General Information
General
FIP stands for Groupement pour les facilités de circulation internationales du personnel des chemins de fer. It is the association for international railway staff travel discounts. Through FIP, travel discounts are available abroad throughout Europe.
To use FIP travel discounts, you must be entitled to use FIP. This is usually granted after one year of employment, although different rules may apply depending on your employer.
Below we explain the general FIP basics. However, specific information may vary depending on the country or railway company. Before traveling, you should always familiarize yourself with the rules of the specific railway operator in the country you are visiting. The FIP Guide can help:
FIP discounts often apply only to rail travel and not to buses, subways, or trams. However, there may be exceptions, which are described on the relevant operator pages.
When using FIP discounts, it matters which railway company operates the train. There are cross-border cooperative trains that are operated by different railway companies in two countries (e.g., many EC connections). The country pages in the FIP Guide explain how to find out who operates a train in each country. In general, the operators’ websites are also helpful. The Deutsche Bahn websiteshows many European connections and their operators.
For tariff purposes, what usually matters is not which country a train is traveling through, but which railway company operates the train on which segment. However, operator changes often occur at national borders. The relevant country pages describe the border points where operator changes occur. There are exceptions here too: for example, some Nightjet trains are operated by ÖBB for their entire route, but you will need FIP Coupon for all countries you pass through.
FIP Card
To use FIP discounts, you need a current FIP Card. It is always valid for a fixed period of three years. The current period is 2025-2026-2027. The FIP Card serves as proof of eligibility for FIP 50 Tickets. It is issued for either 1st or 2nd class. With a 1st class card, you can order FIP Coupons and buy FIP 50 Tickets for both 1st and 2nd class; with a 2nd class card, only for 2nd class. It can be ordered through the railway company you work for. The exact ordering process differs by company.
Some railway companies also allow employees to obtain FIP Cards for their dependents, allowing them to purchase FIP 50 Tickets.
Discounts
FIP discounts come in various forms; a FIP Card is always required to use them.
FIP Coupons
These entitle you to travel on trains operated by the operator specified on the coupon. An FIP Coupon consists of multiple fields. Each field is valid for two consecutive days. The first day of validity must be entered on the ticket. The ticket is then valid on that day and the following day. The different fields themselves do not need to be filled in on consecutive days; the dates only need to fall within the printed validity period. One FIP Coupon per operator can be ordered per calendar year (some railway companies may have different rules for their own employees). This means you can order one FIP Coupon with one to four fields from any number of operators each year. The date on which validity begins determines the calendar year.
FIP Coupons are sometimes also available for dependents. Availability depends on bilateral agreements between the issuing railway company and the railway company where you wish to use FIP discounts.
Once you return to the rail network of your home country, you may not use the FIP Coupon again within its validity period if the country of the coupon borders directly on your home country’s rail network.
Officially, the FIP Card is only required for ordering FIP Coupons, not for use at the point of travel. However, in practice, train staff sometimes request it anyway. To avoid problems, you should be able to present it when using FIP Coupons.
To travel by train for longer than eight days in one country or with one operator, you can skip a day without using a coupon and instead purchase an FIP 50 Ticket for that day’s journey. These can be purchased at any time independently of a coupon.
FIP 50 Tickets
FIP-eligible employees can purchase discounted tickets. These typically cost 50% of the flexible price. Therefore, these tickets are not train-specific and can be used flexibly on the route, unless the train requires a mandatory reservation. Some railway companies have bilateral agreements and grant each other higher discounts, for example 75%.
FIP 50 Tickets can be purchased at any time in any quantity. FIP 50 essentially functions as a discount card for many connections. A single FIP 50 Ticket can cover multiple operators.
The purchase process differs from FIP Coupons. While the latter are issued by your own railway company, FIP 50 Tickets can be purchased in various ways. For travel within a country, a local ticket counter or travel center is usually a good starting point. Some operators also allow booking online or via ticket machines. On the respective country and operator pages, we try to summarize the information on ticket purchases as comprehensively as possible. Prices for FIP 50 Tickets can vary depending on the sales outlet.
