Do UK driving licences exchanged in another EU Member State, need to be exchanged again?

UK driving licences, irrespective of the citizenship you hold, are required to be exchanged for an Austrian licence by 30.06.2021. In some cases people may have already exchanged their licence in another EU country, and subsequently moved to Austria with that (non-Austrian) EU licence.

Austria does not always permit exchange of EU licences that were themselves obtained by exchange from third country licences (for example, if your original driving licence was obtained in a country not accepted by Austria, but then converted to a Spanish licence, your Spanish licence may well not be accepted and you will have to take an Austrian driving test). In the case of holding a licence issued elsewhere, it is necessary to abide my the Austrian regulations for that country. Not all countries’ driving licences are listed as equivalent. (List of countries classed as equivalent can be found here (in German))

UK driving licences are required to be exchanged for an Austrian one within 6 months of arriving in Austria. Holders of licences issued in other jurisdictions must abide by Austrian regulations for that jurisdiction. Licences from other EU countries do not need to be exchanged when you move within the EU. However, if you are, or intend to be, a long-term resident, it may be advisable to exchange your licence for an Austrian one.

Holders of British driving licences as at the end of the transition periodTransition Period The transition period (also referred to as the implementation period) is the period following the UK's departure from the European Union (on 31.01.2020) until the end of 2020. An option to extend this period has not been taken up by the UK government. (31.12.2020) had until 30 June 2021 to exchange their British driving licence for an Austrian one, if resident in Austria. Continuing to drive on a British licence under this circumstance is illegal and incurs heavy fines and may render insurance ineffective.
See also: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/living-in-austria#driving-in-austria

Updates:

13.05.2021 – new deadline for exchanging driving licences (30.06.2021)

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