Moving to Austria
8 routes for people from the US, Canada and the UK, each checked against official sources. Find the one that fits, then check it with the source before you apply.
Retire or live on savings
Austria settlement permit for financially independent people (Privatier)
Niederlassungsbewilligung – ausgenommen Erwerbstätigkeit (§ 42 NAG)
Retirees and financially independent people with high regular passive income who will not work, and who can get one of a small number of quota places.
- What you need
- Regular monthly income of at least EUR 2,616.78 for a single person, after deducting ongoing costs such as rent above a set allowance. (EUR 2,616.78 a month)
- Couple: EUR 4,128.24 per month. (EUR 4,128.24 a month)
- Each child: plus EUR 403.76 per month. (EUR 403.76 a month)
- Proof of German knowledge with the first application (A1 under the 'German before immigration' rule).
- Health insurance covering all risks, valid in Austria.
- Legal right to customary accommodation (lease or ownership).
- A quota place under the annual settlement regulation (Niederlassungsverordnung); places are few and allocated per province.
- Not for
- Any employment or self-employment
- People relying on savings only: the page asks for regular monthly income, though it lists sufficient personal assets as proof of livelihood
- Applicants who cannot wait for a quota place
- Where you apply
- From home, at a consulate. First application in person at the Austrian embassy or consulate responsible for your place of residence, before entering Austria. After approval, apply for a visa within 3 months and collect the permit in Austria within a further 3 months.
- How long it takes
- Not officially stated; depends on quota availability.
- First permit
- Not stated on the official page; commonly 1 year (secondary).
- Renewal
- Apply from 3 months before expiry until the expiry date; same income test.
- Longer term
- Permanent residence after about 5 years. Citizenship after about 10 years.
- Family
- Spouse and children need their own quota-bound permits; the income test rises to EUR 4,128.24 for a couple plus EUR 403.76 per child.
Freelance or your own business
Red-White-Red Card – self-employed key workers
Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte für selbstständige Schlüsselkräfte
Entrepreneurs whose Austrian business brings a macroeconomic benefit: new or secured jobs, know-how transfer, new technology, or lasting investment capital.
- What you need
- Lasting transfer of investment capital to Austria and/or job creation or know-how transfer; no fixed minimum amount on the official page.
- The public employment service (AMS) issues an opinion on the macroeconomic benefit within 3 weeks.
- Not for
- Solo freelancers without wider economic benefit
- Where you apply
- From home or inside the country. Residence authority in Austria during a lawful stay, or the Austrian embassy abroad. Apply at least 8 weeks before starting.
- How long it takes
- Decision within 8 weeks.
- First permit
- Two years.
- Renewal
- Extendable; holders may later switch to a settlement permit.
- Longer term
- Permanent residence after about 5 years. Citizenship after about 10 years.
- Family
- Family members can get the RWR Card plus.
Freelance or your own business
Red-White-Red Card – start-up founders
Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte für Start-up-Gründer
Founders of an innovative start-up with at least EUR 30,000 of capital and 50 points.
- What you need
- Capital of at least EUR 30,000, at least half of it equity. (EUR 30,000 a lump_sum)
- At least 50 points under Annex D of the Foreign Employment Act.
- Business plan and evidence that products, services, processes or technologies are innovative.
- Not for
- Non-innovative small businesses
- Where you apply
- From home or inside the country. Residence authority in Austria, or the Austrian embassy abroad.
- How long it takes
- Decision within 8 weeks.
- First permit
- Usually up to 2 years.
- Renewal
- Extendable; switch to the RWR Card plus when conditions are met.
- Longer term
- Permanent residence after about 5 years. Citizenship after about 10 years.
- Family
- Family members can get the RWR Card plus.
A job offer
EU Blue Card (Austria)
Blaue Karte EU (Österreich)
Graduates (or IT professionals with 3 years' experience) with an Austrian job paying at least EUR 3,977 gross a month, 14 times a year.
- What you need
- Gross pay of at least EUR 3,977 per month, 14 payments a year (EUR 55,678 a year). (EUR 3,977 a month)
- Tertiary degree of at least 3 years, or 3 years of relevant ICT experience; job matching the qualification; labour-market test applies.
- Not for
- Where you apply
- From home or inside the country. Austrian embassy, or the residence authority in Austria during a lawful stay (visa-free stays count).
- How long it takes
- 8 weeks statutory decision period.
- First permit
- 2 years, tied to the employer.