FIP discounts do not apply in your home country. Even if a FIP 50 Ticket includes a ticket segment in your home country, the ticket is not valid there. You must use a separate ticket or national discount for this segment. The only exception is FIP Global Fares.
Since FIP 50 Tickets only discount flexible tickets, they can be more expensive than regular tickets such as inflexible tickets (e.g., savings fares or advance tickets) and other discount offers (e.g., Deutschland Ticket).
FIP Global Fares
For some trains, special fares and rules apply. These cannot be used with either FIP 50 Tickets or FIP Coupons. Instead, a special FIP Global Fare for the specific train service must be purchased. The issued tickets are train-specific. FIP Global Fares are required, for example, for Eurostar, TGV/AVE services between Barcelona and France, or various night trains.
National Discounts (Non-FIP)
FIP discounts never apply on trains operated by your own railway company. Therefore, a different ticket is needed within your home country. For employees of the following railway companies, we have this information available:
Border Points
FIP discounts are generally only valid in the country/network of the respective railway company. The validity of the FIP Coupon officially extends to the so-called border tariff point.
You always need a ticket up to the border. FIP Coupons are only valid in the country/network of the respective railway company. The border is not always the last station in the country. Therefore, it may not be sufficient to buy a ticket only to the last station. This is particularly important when leaving your home country, as FIP tickets are not valid there.
In detail, two types of border tariff points are distinguished:
- Border station: This is a real physical railway station. From both neighboring countries, you can travel to this stop with one train ticket. Examples include Salzburg Hbf, Basel Badischer Bahnhof, or Konstanz.
- Border tariff point: This is a “virtual” station that exists only in theory to determine ticket validity. They are located on open track. Therefore, you need a ticket both before and after this border tariff point. Border tariff points are usually marked with “(Gr)” or “(fr)” for Grenze/frontière (border).
Further information on border tariff points can be found on Wikipedia.
While an FIP Coupon is always issued for exactly one railway company, an FIP 50 Ticket can be issued for multiple railway companies. Which railway companies exactly accept the ticket can be determined from the CIV code (more information on Wikipedia).
Which border stations and border tariff points exist between two countries or railway companies are listed in the FIP Guide on the respective country page.
I am FIP-eligible at Deutsche Bahn and want to travel from Frankfurt am Main to Vienna on 01.03.2026. I have two options: either order an FIP Coupon for ÖBB or book an FIP 50 Ticket from Frankfurt Hbf to Vienna Hbf. Both are only valid for the Austrian section since I cannot use FIP in Germany. The journey typically takes place via Passau Hbf, which is the border station between Germany and Austria.
I therefore need an additional ticket for the journey between Frankfurt Hbf and Passau Hbf, such as a regularly purchased ticket or an employee discount for DB staff within Germany. From Passau Hbf onwards, both the ÖBB coupon and the FIP 50 Ticket are valid.
I am FIP-eligible at Deutsche Bahn and want to travel from Frankfurt am Main to Copenhagen on 01.03.2026. I have two options: either order an FIP Coupon for DSB or book an FIP 50 Ticket from Frankfurt Hbf to Kobenhavn H. Both are only valid for the Danish section since I cannot use FIP in Germany. The journey typically goes via the border point Padborg (Gr), which is only a virtual border point between Flensburg and Padborg, not an actual railway station.
I therefore need an additional ticket for the journey between Frankfurt Hbf and this border point, such as a regularly purchased ticket to the first Danish station Padborg or an employee discount for DB staff within Germany that is valid up to the border. A ticket, for example, to the last German station (Schleswig) where the train stops, or to Flensburg is not sufficient. From the border point onwards, both the DSB coupon and the FIP 50 Ticket are valid.
Taxation
For employees in some countries, additional taxation of FIP discounts is necessary, which incurs additional costs. For the following countries, we have information available:
FAQ
Who is behind the FIP Guide?
We are a dedicated team of railway employees who regularly use FIP ourselves. Our goal is to provide a quick and easy-to-use overview for using FIP. Our focus is on providing useful information for our users.
Additional useful resources
The Rail Delivery Groupprovides a comprehensive overview of FIP in various countries.