Talk:Austria/@comment-35569427-20190706222603/@comment-24682153-20190709091445

Unfortunately, this fee is quite common now. It is charged in all post offices and many resellers shops and varies from 3 € to 10 €. Even some providers charge it like 3, but give you a data reward for the job done.

This is annoying as they get 10 € by the government and the Austrian tax payer for their service too. You can argue, that foreigners don't pay it through taxes and should be charged, but it applies to Austrian citizens too as Austria is not allowed to discriminate between EU citizens.

There is a rather tricky way to avoid this fee. You need to go online and use their Foto-Identifikation. They accept other passports too, possibly not from all countries, but at least European countries. You need to have a cam, your ID document and a stable internet connection for this. It's different to Germany where you need to make a video call with an agent. In Austria this online process is fully automated and you need to present your ID document, sometimes an Austrian address (hotel will do) and make a selfie and upload it.