopeiner See municipal dive permission | Listed EUR 5 day / EUR 25 calendar-year pass (outdated listing) Calendar year or day, recheck current 2026 price | Scuba at Klopeiner See | Dive Center Klopeiner See, Strandbad Sued, St. Kanzian | The operator's page still displays 2024 opening hours and these tariff figures, so do not treat them as current confirmed prices; beach entry and base fees may be additional. |
| ARGE Tauchen Dive Card | EUR 18 digital pass (2026 listing) 2026 valid period stated through 31 Jan 2027; recheck seller | Selected private waters or specific protected-zone exemptions | ARGE Tauchen digital shop | An optional supporter card on ordinary public lakes, but an access entitlement for listed private waters and narrow Wolfgangsee protected-season exceptions. It does not override other bans. |
| Overnight visitor tax in Achensee region | EUR 3 per eligible guest per night (official listing) Per eligible accommodation night | Overnight visitors in Achensee region | Accommodation provider | Rates vary across Austria; published child exemptions apply in Achensee. |
| Upper Austria base overnight tax | EUR 2.60 per eligible person-night from 1 Nov 2026 Per accommodation night, unless municipality sets an enhanced rate | Visitors to applicable Upper Austrian municipalities | Hotel, guesthouse or campsite | Current Salzkammergut tourism notice supersedes older regional pages showing EUR 2.40. This base rate is not universal in all towns or other provinces. |
| Selected Salzkammergut enhanced overnight taxes | Mondsee EUR 3.10; Bad Ischl EUR 3.80; St. Wolfgang EUR 3.60 2026 municipal rates; future increases possible | Overnight visitors in listed municipalities | Eligible accommodation provider | Official Salzkammergut notice gives these amounts after applicable 2026 increases. Do not apply one town's rate across the entire region. |
| Schengen tourist entry / ETIAS | No general entry tax for visa-exempt short visits; ETIAS not active as of 8 Nov 2026 Depends on nationality and future EU launch date | International visitors | Official Austrian government and EU ETIAS site | Some nationalities require a paid visa. ETIAS is a separate future travel authorization, not a scuba or marine-park permit. No ETIAS applications were being collected on research date. |
Fee
General Austrian lake scuba access
Subject to each lake's ownership and restrictions
- Amount
- No nationwide permit fee
- Applies to
- Scuba
- Where to pay
- Local authority or lake operator when applicable
- Notes
A public water body is not a guarantee of free shoreline passage, unrestricted access or exemption from protected zones.
Achensee individual scuba license
Weekly, monthly or season; 2026 season 1 Apr to 30 Nov
- Amount
- From EUR 12
- Applies to
- Scuba at designated Achensee sector
- Where to pay
- Achensee Tourism experience shop or official authorized local vendors
- Notes
The official 2026 listing bars individual recreational diving outside the permitted season and restricts license validity to designated areas.
Blindsee private dive authorization
One day; owner approval required
- Amount
- EUR 20 per diver per day (published)
- Applies to
- Scuba at Blindsee
- Where to pay
- MOHR life resort reception; seller details should be reconfirmed
- Notes
The resort advertises inclusion of lake road access; its pages differ over whether a nearby cafe may issue permits. Contact the resort before traveling.
Fernsteinsee and Samaranger See eligibility
Hotel open season and owner permission
- Amount
- Minimum two hotel nights; no standalone day-access price verified
- Applies to
- Scuba at two private mountain lakes
- Where to pay
- Hotel Schloss Fernsteinsee
- Notes
Current hotel rules require Open Water or equivalent plus at least 80 logged dives for Fernsteinsee or 100 for Samaranger See; no independent day-tripper entry or rental equipment.
Plansee scuba permission
Individual permission for approved zones
- Amount
- Fee not reliably confirmed
- Applies to
- Scuba in designated Plansee zones
- Where to pay
- Plansee owner or appointed licensing authority; check with local base
- Notes
Published Tyrol order requires individual approval and proof of certification and medical fitness. Operator packages do not automatically equal a lake-wide permit.
Klopeiner See municipal dive permission
Calendar year or day, recheck current 2026 price
- Amount
- Listed EUR 5 day / EUR 25 calendar-year pass (outdated listing)
- Applies to
- Scuba at Klopeiner See
- Where to pay
- Dive Center Klopeiner See, Strandbad Sued, St. Kanzian
- Notes
The operator's page still displays 2024 opening hours and these tariff figures, so do not treat them as current confirmed prices; beach entry and base fees may be additional.
ARGE Tauchen Dive Card
2026 valid period stated through 31 Jan 2027; recheck seller
- Amount
- EUR 18 digital pass (2026 listing)
- Applies to
- Selected private waters or specific protected-zone exemptions
- Where to pay
- ARGE Tauchen digital shop
- Notes
An optional supporter card on ordinary public lakes, but an access entitlement for listed private waters and narrow Wolfgangsee protected-season exceptions. It does not override other bans.
Overnight visitor tax in Achensee region
Per eligible accommodation night
- Amount
- EUR 3 per eligible guest per night (official listing)
- Applies to
- Overnight visitors in Achensee region
- Where to pay
- Accommodation provider
- Notes
Rates vary across Austria; published child exemptions apply in Achensee.
Upper Austria base overnight tax
Per accommodation night, unless municipality sets an enhanced rate
- Amount
- EUR 2.60 per eligible person-night from 1 Nov 2026
- Applies to
- Visitors to applicable Upper Austrian municipalities
- Where to pay
- Hotel, guesthouse or campsite
- Notes
Current Salzkammergut tourism notice supersedes older regional pages showing EUR 2.40. This base rate is not universal in all towns or other provinces.
Selected Salzkammergut enhanced overnight taxes
2026 municipal rates; future increases possible
- Amount
- Mondsee EUR 3.10; Bad Ischl EUR 3.80; St. Wolfgang EUR 3.60
- Applies to
- Overnight visitors in listed municipalities
- Where to pay
- Eligible accommodation provider
- Notes
Official Salzkammergut notice gives these amounts after applicable 2026 increases. Do not apply one town's rate across the entire region.
Schengen tourist entry / ETIAS
Depends on nationality and future EU launch date
- Amount
- No general entry tax for visa-exempt short visits; ETIAS not active as of 8 Nov 2026
- Applies to
- International visitors
- Where to pay
- Official Austrian government and EU ETIAS site
- Notes
Some nationalities require a paid visa. ETIAS is a separate future travel authorization, not a scuba or marine-park permit. No ETIAS applications were being collected on research date.