About Emigrating to Austria

Austria

Austria is a gorgeous little country that offers plenty of mountain fun in the form of the snow-capped Alps, which actually cover 62% of the country. Its location is ideal for exploration of many other European countries, as well. The lifestyle in Austria is called “perpetual resort,” which sounds pretty fine to us.

The country offers 10 different types of residence permit, so you are likely to qualify if you can afford it. 

Applying for Residence Permit

Important! Please schedule an appointment before coming to the embassy.

Third-country nationals who intend to stay in Austria for more than six months require a residence permit (unless they have a right of residence according to Union law).

Third-country nationals are persons who are not citizens of the European Economic Area (EEA) - which unites the EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway - or Switzerland.

As a matter of principle, first applications for a residence title shall be filed abroad and in person, before entering Austria. Certain groups of persons may also file first applications in Austria, among others:

• Family members of Austrian, EEA and Swiss citizens who do not have a right of residence according to Union law, after lawful entry and during lawful residence
• Foreign citizens entitled to enter without a visa, during their permitted visa-free stay
• Foreign citizens principally entitled to enter without a visa, but holding a visa (e.g. US citizen with Visa D)
• Foreign citizens applying for a settlement permit as a researcher and their family members

But: Foreign citizens applying for a residence permit "ICT" have to apply abroad in all cases.

Residence permits are always granted for a specific purpose (e.g. employment, study, research) and with or without access to the labour market.

The various types of permits and requirements are explained in detail on migration.gv.at, the Federal Government‘s official information website on migration to Austria.

 

Application procedure:

• If the applicant is a minor, the application must be signed by both parents or legal guardians. These signatures must be notarized by a notary public.
• The Austrian Embassy will accept only complete applications.
• Applications must be submitted in person (no exceptions).
• Public hours: Monday through Friday, 10:30 am until 01.00 p.m.; closed on U.S. and Austrian Legal Holidays
• Please note that there is no legal claim on obtaining the residency permit applied for.
• Please allow at least one month processing time since all applications must be sent to Austria.

The following documents (if applicable) must be submitted:

1. valid and signed passport (passport must be valid for at least three months beyond date of return)
2. copies of previous passports
3. Consular fee: payment must be made in US$ per postal money order, cashier's check (payable to Embassy of Austria) or cash (exact change only please). Part of the consular fee must be paid at the time of your application and part of the fee has to be paid at the time of the pick up in Austria.
4. application form, completed and signed (available only in German on the website of the Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior)
5. one recent picture (passport format, color, front view)
6. original or notarized copy of birth certificate including apostille
7. original Certificate of Good Conduct/Criminal Record with apostille (available at local police station; not older than three months)
8. if not U.S. citizen, valid original U.S. residence permit "Green Card" (notarized copy not accepted) or U.S. visa
9. proof of health/travel/accident insurance (original letter from insurance company confirming coverage in Austria)
10. proof of sufficient financial means (e.g. scholarship, letter of grants, bank statement of last two months, other proof of income)
11. proof of lodging in Austria (e.g. lease contract, ownership papers)
12. Statement of Financial Liability (Haftungserklärung; available only in German) if stay in Austria is sponsored by someone residing in Austria (does not apply to au-pair applicants)

Please note: All foreign documents can only be accepted with an apostille.

In addition to the above documents, the following items must be submitted, too:

• employee: work permit (issued by the Austrian Employment Service AMS), statement of salary or income, confirmation letter issued by employer
• self-employed: last income tax statement, contract letter, business plan, letter of agreement, etc.
• family reasons/reunion: marriage certificate, divorce certificate, death certificate, certificate giving evidence of relationship to another individual; students: original letter of admission to Austrian school or university/college
• au-pair: au-pair contract (signed by both au pair and host family), letter of certification (issued by the Austrian Emplyment Service AMS)

Please note:

Proof of basic language proficiency in German

Third country nationals must submit proof of basic language proficiency in German when first applying for the following residence permit:

• Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte plus
• Familienangehörige
• Niederlassungsbewilligung
• Niederlassungsbewilligung – ausgenommen Erwerbstätigkeit
• Niederlassungsbewilligung – Angehöriger

Proof may be presented in the form of a publicly recognized language diploma or a language course certificate issued by a certified language school, confirming in writing that the individual concerned has reached at least a basic level of proficiency in the German language (level A1). The following language schools are recognized:

• Österreichisches Sprachdiplom Deutsch
• Goethe-Institut
• Telc GmbH or
• Österreichischer Integrationsfonds (ÖIF)

The diploma or the certificate may not be older than one year at the time of the application. Austrian representations abroad will be able to tell you which language schools in your country of origin are certified.

The following individuals are exempt from the obligation to provide proof:

• Individuals who are under-age at the time of their application
• Individuals for whom the procedure would present an undue burden due to physical or psychological health problems (these must be confirmed by a public health officer)
• Relatives of or holders of the following residence permits: the Austrian Red-White-Red Card, the EU Blue Card, or Daueraufenthalt-EG (the latter is accepted only if the person in question was initially in possession of the blue EU card).

PLEASE NOTE: Since the data on our website are constantly updated, please refrain from confirming the listed requirements by telephone.

FURTHER DOCUMENTATION MAY BE REQUIRED ON A CASE-BY-CASE BASIS