- Renewal
- After 21 months of work, switch to the RWR Card plus.
- Longer term
- Permanent residence after about 5 years. Citizenship after about 10 years.
- Family
- Family members get the RWR Card plus with labour-market access.
A job offer
Red-White-Red Card – other key workers
Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte für sonstige Schlüsselkräfte
Qualified workers with an Austrian job offer paying at least EUR 3,465 gross a month (14 payments) and scoring 55 of 90 points.
- What you need
- Gross monthly pay of at least EUR 3,465, paid 14 times a year (EUR 48,510 a year). (EUR 3,465 a month)
- At least 55 of 90 points (qualification, experience, German/English, age).
- Labour-market test: can be refused if suitable registered job seekers are available.
- Not for
- Where you apply
- From home or inside the country. Austrian embassy, or the residence authority in Austria during a lawful stay (visa-free stays count); the employer may file in Austria.
- How long it takes
- 8 weeks statutory decision period.
- First permit
- Up to 2 years.
- Renewal
- After 21 months of work, switch to the RWR Card plus.
- Longer term
- Permanent residence after about 5 years. Citizenship after about 10 years.
- Family
- Family members get the RWR Card plus with free labour-market access.
A job offer
Red-White-Red Card – skilled workers in shortage occupations
Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte für Fachkräfte in Mangelberufen
Tradespeople and skilled workers trained in an occupation on Austria's 2026 national or regional shortage list.
- What you need
- Completed training in a listed shortage occupation and at least 55 of 90 points.
- Pay at least at the collective-agreement or customary level for the job; no fixed national figure.
- Not for
- Occupations not on the 2026 shortage list
- Where you apply
- From home or inside the country. Austrian embassy, or in Austria during a lawful stay.
- How long it takes
- 8 weeks statutory decision period.
- First permit
- Up to 2 years.
- Renewal
- RWR Card plus after 21 months of work.
- Longer term
- Permanent residence after about 5 years. Citizenship after about 10 years.
- Family
- Family members get the RWR Card plus.
A job offer
Red-White-Red Card – very highly qualified workers
Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte für besonders Hochqualifizierte
Highly educated professionals scoring 70 of 100 points; they may get a 6-month job-search visa before having an offer.
- What you need
- At least 70 of 100 points (degree, STEM, PhD, previous salary in a senior role, research, awards, experience, German/English, age up to 45, study in Austria).
- A job offer matching the qualification for the card; without one, a 6-month job-search visa D can be requested at the Austrian embassy.
- Not for
- Where you apply
- From home or inside the country. Austrian embassy abroad, or the residence authority in Austria if already lawfully present (including visa-free stays, which covers US/CA/UK/AU citizens).
- How long it takes
- Authority must decide within 8 weeks (per official RWR pages).
- First permit
- Up to 2 years.
- Renewal
- After 21 months of qualifying work within 2 years, switch to the RWR Card plus (free labour-market access).
- Longer term
- Permanent residence after about 5 years. Citizenship after about 10 years.
- Family
- Spouse, registered partner and minor children can get the RWR Card plus with full labour-market access; applications can be filed together.
Family roots
Austrian citizenship for descendants of Nazi persecution victims
Staatsbürgerschaft durch Anzeige nach § 58c StbG
Direct descendants (any generation) of people who lived in Austria and left before 15 May 1955 because of Nazi persecution, or were deported or killed.
- What you need
- Ancestor was an Austrian citizen, a citizen of a Habsburg successor state, or stateless, with main residence in Austria, and left before 15 May 1955 because of persecution by the Nazi regime (or for supporting the Republic); or was deported or died from persecution before 9 May 1945. Applicant is a direct descendant (children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, etc.; adoptees if adopted as minors).
- Notification form; passport; photo; birth and marriage certificates; ancestor's persecution and residence documents; proof of each link in the line. Apostille unless exempt; certified German translation for documents not in German or English.
- Current criminal record extract no older than 8 months at filing (US residents: FBI check, per secondary source).
- No language test.
- Not for
- Descendants of ordinary economic emigrants
- Where you apply
- From home or inside the country. Living abroad: file with MA35 (Vienna) directly or through an Austrian embassy/consulate, which forwards it. Living in Austria: the provincial government of your state.
- How long it takes
- Not officially stated.
- First permit
- Not a permit.
- Renewal
- Not applicable.
0 - Family
- Each descendant files; minors have a separate form.