DLR Test 2026: New Price, and a Vienna Location from October
Two things change for DLR candidates in 2026, and both matter if you are planning a test date: the certificate examination has a new price, and from October the DLR opens an examination location in Vienna — the first time the certificate can be sat outside Germany. Here is what is confirmed, what it costs you, and what it means for your planning.
The 2026 price: 417.69 euros plus VAT
For 2026 the DLR lists the certificate examination and the DLR-Zertifikat at 417.69 euros net — roughly 500 euros once VAT is added — paid by the candidate. Worth knowing when you compare sources: many third-party guides still quote the lower 2025 price list, so budget on the current figure, not on the page that happens to rank first in a search. The price covers the full test day and the certificate itself; travel and accommodation are yours.
New from October 2026: testing in Vienna
From October 2026 the DLR adds Vienna as an examination location, with bookings through its own web shop rather than the Hamburg email registration. The DLR states that its test procedures are identical across its examination locations, so a Vienna certificate is the same certificate — the choice is purely logistical. For applicants in Austria and across central Europe it removes the trip to Hamburg that used to be part of the exercise, and for Austrian Airlines hopefuls in particular, the route into a Lufthansa Group cockpit just moved a station closer.
What has not changed
None of this changes what is actually tested: the day still measures memory, mental arithmetic, spatial orientation, concentration, technical comprehension, English and psychomotor coordination. Our DLR Test Preparation course walks through the certificate practicalities, every subtest area and the assessment stage that follows, and maps each one to the matching practice exercises — the sensible response to a higher test fee is arriving prepared enough to pay it once.
Planning your date
Work backwards from the certificate's two-year validity: sit the test once your preparation curve has flattened, not before. Registration is by email — the DLR replies with the currently available dates — so register early enough to have dates to choose from, and remember its own advice to spread the official preparation units over about three weeks once the invitation arrives. If Vienna is closer to you, October 2026 is worth the short wait.